<p>Living as a White person or as a minority, including as a African American, holds unique advantages and challenges, respectively.&nbsp; While this is something that many easily agree to, understanding how prominent and intrusive those realities are, is another matter.&nbsp; Many in the White category, for instance, downplay the challenges and injustices that exist in minority communities.</p> <p>Life as a minority group is laded with challenge and struggle that White people do not often even consider.&nbsp; There is true danger waiting in the life of those within minority groups, and it can be seen in both testing gaps, as well as through sexual assault and mental health.</p> <p><strong>What is the testing gap?</strong></p> <p>This is an empirical gap that shows up in research, stating that one group has an advantage of the other.&nbsp; It is not difficult to guess who would be the group with the advantage, which is the point.</p> <p>When studied, African American individuals, as well as other minorities, experience significant gaps and losses both in terms of education and career potential.&nbsp; It is not due to being unintelligent or inexperienced, etc.&nbsp; It happens because minority group individuals do not have the same testing parameters and/r access to the same education and career options that White people do.&nbsp;</p> <p>When given the same test, minority groups would &ldquo;score&rdquo; lower than White groups simply because they do not have access to the same education or career opportunities.&nbsp;&nbsp; This is a direct result of living in poorer socio-economic situations that are physically incapable of giving them the same advantages.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>How are minority groups impacted with sexual assaults?</strong></p> <p>There is also a link between minority groups and suicide rates when focusing on survivors of sexual assault.&nbsp; African American women are more likely to both consider, and attempt suicide after experiencing a sexual assault. Minority women are also more likely to be victims of a sexual assault.</p> <p>A direct cause for both is because many minority women live in low-income situations and neighborhoods that are frequent &ldquo;hot spots&rdquo; for sexual assaults, amongst other things such as theft.</p> <p>Being a resident of these neighborhoods also leads many women to believe that it is their fault for being a victim and they do not seek treatment.&nbsp; This puts them at a high risk of developing depression and this often leads to suicidal ideation.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>What is the &ldquo;fix&rdquo;?</strong></p> <p>Both in the testing gap and the sexual assault percentages, minority groups require true equality and opportunity.&nbsp; For education and career gaps, this means that minority groups need access to proper education and testing fairness.&nbsp; For sexual assault, the same access to, and understanding and appreciation of, mental health and formal treatments is crucial for reducing suicide attempt rates.</p> <p>Life in a minority group is riddled with challenges and injustices that make life challenging from start to end.&nbsp; Proper understanding of these differences is the starting point for increased awareness of equality and improvement for minority groups.&nbsp; In understanding how these gaps and risks are high in these two sectors, this leads to the potential for a significant change and improvement in the quality of life for minorities.</p>