RACE: Are We So Different?
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EDUCATION IN OUR COMMUNITY
Learning to succeed
A high school graduate with no college education earns an average of 42%
more than a student who drops out (U.S. Census figures for 2003.
HS diploma average earnings = $30,800; no HS diploma = $21,600).
The opportunity gap in Washington state
White and Asian high school students in King County are significantly more
likely to graduate on time than their Latino, African American or Native
American peers. Students of color lag behind in reading and math, and they
are far more likely to drop out of school. Studies seeking to explain the gap
point out that students of color are more likely to be suspended or diverted
into alternative programs, where academic opportunity is that much farther
out of reach.
Education inequity starts before children learn to read
Children who participate in early education programs, such as Head Start and
Washington’s Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP),
score higher in literacy, math and science than their peers. But due to cuts in
funding, only about one in four eligible children in King County participated in
Head Start or ECEAP in 2011. The majority of unserved children (65%) live in
south King County school districts.
“Next in importance to freedom and justice is popular
education, without which neither freedom nor justice
can be permanently maintained.”
—President James A. Garfield (1831–1881)
“A study conducted by Seattle public schools found
that black students, who make up 18.5% of the
student population, were issued 49% of suspensions
during the 2011–2012 school year.”
—Mary Griffin, Seattle Special Education Advocacy
and Advisory Council, 2013
HEALTH & WELLBEING IN OUR COMMUNITY
Race and health in King County
Among King County neighborhoods, life expectancy varies from a high
of 86 years to a low of 77 years (King County Equity and Social Justice
Annual Report, August 2012).
Who has health insurance?
People who lack health insurance are less likely to go to the doctor,
get preventive screenings or seek treatment for chronic conditions.
Thirteen percent of King County adults between the ages of 18 and 64
are uninsured, but the statistics differ by race and ethnicity. In 2010,
46% of Latino and 26% of African American adults in King County
lacked health insurance; only 11% of whites and 9% of Asians fell into
that category. Not surprisingly, Latino and African American residents
were almost three times more likely to report unmet medical needs
than their white or Asian neighbors.
Wellbeing by ZIP code
Puget Sound’s original Native American residents settled this area
centuries ago because food was plentiful and the environment was
kind — it was a healthy place to live. Wellness today depends on many
of the same factors: nutritious food, accessible medical care, parks
for exercise and recreation and the means to get from one place to
another. But these tools for health and wellbeing are farther out of
reach for some King County residents, depending on their racial group
or neighborhood.
“In 2010 nearly half of Latino families with
children in King County ran out of food.”
—King County Equity and Social Justice
Annual Report, 2012
Experience of race in the United States: health and medicine
A recreated pharmacy provides the setting for stories of race and racism in the
health-care system. At the prescription pick-up window, guests follow a debate
about
BiDil
, the first drug approved by the FDA for one specific ethno-racial
group. Nearby, a
Blood Pressure Machine
allows guests to test their blood
pressure while reading about high blood pressure, a disease disproportionately
affecting African Americans. In the waiting room, a table and chairs are home
to
Reading Boards
with additional stories about racism in health-care access,
implicit bias in medical treatment and other issues.
Experience of race in the United States:
education, schools and young people
A high-school cafeteria provides the backdrop for the
Youth on Race Video
.
Displayed on a large projection screen, here young people talk about race, identity
and growing up in contemporary U.S. culture. Nearby, in the
Student Lockers
display,
five students use their own words, pictures and objects to express their relationship
to race, identity, ethnicity, each other and the world in which they live. A blackboard
describes differing views on
Affirmative Action
, inviting guests to consider their own
opinions. Sit at the
School Desks
to read other stories on race, racism and education
such as segregation, disparities in tracking students and standardized testing biases.
