Editor's note: Stephen Ndegwa is a PhD student in International Relations at the United States International University-Africa, and the Executive Director of South-South Dialogues, a Nairobi-based communications development think tank. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily those of CGTN.

It seems that racial discrimination in the U.S. knows no bounds, if a recent report detailing vice in the Knoxville, Tennessee police department is anything to go by. The report released in October by 21CP Solutions, an organization of policing experts, says 71 percent of black officers faced discrimination by the department, had to work five times harder than their fellow white officers, and they were also mistrusted.

It is not just that these damning allegations are shocking, or even surprising. However, it is the first time that a U.S. public institution has undertaken serious and honest soul searching of a vice that has perennially been swept under the carpet because of its explosive nature. Also, the release of such information is unprecedented, which means that there was a risk of a backlash if the pressure was not vented sooner, rather than later.

More importantly, the findings of this report are a sample of what happens across the U.S. in state and federal police departments. Indeed, U.S. media have published interviews from police officers who believe that black representation in U.S. police departments has for many years suffered from discrimination in hiring and promotion.

From the foregoing it is clear that many of the inordinately high number of black Americans killed by white police officers is as a result of this attitude that sees blacks as second class citizens. This racism plays out on the streets with analyses showing that black Americans are twice as likely as whites to be killed by police while unarmed. Racism in the police departments passes a subtle message to black communities that their fellow police officers have no power to protect them.

The mistreatment and marginalization of blacks in the Knox police department is a reflection of how the U.S. system treats its vulnerable demographics. Going by the report, the employment of black people in such critical departments is seen as a necessary evil, at best inevitable. Therefore, they cannot be fully integrated into mainstream human resources as they are meant to play second fiddle in the skewed scheme of things.

It also shows the chasm of trust between black employees and their predominantly white employers. Data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that in 2020, the typical full-time black worker earned about 20 percent less than a typical full-time white worker. In 2019, black men earned only 56 cents for every dollar earned by white men. In addition, more blacks are unemployed than whites, with the median earnings for both groups apart in favor of the latter. 

Experts say that it all boils down to pure racism. There is no other plausible explanation why these glaring discrepancies exist in a situation where blacks are as qualified and competent as their white counterparts. It would not count even if they were more qualified.

The secretary of Iran's High Council for Human Rights has said it is irking that the U.S. is the major pontificator when it comes to pointing fingers at other countries that it accuses of human rights violations. It does not see the log in its eye – as the Knox police department report clearly narrates. These double standards have made the superpower lose its hitherto moral authority that gave it power to act as the global cop. 

While they engage in such racial discrimination at home, whites also demand deference in other non-white countries they work in. Whites working in international organizations overseas are usually paid more than the same level of employees in their host countries, particularly in Africa and Asia. Again, this is simply "white privilege" that pursues undue advantage over those with no resources to leverage their clout as a bargaining chip.

Racism is a cancer that threatens economic development. According to a report published in September, 2020 by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) entitled, "What Racism Costs Us All," ending racism is not just a moral imperative, but is also a boost for economic development. Systemic racism has stifled the potential of those discriminated against by denying them equal allocation of resources and chances for productivity.

A study published in 2019 by Joseph Losavio of the World Economic Forum says that the wealth gap between American Whites and Blacks is projected to cost the U.S. economy between $1 trillion and $1.5 trillion in lost consumption and investment between 2019 and 2028. This translates to a projected Gross Domestic Product loss of four to six percent in 2028.

The IMF report cites a 2019 study by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics that revealed the average income for white workers was 74 percent higher than for black and brown workers – a gap that still exists today. The report further says that even with the same level of education, Afro-Brazilian men made only 70 percent of comparable white men's incomes, and Afro-Brazilian women only 41 percent.

The U.S. needs to change its racially based political economy in order to live up to its democratic ideals where everyone is equal and is rewarded accordingly. 

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