What Do You Think?
A new National Urban League report, "The State of Black America 2005," states that middle class blacks' tenuous hold on prosperity reflects racial discrimination in housing and other wealth-building arenas — both historically and now — and suggests that today's civil rights battles are largely economic. Among the report's findings:
- Blacks have more than double the unemployment rate of whites.
- Less than half of blacks own homes compared to more than three-fourths of whites.
- Black youth are more likely to have poorly trained teachers, live in poverty and not have health insurance than whites.
The report also makes clear that black America has made significant gains in some areas. Since 1960, when black men earned only 50 cents for every dollar earned by white men, income gaps have narrowed as the black middle class has grown and become more educated. In 2000, black men earned 64 cents on the dollar. The median net worth of black versus white households has remained virtually unchanged for more than a decade: In 2000, black households on average were worth $6,166 compared to $67,000 for whites, census data show. The ratio was virtually identical in the early 1990s. For additional Information:
The National Urban League, http://www.nul.org
120 Wall StreetNew York, NY 10005
(212) 558-5300(212) 344-5332 [fax]
1 comment:
Have you considered that blacks as a community need to expect more of themselves? Consider the problem for a university such as University of Chicago - is it predominantly white because it discriminates, or just because blacks don't want to attend there?
I have a friend who went into the Navy expecting to be a cook or work in supplies. The Navy tests their incoming candidates, and he scored in the highest percentiles on the aptitude tests. It wasn't until someone else was impressed with his testing scores that he realized he was capable of whatever he chose to attain. As a result, he has had a career instead of (just) a job, and has held a senior reactor operator's license from the NRC. He provides well for his family.
Part of the answer lies in reestablishing the family and asserting it as the core of the community, and structuring a faith-based community around the family. People need to be told over and over again that they are unique, special, crafted for a purpose, and capable of achieving all the Creator can plan for them.
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