The events surrounding Michael Brown's recent shooting in Ferguson, Missouri and the protests that followed, expose the ongoing racism in the United States. The grand jury's failure to indict Officer Darren Wilson, the white policeman responsible for Brown's death, incited a public outcry. Mainly riots by the city's predominantly-black residents, highlighted what some consider to be ongoing white advantage over blacks. Although blacks today are in some ways, living in better circumstances than they were 50 years ago, white Americans continue to enjoy significant advantages over black Americans.
A primary source of strain between blacks and whites, is the immense wealth disparity. The median household income for blacks is $35,416 as of 2014, which is a modest improvement from 1965, when blacks earned a paltry $3,971 ($30,722 with inflation). However, this still falls short of whites' $59,754 household income Due to less earning power, blacks are less likely to save up enough to buy their own homes, which is a major contributor to overall wealth. Black homes also tend to gain value more slowly, than white homes, likely due to residential segregation. Ferguson, MO was once a predominantly white city, but white migration to nearby suburbs, converted it into a, "working and middle-income community[with] pockets of disadvantage." Stagnant property values, coupled with low-income families, directly correlate with blacks' underperformance in terms of education compared to whites.
The public school system is supposed to make education freely accessible to all, but the way funds are allocated to schools gives whites a crippling edge over blacks. Each district has its own school, which is funded by property taxes from its appropriate neighborhood. Prospective students must reside within a particular school's district, meaning that blacks from underprivileged neighborhoods are forced to attend poorly-funded schools.
