Since its birth in 1776, the United States has claimed to be a land of freedom, democracy, and equality for all. History shows the emptiness of that claim. Chattel slavery, gender inequality, state violence, and discrimination all stain the image of the United States. When people recognize the problems, we can work to make the promises of freedom and equality a reality. Here are 11 examples of the systemic injustices America must face:
| Issue | |
|---|---|
| 1. | Police misconduct against people of color |
| 2. | Gender disparities in healthcare |
| 3. | Disproportionate school discipline against Black students |
| 4. | Hunger |
| 5. | Highest incarceration rate in the world |
| 6. | Criminalization of immigration |
| 7. | Criminalization of homelessness |
| 8. | LGBTQ+ discrimination |
| 9. | Gender pay gap |
| 10. | Environmental racism |
| 11. | Gerrymandering |
#1. Police misconduct against people of color
Police violence against people of color – especially Black people – is one of the most persistent examples of systemic injustice in the US. According to data from late 2019 and early 2020, the Prison Policy Initiative found that Black people were almost 12 times more likely than white people to report experiencing police misconduct, like racial slurs and bias. Police are also more likely to kill Black people. In a Lancet study that examined fatal police violence by race and state from 1980-2019, researchers found that police disproportionately killed Black people at a 3.5 times higher rate than white people. In 2019, more Black men died from police violence than from things like environmental heat and cold exposure, Hodgkin lymphoma, and testicular cancer. Police also killed Hispanic and Indigenous people at a disproportionate rate.
#2. Gender disparities in healthcare
In the United States, gender plays a role in healthcare discrimination and disparity. There are a few reasons why, such as cost. According to KFF, women are more likely than men to skip or delay healthcare because of the cost (28% vs. 21%), while another report found that women paid about 20% more than men on annual out-of-pocket expenses. Issues that affect female bodies have also been historically under-researched. Women were rarely included in clinical trials until 1993. Race plays a role, too. In medical settings, Black women are more likely to experience discrimination and dismissal, which can lead to worse health outcomes and even death.
#3. Disproportionate school discipline against Black students
When students misbehave, schools are responsible for disciplining them, but in the US, discipline disproportionately and unjustly affects Black children. According to Ballard Brief, Black students are 4 times more likely to experience suspension than their white peers, which can harm their future opportunities. Black students are not misbehaving in a way that explains this difference. In Ohio, Black students are suspended more often for low-level infractions (like dress code violations and being loud in class) compared to their white peers. We see more evidence of bias when we factor in gender. According to a 2015 report, Black girls were suspended 6 times more often than white girls and faced excessive discipline, such as being threatened with expulsion and criminal charges after writing “Hi” on a wall.
#4. Hunger
The United States is the 9th richest country in the world, but according to a 2024 Feeding America report, every county in the US has food insecurity. In some places, child insecurity is at 50%. Rural countries have the highest burden; 9 out of 10 counties with high food insecurity are rural. What does hunger in the US look like? According to a USDA report, around 7 million households had to skip meals in 2022, while almost all households experiencing hunger could not afford nutritious, balanced meals. In some households, even kids had to go entire days without food. Current rules about SNAP benefits are making things worse. According to the 2024 Feeding America report mentioned earlier, around 50% of people experiencing food insecurity may not qualify for help.
#5. Highest incarceration rate in the world
The United States has the highest rate of incarceration of any independent democracy. According to the Prison Policy Initiative, around 2 million are in prison at any given time, which means out of every 100,000 people, 614 are incarcerated. The country’s response to crime is responsible. 70% of convictions lead to confinement, which is more than other developed nations with similar crime rates. Once a person has been incarcerated, their human rights are very likely to be violated. Prisons are violent places where inmates are frequently denied medical care, addiction treatment, and suicide prevention. Inmates are also regularly exploited through what’s essentially slavery. According to the ACLU, non-industry jobs pay incarcerated workers an average of only 13 to 52 cents an hour.
