“All men are created equal?” A statement made by our founding fathers, but are they treated
fairly? When it comes to the justice system in America, black males, compared to white males,
somehow black males are handed down harsher sentences for the same crime committed as a
white male. This issue has been a problem in my lifetime and many years, even before 9/11 and
after. Still, it is finally rising as a significant issue due to the platforms that we have in today’s
society. So, all men may be created as equals, but I think not when justice is involved.
According to the United States Sentencing Commission, black male offenders receive longer
sentences than similarly situated white male offenders. “Black male offenders received sentences
on average 19.1 percent longer than similarly situated White male offenders during the Post-
Report period (fiscal years 2012-2016), as they had for the prior four periods studied. The
differences in sentence length remained relatively unchanged compared to the Post-Gall period
(1).
In some of the more recent events, a black male named George Floyd was savagely murdered in
the streets while he was being detained for a non-violent crime, by a white police officer whose
primary role was to serve and protect. To me, this is a problem in America because while a white
male by the name Dylan Roof, a known white supremacist, murders nine African American
churchgoers during a bible study with a Glock 41 .45-caliber handgun. This coward did not
receive the same harsh action by the police as George Floyd while being apprehended into
