The plan was to write about Colin Kaepernick. We were going to argue that his decision to take a knee during the national anthem to protest racial injustice in America should be respected, not condemned. We were going to say the same about all of the athletes, politicians, veterans and regular citizens, of all ages and skin colors, who have joined him in peaceful dissent. Let the previous two sentences stand as that editorial. This is what we want to say instead:
The Washington Post, which began tracking fatal police shootings in 2015, reveals that black Americans are 2½ times more likely than white Americans to be shot and killed by police.
The NAACP’s Criminal Justice Fact Sheet reports that African-Americans are imprisoned at nearly six times the rate of white people. African-Americans make up 12 percent of the nation’s drug users but 38 percent of those arrested on drug charges and 59 percent of those in prison for drug offenses.
An ACLU study found that, on average, black males in the federal system receive sentences that are almost 20 percent longer than white males convicted of similar crimes.
According to Justice Department statistics, black drivers are 31 percent more likely to be pulled over than white drivers. A New York Times analysis of traffic-stop data in Chicago found that when black drivers are pulled over they are five times more likely to have their cars searched than white drivers. In those stops, black drivers were 30 percent less likely to be found with contraband.
A Brookings Institution study found that black students make up just 4 percent of the undergraduate enrollees at the top 92 colleges and universities (ranked by mid-career alumni earning figures) in America. Black students make up 26 percent of those attending the bottom tier of schools.
A study of federal data conducted by the Center for the Study of Race and Equity in Education at the University of Pennsylvania found that black students in 13 Southern states were expelled or suspended at disproportionately high rates. In Alabama, for example, black students make up 34 percent of the student body but 64 percent of suspensions and 58 percent of expulsions.
A Brandeis University study found that the wealth gap between white families and black families has nearly tripled since the mid-1980s. In 2009, the median wealth (what people own versus what they owe) for white families was $113,149. For black families it’s $5,677.
Among full- and part-time workers in 2015, the median hourly earnings of African-Americans was 25 percent less than it was for white people, the Pew Research Center reported in July.
In 2014, Auburn University researchers created 9,000 fictitious resumes and submitted them to answer online job advertisements. “Applicants” with black-sounding names were 14 percent less likely to be called in for an interview despite having identical qualifications as “applicants” with white-sounding names.
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development study found that black renters are informed of 11.4 percent fewer available units than white renters with the same qualifications. Black home buyers are told about 17 percent fewer available homes.
The nonprofit organization Susan G. Komen reports that the breast cancer mortality rate for black women is 39 percent higher than it is for white women. The group cites disparities in access to follow-up care as a significant driver of the gap.
The life expectancy of a black person in America is nearly 4½ years shorter than it is for a white person.
We could go on. And on. Who knew the racial divide was so wide in so many areas? Some Americans have always known, others need to learn.
That’s why Kaepernick continues to take a knee.