Social Disparities and Inequality
Some groups in society have been disadvantaged based on their race, gender, and class. This has created great income inequalities and fewer opportunities for these groups. As described previously, Bela Hubbard, Governor Bingham, and Justin Morrill recognized that education creates opportunities for citizens. As a result, they established a public university where education was extended to the working classes by offering practical programs that were applicable to farmers. Today, Michigan State University has extended its reach to all issues of concern to society, in Michigan and globally. Reducing social disparities and inequalities are fundamental to MSU's mission as a land-grant institution.
The following are some examples of disparities in the United States:
- The median income for white households was $50,622 last year. It was $30,939 for black households, $36,278 for Hispanic households and $60,367 for Asian households.
- Women earn only 75.5 cents for every dollar that men earn, according to the 2003 U.S. Census.
- Rural residents are less likely to have employer-provided health care coverage or prescription drug coverage.
- Rural residents are poorer than their urban counterparts.
- The gap in poverty rates has narrowed since 1980, but it remains substantial. The poverty rate for white residents was 8.3 percent in 2005. It was 24.9 percent for black residents, 21.8 percent for Hispanic residents and 11.1 percent for Asian residents.
- Latinos are more likely to be employed in high-risk occupations than any other racial or ethnic group. For example, although they comprise only 14 percent of the population, Latinos account for 35 percent of all textile workers, 27 percent of building workers, 21 percent of construction workers, and 24 percent of all workers in the farming, forestry, and fishing industries.
- In 2002, 71 percent of African Americans lived in counties that violated federal air pollution standards, compared with 58 percent of the white population.
- The disproportionate representation of black Americans in the U.S. criminal justice system is well documented. Blacks comprise 13 percent of the national population, but 30 percent of people arrested, 41 percent of people in jail, and 49 percent of those in prison.
Sources
Quotes
Here are some thoughts about social responsibility from noted individuals, past and present:
- "I ask you to join in a re-United States. We need to empower our people so they can take more responsibility for their own lives in a world that is ever smaller, where everyone counts ... We need a new spirit of community, a sense that we are all in this together, or the American Dream will continue to wither. Our destiny is bound up with the destiny of every other American."
~ Bill Clinton
- "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
~ Margaret Mead
- "At the heart of my politics has always been the value of community, the belief that we are not merely individuals struggling in isolation from each other, but members of a community who depend on each other, who benefit from each other's help, who owe obligations to each other. From that everything stems: solidarity, social justice, equality, freedom."
~ Tony Blair
- "Personal transformation can and does have global effects. As we go, so goes the world, for the world is us. The revolution that will save the world is ultimately a personal one."
~ Marianne Williamson
Reflection Questions
Do you think we have a collective social responsibility to reduce disparities in our communities? Do you have responsibility as a MSU student to work for a more equitable society? What does that mean for you?
