African Americans and white people are basically the same in terms of language and religious beliefs. Their mother tongue is English. They faith lies mostly in Protestantism or Catholicism (Taylor & Chatters, 2010). This is the result of two hundred years of coexistence. Whether it is white or black, the values ​​of ethics and norms of behavior are linked more to their own social class than their ethnic identity. In other words, the ethics of value and the norms of the white upper class and the black upper class are similar, and the values ​​of the white poor and black poor are similar. Class distinction is detrimental to racial equality and social justice, since it can cause ethnic stratification within different races. African Americans are more vulnerable to ethnic stratification due to the lack of proper role models, residential segregation, and cultural disconnection.

Many young people in black communities are not willing to study hard. Some of them dream of training basketball skills, entering NBA teams, or becoming famous in track and field and other kinds of sports, or becoming singing geniuses like Michael Jackson. These are shortcuts for making big money by special skills instead of years of hard work (Kevin, 2012). This cultural model further exacerbated the social mobility of black teenagers, resulting in higher crime rates for African Americans. Black teenagers are pushed to the opposite of the American police and judicial system. Recently, there have also been many incidents of police officer violence against African Americans due to racial stereotype (Stoddard, Zimmerman, & Bauermeister, 2011). This shows that black people are not feeling recognized or welcome by the mainstream communities in society.

There is a general lack of black leadership for the black people in the US. The “fracture” and spatial “segmentation” that occurred between the U.S. black elites and the poorer black community eliminated any potential connection. The continued deterioration has also made many black young people feel that their prospects are hopeless and give up their efforts. Although the United States legally abolished the segregation system in residence, due to various reasons, there are still “white residential areas” and “black residential areas” with widely-defined borders throughout the US today (Adelman & Gocker, 2007). White people are afraid that black residents will bring criminal activities into the community, causing public order problems, etc. Segregation of such type has actually caused serious damage to black communities.

White youth and elites of the middle and upper classes will not accept the community culture of the poor black neighborhoods. While they also keep a distance from the white poor in the bottom society, this sense of distance is twofold for the black poor. Meanwhile, the black elites are working hard to be recognized by the mainstream, separating almost completely from their original communities (Krysan, 2002). This makes the black community completely helpless and hopeless in establishing positive role models. Residents and teenagers of the poorer black community feel that they have been abandoned by the elites of this race. They have not received substantial help from neither the white middle class nor the black elites.

In conclusion, ethnic stratification is a major source of social injustice and racial inequality. In any ethnic minority community in modern society, the leadership and leading role of ethnic elites is very important. Most of the elites are better educated, have broader perspectives, and have experience in dealing with the government and other ethnic groups. They are the brain and heart of a racial group. Therefore, they should involve in more activities to help improve the lives of others on the individual and the community levels. As it says in the Bible, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others (Philippians 2:4).” In today’s world, for any race, elite ethnic groups should take the individual and community responsibilities in guiding the youths onto the correct paths of development.