This week, the National Urban League released its annual State of Black America, which says that despite having elected its first black president, America is not yet a post-racial society.
According to the report, black people remain twice as likely to be unemployed, three times more likely to live in poverty and more than six times as likely to be imprisoned compared with whites.
With its equality index showing the status of blacks at 71 percent that of whites, the Urban League says that economics “remains the area with the greatest degree of inequality.” Social justice, health and education follow closely.
According to the report’s executive summary, “The analysis shows that while important gains were made, both for blacks and whites, in each of these areas during the 1990s expansion, there was actually a loss of ground in median household income, poverty and home ownership during the 2001-2007 expansion, known as the jobless recovery.”
The report lists policy recommendations in the areas of home ownership, jobs, health and education, including:
- Increasing funding for underskilled workers’ job training programs.
- Steering workforce investment dollars to construction industry jobs.
- Funding infrastructure development for public building construction and renovations of schools, community centers, libraries, recreation centers and parks.
- Creating a temporary public service employee program.
- Passing a home buyers’ bill of rights that would protect and educate consumers and provide home-buying help.
- Restoring a small business loan program and continuing tax credit funding.
- Implementing “a comprehensive and universal health insurance system for all Americans.”
- Developing “a comprehensive health infrastructure for the delivery of health education, prevention and intervention initiatives” for blacks.
- Studying health care in the criminal justice system as it relates to black inmates.
- Examining economic, sociological and environmental contributors to “chronic health conditions.”
- Funding No Child Left Behind Act in full.
- Guaranteeing access to high-quality early education for 3- and 4-year-olds.
Who to know, where to eat & what to do in one of America’s most diverse zip codes!
