The blacks have for a long time been looked down upon in the US. The injustices orchestrated towards the blacks in the US are a form of structural racism. The whites have always considered themselves supreme and showcased various stereotypes of the blacks. The injustices can also be evident in cases of families and relationships of couples and children. This paper aims to outline how the US’s injustice levels have impacted blacks’ well-being levels. Apart from the lack of opportunities and resources, the blacks also lack the ability and equal measures towards having families. Blacks also faces structural racism which denies them better opportunity for growth and development, and enhances the stress levels among them. There is a distinct difference among the blacks and the whites’ ways of living and family formations. Such differences often go a long way in determining the construction of a family. The differences among the blacks and whites play a major role in the determination of the ways of life, which also affect their stress levels. The injustice orchestrated to black people in the US is more than that of the white people, affecting their allostatic load.
The family has a responsibility to create a perception of how society considers them. Through the family, a member feels love and appreciation. On the contrary, it is quite hard to find a place that translates to what home has always offered. From Bergoglio (28), most people value families, the relationships, and mutual respect drawn from the same. The ties within a family are strong and come from each family member’s ability to love and appreciate the others. The family should always be the first entity to pass happiness to her child, regardless of what society thinks and how they view various people. The podcast also proves the importance of families in ensuring that people have positive behavior and know how to deal with criticism. From the podcast, Marian Robinson gives an encounter of how society looked down upon the family and the nasty things that were said on their heads (34). Everything that was said is part of unfair treatment and injustice. Marian confirmed that they had learned as a family from the podcast to understand all the critiques and not put them at heart. The children had been taught of best possible ways of mitigating critiques, which guided their growth process. However, most blacks face inequality at a higher rate, which leads to more chances of allostatic load among them.
As children grow, the family plays a significant role in determining how they will turn out as adults. The efforts of the family towards the growth and development of children helps them to become better adults. From the Michelle Obama podcast (20), she confirms that their children turned out great due to the parents’ efforts and support in the growth process. Parents have a significant responsibility to ensure that their children effectively develop. The family set up what they consider is ideal for the children’s growth and development Michele Obama and Robinson confirm that the efforts of their mother during their growth had an impact on their lives. Some of their mother’s behaviors during their early lives ensured that they develop into what they are currently. Therefore, families that do not integrate effectively negatively affect the lives of their children.
Family integration relies on the composition of families. Families that are not composed of all parents cause a challenge to the children’s growth and development. The role of the parents in families is always to ensure the effective growth of the children. The research by Tobin, Millicent, and Kiara (4) confirms that their marital status negatively impacts most black women. Most black women are not married, divorced, or separated. Tobin et al. (4) further confirm that marital status impacts the allostatic load of the parents. Most black women are negatively impacted and develop more stress due to lack of a partner. Since most black women are single parents, they also impact the growth and development of the children. The children lack the opportunity of living with their fathers. The allostatic load of the black parents can easily be transferred to the children since they grow under restrictive environments and stress from their mothers. Such is proof of injustice for the blacks that affects their allostatic load.
The blacks are discriminated against in various instances, making them feel worthless or generate hatred towards others. Craig Robinson’s encounter with the police while at the age of around 10 or 11 proves how much the black people face injustice in the eyes of the law. The encounter confirms that the police did not believe a black boy could own the bike (35). Craig’s treatment on the hands of the police is proof of how the Blacks face injustices. Craig was taken to his parents from the same encounter, and the mother knew the police officers. Marian Robinson accused the police officers of canceling off all the children taught about police officers and the law (36). From Marian’s view, the nasty encounter will make the children forget everything they have always learned about the law and how society perceives the Blacks. The children will also not accept what they have been taught on how to deal with the police. The assertion by Marian proves how a suitable family should live with their children. Despite the challenges faced, the focus of the family was to maintain positivity among the children. However, such encounters with aspects of discrimination often negatively impact the efforts put in place by such responsible parents, and lead to a possible cause of allostatic load among the blacks.
Blacks are also faced with higher chances of inequality than their white partners in most life outcomes. According to Baley, Megan, and Danielle (1-2), only a third of the black children lived with both parents, while 70 percent of non-Hispanic whites and roughly 59 percent of Hispanic white children (ages 0-18) lived with their parents. A larger percentage of black children do not live with both parents than whites. Despite some of those who come from single-parent families posting various achievements in life, single parenthood, as compared to both parents, has fewer positive outcomes on the children. The parents also face more stress while parenting alone, as compared to when they share the burden.
