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]
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