How depressing are the Census reports? All I have to say is, poor black people. No, really. Poor black people.
According to a report released Tuesday by the U. S. Census Bureau, the median household incomes for Black families remained last year at $32,000, the same as it was in 2005. That’s $5,800 less than Hispanic families, which remained at $37,800 and $20,400 less than White families, which remained at $52,400.
Based on the shockingly low poverty line I told you about yesterday, the poverty rates by race are 8.2 percent for whites, 20.6 percent for Latinos, and 24.3 percent for blacks. If only a higher percentage meant better.
An interesting bit of information to note is that Latinos’ rate when down by 1.2 percentage points from 2005, which indicates they are actively improving their economic status and also that the same won’t happen for our poor unless we do it ourselves.
[BTO]
Our lower percentage of two-adult/parent households probably accounts for a significant chunk of that disparity.
I would also add our lower academic turn out, when it comes to higher education. More Black females attend University, than Black males, by a rather large margin. Without a degree, it is much harder to financially elevate ones self.
What do you mean poverty continues to hit “us?” I GOTS dough, baby!!
“Us”, as is our community. Our people. You know…those people we are trying to help uplift so that we can all shine? So that the next time we see a high percentage in a published statistic, it won’t be about the high rate of single black females, the high rate of imprisonment, the high rate of academic failure and the high rate of death. Every now and then, it’s nice to work at making sure that our people do well, so that the “us” they refer to, is always seen in a better light. I’m all for personal responsibility. I aint mad at cha for getting your weight up and keeping your hustle legit. But i’m a firm believer in the idea of giving back what you can. If you aren’t Black and you are just leaving these comments for inflammatory purposes, then you are already distanced from the problem. But if you are indeed a young Black man, then you need to realize it, real fast. I believe Paul Mooney calls them, “Nigga Wake Up Calls.” You are one of ours, for better or worse my brother. The difference though…you can’t divorce your Blackness.
That’s b/c an unfortunate percentage of black people in this damn country are content with slumming it and hustling and not bettering themselves. I refuse to be content with living in a bad neighborhood and making a low income for the rest of my life.
It’s really sad that a minority group that came here after us and faced greater inital adversity ( meaning now ) because of language difficulty have been able to outpace us economically and population wise. If Latinos can get ahead then maybe it’s time some of us stopped blaming it all on the “Man” and pay attention to their example. I wanted better for myself, and I got it. I understand that it’s not the same for everyone, but I don’t believe that everyone is putting forth the same effort.
I agree wholeheartedly with your last sentence, Mefina2310. However regarding Latinos outpacing us - it’s mostly Mexicans, and, in a very base way, it’s b/c their country is right next to ours. If the continent of Africa bordered CA, Texas, etc. we’d have a shitload of black ppl. They can continue to cross the border whereas the black population must rely primarily on births for our population to rise. The proximity to their home nation is also one reason they have been able to maintain their language. I do not think we should compare ourselves to Latinos. We have a different set of circumstances.
Well Asians are a lot more wealthier and better educated and more likely to marry than blacks, so it isn’t just the fact that Mexico is so much closer to the US. And even if Africa were closer to America that doesn’t take into account that African immigrants tend to be educated and marry as well.
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