In some cases, single-parenthood often comes from the loss of a partner, a case in which one has no power or control over. However, when it comes to divorce or birth out of wedlock, there is a high chance that the parent will face more stress while taking care of their children. As detailed by Bergoglio (29), love and self-giving should always be promoted in the relationship. Individuals should move away from cultures that do not promote love and self-giving. Such kinds of cultures denote divorce, which always follows with lack of love or self-giving. Most of the black parents and children are exposed to the injustices that come with single parenthood, which leads to an increase in their allostatic load.
The blacks’ social injustices go a long way in impacting how they operate in the broader society. Such inequities have been structural since the blacks were considered slaves. Therefore, society has always ensured that injustices grow for the longest time possible. Tobin et al. (5) outlined some of the injustices that the study attributes for the blacks include low marriage rates for women, systematic racism, and high rates of joblessness, incarceration, and economic marginality. The factors do not just affect the blacks’ current well-being but also their future lives, depending on the decisions they make in life. As detailed by Tobin et al. (5), the outlined factors include an effect on blacks’ decisions, including in marriages. Most blacks will face more stress related to lack of enough finances, which will lead to marital strain and dissolution. Despite the blacks’ decisions after the marriage challenges, Bergoglio (30) confirms various difficulties in marriage. However, the young people should be informed of the same and learn about the dynamics involved for adequate preparation. From the acknowledgment, it is clear that a lack of awareness among those who go into marriage might face considerable amounts of stress on the same issue. Such is the same as the black’s encounter in marriage, characterized by poor outcomes. Most backs who undergo such unfortunate scenarios are often exposed to high-stress levels, which negatively impact their well-being and possibilities to increased allostatic loads.
The marriage gaps can be proof of the inequalities of the blacks and whites in the US. According to Raley et al. (5), marriage gaps can be explained through different formations, such as labor market disparities and structural disadvantages of black men. Raley et al. (5) further confirm that classic and demographic arguments might also be the reason for the marriage inequalities. The challenges outlined as a cause for the marriage inequalities, where black women’s marriage is at much lower rates, cause allostatic load growth. Most of the blacks are faced with challenges such as poverty, which might make marriage quite expensive. The poor black male cannot effectively control their desire to have certain women. The thought that one cannot marry because of a lack of enough funds is quite traumatizing and might even lead to an allostatic load. Those in marriage and cannot fully meet their basic needs due to lack of enough financial resources also leads to higher stress levels among the blacks.
Black women are also exposed to various other factors from systematic racism that they have faced in society for an extended period. Such factors negatively impact the blacks’ life outcomes, their ability to marry, and influence their allostatic loads’ levels. Tobin et al. (5) confirm that systematic racism plays a major role in hindering blacks from marrying compared to whites. Most of the blacks are exposed to more stress than the whites, as they lack an opportunity to share their strain and burden with partners. The blacks’ poor life outcomes, which is caused by the levels of systematic racism in the US, impact a larger part of the black’s lives. The lack of jobs or enough financial resources to fend for themselves increases the blacks’ probabilities of stress levels. As detailed by Tobin et al. (5), most blacks face poor life outcomes in the US than whites. Such does not only relate to the family issues, but also the economic and social aspects. The cases of poverty and social segregation among most blacks in the US negatively impact how they relate to others. The increase of stress levels among the blacks due to such adverse outcomes in life enhances the development of allostatic load. Therefore, the blacks are exposed to more injustices in the US than the whites, enhancing their allostatic loads.
The inequalities orchestrated towards the blacks in the US are indeed detrimental to their well-being. Most of the blacks undergo challenges that negatively impact even their decisions to live with partners. The life-choices and well-being of most blacks in the US are determined by the inequalities they face daily. Such kinds of disparities often lead to more stress among the individuals taking care of them. When it comes to creating their own families and taking care of the blacks’ families, they are prone to more stress than the whites. The stress comes from life outcomes, which are linked to the individual’s well-being. Most blacks will continue to face challenges on life outcomes mainly due to the whites’ inequalities. The blacks’ allostatic load affects those who face inequalities, as they are prone to more stress levels.