As an American, I’m used to hearing that I should move somewhere else if I don’t like how the country is doing. The author James Baldwin has some wise words on this topic, writing, “I love America more than any other country in the world and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.”
#6. Criminalization of immigration
The poem on the Statue of Liberty reads, “Give me your tired, your poor,” but the United States has a long history of criminalizing immigration. It began in 1882 with the Chinese Inclusion Act, the country’s first significant immigration law. This law banned Chinese laborers from entering the United States for 10 years. In the almost 150 years since, the US has continued to use the law and violence to restrict and punish immigration. According to a report from the National Immigrant Justice Center, the government has prosecuted more migration-related offenses than any other type of federal offense in the last 20 years. Harsh policies, like separating families, denying refugees their right to asylum, and stoking racist rhetoric against migrants, reinforce the criminalization of immigration.
#7. Criminalization of homelessness
While no law outright says, “It’s illegal to be homeless,” the United States criminalizes homelessness in several ways. The National Coalition for the Homeless lists acts like sweeping camps, taking personal property, making panhandling illegal, punishing loitering, making it illegal to share food in public spaces, and enforcing ordinances around hygiene. In 2024, the Supreme Court issued a judgment that opened the door to further criminalization. Cities can now punish people living outside even when they have nowhere else to go. Justice Sotomayer dissented, writing in her opinion, “The City of Grants Pass jails and fines those people for sleeping anywhere in public at any time, including in their cars, if they use as little as a blanket to keep warm or a rolled-up shirt as a pillow. For people with no access to shelter, that punishes them for being homeless.”
#8. LGBTQ+ discrimination
While members of the LGBTQ+ community are safer in the United States than in many other countries, systemic injustice persists. According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, LGBTQ+ people are four times more likely to experience violence than their straight peers and more likely to experience housing discrimination, employment discrimination, and poverty. In recent years, attacks on trans people have escalated significantly. In 2024, 600 in-progress bills are trying to block healthcare, education, legal recognition, and other rights. While at the time of writing, just 46 laws have passed, each one has devastating impacts.
#9. Gender pay gap
Women have more rights than they used to in decades past, but the gender pay gap endures. How bad is it? According to Census Bureau research, women make just 71 cents on the dollar compared to men even when they both have a postsecondary certificate or a graduate degree from a great university. This applies at the highest levels of power; women working in the White House earned 80 cents for every $1 earned by a male peer. Race has an impact. At the current rate of progress, the gender pay gap for white women will close in 50 years, while it will take 350 years for Black women and 432 years for Latina women. How much a person earns affects every area of their life, including where they live, what kind of healthcare they get, how healthy their kids are, and even their lifespan.
#10. Environmental racism
Everyone deserves to live in a healthy, safe environment, but in the United States, people experience more pollution and other hazards based on their race. “Environmental racism” refers to the fact that communities of color experience more exposure to pollutants like toxic dust, ash, and soot than white people, which increases their risk of serious health problems. Environmental racism has been an issue for almost 100 years, and today, Black Americans are 75% more likely to live near facilities that produce waste. The Black residents of “Cancer Alley,” a stretch of Louisiana afflicted by fossil fuel and chemical pollutants, face extremely high risks of cancer. In some parts, residents have the highest cancer risk in the entire United States.
#11. Gerrymandering
The Equal Justice Initiative defines gerrymandering as “the drawing of political boundaries to favor one racial or political group.” This is done by splitting voters across multiple districts or clumping them together to create “supermajority” districts. While gerrymandering on racial lines is illegal, partisan gerrymandering still happens. It often ends up disenfranchising racial minorities. Recently, South Carolina’s Republican legislators created district maps that weakened the impact of Black voters. Allegations of racist gerrymandering went all the way to the Supreme Court, which ruled in the legislator’s favor. Decisions like this are weakening the right to vote, which is one of the most essential tools in addressing all systemic injustices in the US.
