When it comes to the trial of George Zimmerman, I plead ignorance. I did everything in my power to avoid the trial because, at the time, I believed it was the quintessence of the sensationalist media. But since reading and hearing about people’s responses to the verdict, I’ve been recently reminded that while the era of Jim Crow laws and overt prejudices have mostly vanished, a new and inconspicuous form of racism is becoming increasingly prevalent.

Ladies and gentleman, I present to you Racism 2.0.

This type of racism has been bolstered by the destruction of the ladder of opportunity which has lead to socioeconomic disparity, discrimination and marginalization among minority groups — especially among African-Americans.

I hear it all the time: Black people are criminals. They don’t contribute to society. They have no drive to better themselves or their families and therefore believe that they can continue living off welfare. That President Barack Obama is “shuckin’ and jivin’” on the economy, deserving of the title as “The Food Stamp President.” And, in the words of Justice Antonin Scalia defending the decision to strike down a key provision of the Voting Rights Act, the African-American community’s ability to vote is simply a perpetuation of “racial entitlement.”

But as I looked to debunk these stereotypes, I noticed something incredibly disturbing. These stereotypes didn’t manifest from thin air — statistics support them.

A study done by Princeton University says that on average, “by age 17 the average black student is four years behind the average white student” and that “black 12th graders score lower than white 8th graders in reading, math, U.S. history and geography.” The American Psychological Association cites that the unemployment rate for African-Americans is typically double that of Caucasian Americans. And the NAACP says that as of 2001, one in six African-American men have been incarcerated and we can expect that one in three black males born can expect to spend time in prison at some point in their lifetime if the current trend continues.

Sure, African-American stereotypes can be backed up by statistics, but that doesn’t make them stereotypes anymore. It makes them supported assumptions highlighting very real problems. It emphasizes the unequal distribution of resources that crucify communities to the cross of poverty that society has come to assimilate to. It proves that the very assumptions we perpetuate as stereotypes reinforce real issues.  

At the end of the 2012-13 academic year, the Chicago Public School system closed 49 elementary schools and a high school program. According to a Chicago Tribune report, these closings will put children in the “line of fire,” or expose them to dangerous environments that would otherwise be avoided by being in school throughout the day. Earlier this month, the Republican-controlled house passed a farm bill that completely stripped the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) which is commonly known for distributing food stamps, despite the fact that 22 percent of recipients are African-American (mind you, they only make up 13 percent of the nation’s population.. And let’s not forget Detroit which just filed for bankruptcy. It is a city where 82.7 percent of the population is African-American and has consistently ranked among the country’s top 10 most violent cities. Even more, the city government says that on average, the police response time is 58 minutes.

Put yourself in the shoes of an inner-city African-American child: Your parents might struggle to make ends meet so they seek other ways of supplementing their income, your school was closed down so now you have to walk through gang territory to get to your new one, and when you call the police in response to a crime, it will take the police around 58 minutes to respond.

No wonder these stereotypes exist — I think I’d be pretty disenchanted too if I was born into a world where stereotypes are instantaneously attached to me because of my demographics. Where inherited structural inequalities set you behind even at birth, and you spend a lifetime overcoming them. 

The prospects for the African-American community are bleak, and I can’t live comfortably with myself knowing that solely due to the color of one’s skin, socioeconomic status or underlying structural inequalities, people can be more subject to lives of scarce opportunity and discrimination. 

So much for liberty and justice for all.

Matt is a sophomore in LAS. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @matthewpasquini.