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Issue 12

Black America Must Accept That
It Needs To Be Saved

Based on all standard economic measurements and social indicators, black America's socioeconomic standing is remarkably lower than the socioeconomic standing of the rest of America. Compared to other races and ethnic minorities, black Americans are at or near the bottom of every social and economic category.

Black Population

Family and Health

Across all racial and ethnic groups -- except black Americans -- sixty percent of Americans over the age of eighteen are or have been married. Only forty percent of black Americans are or have been married.

Across all racial and ethnic groups -- except black Americans -- the majority of families with children under eighteen years old are married couples. Just over one-third of all black children live with two parents. And single black females rear a majority of all black children.

More than two-thirds of black children are born to unwed mothers. Almost one-fifth of black children are born to teenage mothers.

Maternal, fetal, neonatal, and infant mortality rates are higher for black Americans than white Americans and Asian-Americans.

Although only about thirteen percent of American women are black, the Centers for Disease Control estimates that black women account for more than one-third of all abortions.

The percentage of black Americans who die as a result of firearms, tobacco use, drug-induced causes, and alcohol-induced causes is greater than the percentage of white Americans and Asian-Americans who die from these same causes.

Although less than thirteen percent of the population, according to Centers for Disease Control 2005 statistics, black Americans account for about half of all new HIV/AIDS diagnoses in the United States. Of persons who are diagnosed with AIDS, white Americans and Asian-Americans survive longer than black Americans.

The life expectancy of black males continues to be remarkably shorter than the life expectancy of other Americans.

Number Years Life Expectancy At Birth:

Economics: Employment And Income

The lack of gainful employment has historically been a problem within black America. For decades, black unemployment has been more than twice the unemployment rate for white Americans. Additionally, it has been argued that United States Census Bureau statistics do not accurately reflect the many black Americans who have become discouraged and given up looking for employment or the large number of black Americans who are under-employed.

Unemployment and under-employment are two of the reasons median income in all income categories is lower for black Americans than it is for white Americans and Asian-Americans.

Although there is not a dramatic difference in median income for women of all races, as noted, single black females rear the majority of black children. (Female householders comprise 21.4% of white families and 12.7% of Asian-American families. However, female householders comprise 56% of black families with children under the age of 18.) This is the primary reason why more than one of every four black women and more than one of every three black children live well below the poverty income level.

Although one of every four black Americans lives below the poverty income level, only one in twelve black married couples live below the poverty level. Unfortunately, the majority of black families are single households with no spouse present.

Crime and Criminal Justice

Based on percentages of population, more black Americans are victims of crime than white Americans and Asian-Americans. Serious crimes include murder, negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny/theft, and motor vehicle theft.

Although black Americans are only one eighth of the population, almost half of all murder victims are black Americans.

Based on percentages of population, more black Americans are arrested for and charged with the serious crimes listed above than are white Americans and Asian-Americans. More black Americans are also arrested for and charged with less serious crimes. These include assaults, fraud, buying or receiving stolen property, weapons charges, offenses against family and children, gambling, prostitution, drug laws violations, alcohol laws violations, disorderly conduct, and vagrancy.

Although black Americans are less than thirteen percent of the population, almost half of all American adults in federal and state prisons and local jails are black Americans. There are also more black Americans who are on probation or parole and more black Americans who are on death row.

The United States, with a population of 300 million people, incarcerates more of its citizens than any other nation in the world. This includes China, which has a billion more people than America, and India, which also has a population of more than one billion. The rate at which all Americans are incarcerated may be incredible, however, the rate at which black Americans are incarcerated is astounding.

Incarceration Rate (2007):

As a result of felony disenfranchisement laws, more than five million Americans convicted of a felony have currently or permanently lost their right to vote. This total includes approximately one and a half million black men – thirteen percent of all black men – who have permanently lost their right to vote. This rate is seven times the national average for disenfranchised voters.

Finally, it is notable that about seventy-five percent of black Americans who are incarcerated are high school dropouts – and less than two percent of black Americans who are incarcerated have earned a college degree.


Black America Must Be Saved
Blacks must accept that black America needs to be saved from another one hundred or two hundred years of being the least socially and the least economically successful people in America. And black Americans must understand that only they can save black America.

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