Wildly disproportionate incarceration rates between African Americans, Hispanics, and white people are outrageous, and it isn’t being discussed to nearly the degree it should be. African Americans are incarcerated in state prisons at a rate that is 5.1 times the imprisonment of whites, and Latinos are imprisoned at a rate that is 1.4 times the rate of whites. The completely overlooked racism is crystal clear. Additionally, it must be acknowledged that these disparities are likely understated due to unreliable or totally absent ethnicity data in prisons. Police reform and education of the general public must be done to finally put a stop to this. These staggering statistics lead us to wonder one major thing: What could possibly be the cause of such disparities? 

To put it broadly, the United States’ very foundation was built on the basis of racism, and though it may no longer be as severe on the surface as it once was, the blatant and unresolved injustice is still very much rampant right under our noses. There is no rational explanation other than such. If you are still unconvinced, consider the urgency at which these disparities would have been handled had the races been switched. Anybody attempting to argue that black and Hispanic people are just “more likely to commit criminal acts” must take a step back and realize how terribly racist and harmful that statement is. Race has absolutely nothing to with the heart of a person, and our society can’t truly progress until everyone is able to acknowledge that. 

We must begin to tackle the disproportionate incarceration rates going on in the United States in some way or another. Encouraging police reform and educating the ignorant are things that everyone can do to help. White people have lived in luxury not knowing how less likely they are to be arrested for minor offenses than black and Hispanic people, and it’s time that the privilege is finally acknowledged and put to an end.