How Race and Social Class Combine to Define the Lives of People Who Live in Poverty in the US (PDF)

Essay from the year 2018 in the subject Sociology - Political Sociology, Majorities, Minorities, grade: 1.6, , language: English, abstract: It appears that race and social status interact in a synergistic manner in defining poverty in the United States. Social status has always been associated with poverty in which some populations in different geographical regions, in the US are characterized by poverty owing to their socioeconomic status. However, political issues have also been found to be among the most contributing factors. Ordinarily, African American people who have always been accorded the second-class status reflect poverty trends, which are attributable to the experiences during slavery. This explains why some US states comprise of high percentages of people living below the poverty-line. In general, the population living in poverty accounts for 14.3 percent of the total US population. However, it is worth noting that, some states records poverty rates as high as 48 percent. For instance, Mississippi State records the highest poverty level in the US. From a sociological perspective, the issue of race and social status can be explained by the situation in the Mississippi Delta where most African Americans live in poverty. Therefore, this paper will explain how race and social status combine to define the lives of people living in poverty by discussing poverty in the Mississippi Delta.