Blacks are twice as likely as whites to be unemployed; three ties more likely to live in poverty; and more than six times as likely to be incarcerated, according to the National Urban League’s annual “State of Black America†report.
The report, released today, examines the socio-economic differences between blacks and whites in such areas as jobs, homeownership, and healthcare. It is a barometer of how far African Americans have come and have yet to go.
Paraphrasing Charles Dickens, Urban League President Marc Morial said these are the best of times and the worst of times
for black America. While blacks are elated over President Barack Obama’s election, there continues to be a deep and widening divide between the promise and the reality of the American dream, says Morial. “This nation cannot get out of the current crisis or achieve its potential in the global economy of the 21st century unless all of its people have equal chances to succeed,†he said.According to the report, not a lot has changed in the past year in terms of equality, and shows the status of blacks at 71% that of whites.
The 2009 report has an additional purpose: to advise the nation’s first black president on how best to address ongoing challenges faced by African Americans. Subtitled “Message to the President,†the report includes essays by scholars, researchers, and lawmakers, as well as letters to President Barack Obama from four ordinary citizens who’ve utilized NUL services to solve a problem or achieve a goal.
For many of the report’s most important indices, the results are mixed, with marginal gains at best. The poverty rate has declined from 42% to 33%, while the homeownership rate went from 64% to 63%. Median household income moved from 61% to 65% and the unemployment rate from 43% to 51%. The area of economics showed the greatest degree of inequality, from 58.6% in 2008 to 57.4% in 2009. The equality index for education from went 78.6% to 78.5%. The area of health showed the only increase, moving from 73% to 74.4%, largely because more whites do not have insurance coverage.
“This report is a call to action not only to the president and Congress, but to us. I believe that if each of us takes personal and collective responsibility for ourselves, our children and our communities, if we become civically engaged and work together for the common good, we can transform the state of black America from a tale of two cities to a story of one America,†said Morial.
The State of Black America report includes recommendations to Congress and Obama about how to help improve the lives of African Americans in several key areas. The Urban League is calling on Obama to ensure that blacks are active participants in what it calls the green jobs revolution by making available job training and employment opportunities like improving the nation’s energy grid, retrofitting buildings with solar paneling and helping to create infrastructure for wind energy. “We must ensure that the green revolution does not result in a green divide in 21st century America,†said Morial.
The organization also is urging lawmakers to pass a homebuyers’ bill of rights that will include funding for homeownership education and counseling, financial literacy workshops, credit counseling and foreclosure prevention efforts, particularly for minority communities. According to Morial, those who receive counseling are less likely to receive a subprime loan or end up in foreclosure.
In
addition, the Urban League wants Obama to use the full weight of his presidency to close the educational funding gap that Morial says makes it more likely for a white child in a suburban school to have access to a chemistry lab while an inner-city black child is lucky to have a decent chemistry book.But Morial also acknowledged the importance of self-reliance and accountability in black communities. “This report is a call to action not only to the president and Congress, but to us. I believe that if each of us takes personal and collective responsibility for ourselves, our children and our communities, if we become civically engaged and work together for the common good, we can transform the state of black America from a tale of two cities to a story of one America,†said Morial.
Essay on the “State of Black America”
WEALTH FOR LIFE
By Earl G. Graves, Jr.
Black Enterprise Magazine
Racial barriers and attitudes traditionally have complicated African Americans’ path toward financial empowerment, with the ramifications reaching well beyond our earning power. However, if we are able to close the wealth gap–the stubborn imbalance in the net worth of African Americans versus that of white Americans–then we can finally begin to bridge those other persistent disparities and cure the ills that plague our community.
If we ever hope to strengthen our families, communities and institutions, then we must adopt and apply principles to build, keep and transfer wealth. The following 10 principles are designed as a set of guidelines for creating wealth in the midst of the day’s economic challenges–wealth that can be maintained and passed on for the benefit of future generations.
1. Live within your means;
2. Maximize your income potential through education and training;
3. Effectively manage your budget, credit, debt and tax obligations;
4. Save at least 10% of your income;
5. Use homeownership as a foundation for building wealth;
6. Devise an investment plan for retirement needs and children’s education;
7. Ensure that your entire family adheres to sensible money-management principles;
8. Support the creation and growth of minority-owned businesses;
9. Guarantee that your wealth is passed on to future generations through proper insurance and estate planning;
10. Strengthen your community through philanthropy.