A Tale of Two Families

After reading "A Tale of Two Families" this week, it really opened my eyes up to the fact that the opportunities for these families were different based upon their race, which caused Byron's family to struggle more than Max's.  Although Max and Byron were of similar age and lived in the same area, they had different upbringings.  Max's father had a steady job and was able to purchase a home for his family.  Max saved money over the years from birthday gifts and was able to travel as he got older.  He went to college and got himself a good job.  When he went to buy a house, his father was able to help him with a downpayment.  Both Max and his father were doing very well financially.  Bryon, on the other hand had to struggle somewhat growing up.  His father did not have a stable job due to the fact that "black men were the last people hired and the first people fired".  This left him living in an area that was starting to deteriorate while his living expenses were increasing.  While Byron received a scholarship to college, he kept himself on a tight budget because he could not rely on the support of his parents.  Because Byron's father was not able to get a job opportunity like Max's father, Byron's family did not have as much assets and were not as secure in their financial future.  It really is a shame that Byron's family was limited because of the simple fact that they were black.  Byron now has to try to build assets for himself and his family all by himself because his family was unable to do so, while Max is just building on top of the money his family already has.  It is a shame that because of racial discrimination, whites are one step ahead of blacks to this day because of how they were treated years ago.