The Obstacles Faced by Children of Color

It’s widely understood that African-American kids—and other children of color—get fewer opportunities in life than white kids. But still, it is jarring to find that perception overwhelmingly confirmed in a survey of adults whose jobs involve helping children.

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation recently sponsored a poll [2] of more than 2,000 teachers, childcare providers, healthcare workers, social workers and law enforcement officials. Sixty percent of respondents said that white children have many opportunities to grow up in communities that support children, while only 43 percent of respondents agreed that that holds true for Latinos and African Americans. Compared to whites, minority kids have a much harder time when it comes to getting an education, obtaining healthcare and succeeding in the job market.

Last May, the Kellogg Foundation launched the $75 million, five-year America Healing initiative. It’s designed in part to give grants to groups (like Southern Poverty Law Center) that bridge racial gaps in education, health care, juvenile justice, and other areas. This study is a way to help focus on those issues.

“These results are alarming because the inequities within a given community are so clearly visible to the people who work with children and families,” says the study’s director, Dr. Matthew Davis, an associate professor at the University of Michigan Medical School. “Their views are absolutely essential to improving opportunities for young children at the community level.”