UST 202!
Dr. Michael L. Paquet!
Section 505!
Public housing and African American
“Living in public housing can be very difficult at times. The neighbourhood you
are in isn’t the best, and the people you are surrounded with could often times be
problematic. This is a big issue for the African American community. Given they already
are looked at differently than the other communities, they are often times growing up in
public housing and are surrounded by a lot of crime. I’m not saying that the African
Americans are the ones that are causing all the crime, it might be the people around
them in these public housing areas, or just people around the community that feel like
they could afford to do these crimes in these areas where they know there isn’t the
greatest surveillance. The kids also growing up in these areas are used to seeing the
things that go around them, and often times they adapt to the society and continue to
perform actions similar to the ones of their friends and families, which could often
times be problematic, because they won’t be able to achieve something greater. The
lack of support the African Americans also get is a big factor in the financial stability
they have, because they can only be living in public housing. They cannot afford to be
in better areas, and also because they aren’t given the same rights of education and
even in the workplace. Not many African Americans that live in public housing are
given a chance to graduate from a College, and even the ones that don’t aren’t even
given a chance to work and make money so they could help out their families, and their
own lives too, looking to have a better life than their previous generations have had. !
“Living in poverty alone has plenty of issues that come with it, and if you are an
African American that has been a target or racism and discrimination in this country for
decades now, it is a very difficultly situation to be in. The last few generations of African
Americans living in public housing in Cleveland and all over the United States of
America have been experiencing negative critics about their racial appearance and
their lifestyle their whole lives. These African American families try and work together,
as a community, and treat everybody in their community equally. There community
could often times be an issue to their health. According to an article “ Research has
shown that public housing residents have the worst health of any population in the
USA” ( Ruel and Oakley, 2010), which means that the public housing community isn’t
the most hygienic. People in poverty suffer from most medical issues and poor health
and hygiene, such as diabetes and its effects that cause blindness, amputations, and
even death (Anderson, 1974). This all ties back to the financial standpoint that doesn’t
allow the African American families to move into better housing and better
communities in which they could raise the next generations in. Not only does the
financial situation they are in not allow them to move into better areas, but it also
doesn’t allow them to pursue a College career and get degrees which would benefit
them later on in their lives when they are looking to work and support their families. I
think that the government should also be doing a better job in helping these
communities, rather than just leaving it as it is, and watching them struggle. There
should be something done that allows the African American community, who are living
on public housing to have an equal chance of College as everyone else, and that would
allow them to live a better life later on. They would have many more job openings, and
it would be easier for the future generations to continue the same path as their parents
if they are given the right circumstances, and maybe all of that combined would
change the outlook people in general have towards the African American community
that is living on public housing. Most people have many stereotypes attached to the
people living on public housing and the African American community, which is totally
wrong. Just because they are living on public housing doesn’t mean that they are
committing crimes or endangering the community in any way shape or form. The
people have also built many stereotypes which are attached to the African American
community which are totally inaccurate as well, such as always breaking laws, not
going to school, not trying to make better for themselves and their families. I believe if
they were given the equal opportunities to go to College, get a degree, and have a well
balanced financial job which can allow them to create a stable household, that they
would certainly take the opportunity. There shouldn’t be racial discrimination towards
the African American community, and discrimination towards people on public housing,
because just because they are struggling doesn’t mean you should keep putting them
down and not try and help them in any way. The government should do a better job in
giving these people opportunities which they can hopefully take and better their lives.!
“In most of America, the poverty population is concentrated into groups, rather
than spread out. In these groups where poverty is a factor, violence is unfortunately
one of the first options that comes through peoples minds. This relates to the public
housing and African Americans because this is something that most other races first
think of when African Americans and public housing comes to mind. It also ties back to
not having a stable environment in your home, and not having people around you help
you distinguish right from wrong. Most of the population using violence has
experienced living in rough communities for most of their lives. Unfortunately, most of
these communities in which the African Americans are living are tied with some sort of
violence as well. Certain acts of violence and breaking the laws is what also causes a
majority of the African American community to go to jail as well. This could all be
prevented if there was a way in which the African American community can break
through and escape the poverty crisis at a young age and set a financially stable
lifestyle for the future generations that are to come. There should be no more
discrimination and racism, which doesn’t allow the African Americans that are living in
