I was thinking today about the relationship between race and
economic prosperity.
>> [INAUDIBLE] that's interesting, and what were your thoughts on the matter?
>> Well, I was thinking about how far we've come in the past hundred years since
the Fourteenth Amendment that just simply gave everyone protection under the law.
It's almost insane to think that at one time in our country,
people of color didn't have any rights.
And they were even enslaved.
>> And sadly, so yes, yeah, it is crazy.
But it's also amazing how far we've come.
But the thing is,
there's still work that needs to be done to weed out the systemic racism.
>> Do you really think systemic racism still exists in our country?
>> Yeah, 100%, even if it's not as prevalent,
we are still seeing the lasting effects of systemic racism.
Just look at the areas where everyone still lives to this day.
>> What do you mean where everyone still lives?
>> Well, in the 1930s, using redlining was a tactic widely
supported by the government to refuse people of color loans or
financial help when trying to buy a house,
more often than non-predominantly white neighborhoods.
>> Yeah, it's like they took all these people, and
they created the poverty and crime-filled ghettos that we still see today.
>> Yeah, and then what made matters worse is the divide that was widened
by Richard Nixon with his war on drugs campaign in the 1970s.
>> Yeah. >> So people of color were often getting
the maximum sentences for these petty non-violent crimes, whereas a white person
would often get the minimum sentence on the same type of crime.
>> Yeah, and some of the non-violent crimes like the ones involving marijuana,
these people are still serving time today for offenses that are now decriminalized,
and in some places, even recreationally legal.
>> Yeah, people are making money off of it.
So when we think about it, and what had been done to people of color,
it's really just a sense of legalized slavery.
>> Yeah, it's like you take this demographic of people,
you limit them to impoverished neighborhoods.
You make no effort to properly fund their education,
then you give them maximum sentencing when they finally turn into a life of crime.
Because that's the only way they see themselves actually rising above their
station.
>> Yeah, and then with the level of mass incarceration against men of color,
specifically African American men,
you have to consider how many families have been broken and torn apart by it.
And countless kids that no longer have a father figure, or any parents,
or advice, or guidance, uninevitably, they lead down that same path.
>> Yeah, I agree, it's like a never-ending cycle.
And I guess my question is, how do you think we fix this?
>> Well, I think it starts with everyone joining and
participating their own civic duty and voting and
becoming involved in their local communities and local elections.
For so long, I think there is this form of cynicism around voting,
making people believe that their vote really doesn't matter.
>> Yeah, I agree, I will say that seems like now more people than ever,
especially young people and
people of color, are getting involved in politics and going out and voting.
And I think social media has a big role to play in that as well.
>> Yeah, social media has definitely taken everything by storm.
And I agree, I think we're on the path to hopefully eliminating these
systemic racism, problems, and prejudice from future generations.
We just have to keep participating and
educating those that aren't given a fair shot at having a voice.
>> So what do you think is the first step
to getting to a place where everyone has their own voice?
>> Having conversations like these.
>> Yeah.