How Far As A People Have We Come

[mivida2k]

Los Angeles blacks still fare poorly, study shows By Alexandria Sage
Wed Jul 13, 6:15 PM ET
 


LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Blacks in America's second-largest city fare the worst among all major races in education, health, economics, housing and criminal justice, according to a study released on Wednesday.


"The State of Black Los Angeles," prepared by the United Way and the Urban League of Los Angeles, said the promise of the American Dream was still out of reach for many blacks in the city.

"At the heart of this shortfall is a fundamental issue of equality -- not simply equality as a right but equality as a reality and practice," it said.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was joined by religious and community leaders, including Police Chief William Bratton, at a downtown panel to voice concern at the sobering picture presented in the study.

The study found that nearly half of black L.A. high school students don't graduate within four years, that the median household income for blacks is more than $20,000 below that of white families and that the 14 percent black unemployment rate is more than double that for whites and Asians.

"I see it as a call to action. I see it as a challenge," said Villaraigosa, the city's first Latino mayor in more than 100 years. "Because a great city cannot be that great shining city with so many people left behind."

Blacks, who make up 10 percent of the population of Los Angeles County, scored the lowest on an "equality index," which measures discrepancies in conditions for individual races.

The county's population is about 9.8 million, of whom 3.8 million live in the City of Los Angeles, 2003 census figures show.

Measured against a benchmark of 1.00 for whites, blacks scored .69, as compared to .71 for Latinos and .98 for Asians. The only area in which blacks scored higher than all other races was in civic engagement, which includes voter participation, military service and English fluency.

Some panelists spoke of a sense of "deja vu" at the report's findings which come 40 years after the city's deadly 1965 Watts riots.

The report's statistics -- for example, that more than 75 percent of black fourth-graders cannot read proficiently, a number that increases to 83 percent by 11th grade -- "put a chill in your spine," Villaraigosa said.

"If we can't read or write, if we don't have the access to computers and textbooks, we won't be able to compete," he said.

Bratton, whose department has struggled to fend off criticism that it unfairly targets minorities, called improved public safety the catalyst that would spur change in other areas.

"You cannot educate your child if they live in fear in their schools and their streets," Bratton said. "You cannot have economic investment in neighborhoods where crime is out of control."

Half of all murder victims in the county are black, Bratton said, and 32 percent of all black males born in 2001 would end up in prison, a statistic he called "horrifying."

Other findings in the report include:

- Blacks have the highest rate of homelessness, representing more than 30 percent of the total homeless population.

- The average jail sentence for blacks for violent offenses is 46 months, compared to 13 months for whites.

- Blacks have the highest overall death rate, with deaths from homicide and     HIV and     AIDS more than three times higher than other groups.

[HBCU.EDU]

We have not come far at all my friend.






in fact one could agrue that we have taken a few steps back.

[Victor]

We have not come far at all my friend.






in fact one could agrue that we have taken a few steps back.

Says someone who only gathers information from MTV and BET in lieu of opening up a Black Enterprise Magazine or reading a book like The Pact. Congratulations, you're a meathead, son.

[Muse]

 Black Americans are at a stand still. On one end we are very progressive and conditions have improved, but on the other end there are still factors within our communities holding us back. Exactly what do we want to do? The best way for our communities to evolve and flourish is to have diversity of opinions, political alliances, and most importantly educate ourselves on how the system works in order to maneuver and use it to our advantage.

[YoungIke]

Black Americans are at a stand still. On one end we are very progressive and conditions have improved, but on the other end there are still factors within our communities holding us back. Exactly what do we want to do? The best way for our communities to evolve and flourish is to have diversity of opinions, political alliances, and most importantly educate ourselves on how the system works in order to maneuver and use it to our advantage.

You just have the most insightful comments; I had to highlight your last comment. Many blacks are looking for that one black leader to stand up and change the system to work the way they want it to work. That is not reality. In the civil rights movement, black leaders used the same system used to oppress them to gain their freedom. Thurgood Marshall used the already existing constitutional amendments to stop segregation. Huey Newton used the same existing constitutional amendments to bear arms and protect his community. If we are to truly progress we must take hold of the mantle they left and used the system to our advantage even though it was not meant for our good.

[Muse]

Thank you YoungIke, I have my serious moments.

Black people need to stop depending on some sort of figurehead to shape their lives. Do you honestly think that white folks are 100% dependant on Bush or the other various political parties for the type of lifestyle they want? Yes they contribute monetary to push certain agendas, but in the meantime they are making their own plans just in case the leaders don't come through (which is often the case). Why do you think black people panic when a new leader comes in office? The reason is because they are putting their livelihood in an individual and a system that doesn’t give a damn at the end of the day. Politicians whether it is Barrack Obama (D-Illinois) or John Cornyn (R-Texas) will cater to their lobbyist and financial backers before dealing with YOUR NEEDS. Black people get with the program. It’s great to have blacks in positions of influence (I dare not to say power, because it is just a relative term with so many constraints) but don’t start jumping up and down like a #%@! thinking that Obama is going to get you out of the ghetto if you are a lazy stupid bastard to begin with. (The truth hurts but deal with it).

True freedom and independence comes through economic means. We live in a capitalistic society, which is becoming a global phenomenon. Jump on board or get left behind. Those are the only two options. I plan on being on the first class section of the cruise ship when it’s time to take off. Soon race will not be the issue, but your class will (then again it might still be a race issue because left face it blacks inherit debt not assets). Lets be real, black people need to stop BUYING SH*T! Invest your money. Being poor is not even an excuse. If you can come up with 100 dollars to buy that outfit then open a savings or CD account. I see too many people driving luxury cars and wearing designer cloths but in debt, on welfare, living with mom or renting an apartment. Believe it or not all you need to build wealth is GOOD CREDIT (which is something a lot of black people don't have). Unfortunately some people are in situations where their credit is awful due to their parents’ mistakes, but now that you are aware of that problem, start making strides to improve your situation.  But in most situations…the kids mess up their own credit by getting caught up in buying “stuff” aka garbage and bling bling.

The problem is that no one is willing to make sacrifices or live below their means for a while to achieve the end goal.They want to live their life and enjoy the moment. Well by all means go ahead and do you but don't complain when emergencies occur and your butt is out on the streets because of poor choices. So if I sound like an ultra conservative or a Republican at times its because I lack sensitivity to being economically ignorant.

[Abevigoda]

I'm sorry, but I have to comment on Obama in reference to your above quote.  He may be black but I think it is a stretch to call him a new leader of the black community, he doesn't want that title nor did use it in his campaign.  Obama won all racial, class, gender, etc..in Illinois during the election because he campaigned on what was best for the people of Illinois not a sub-group within Illinois.  I, along with many other people, see him as a senator who happens to be black as oppossed to a black senator.  Personally, I think that alone is indicative of true progress not just in the black community but in all sub-groups of this country.

[Muse]

Oh Abevigoda,

I completely agree with you. I wasn't refering to Obama as the leader of the black community nor do I view him as such. However there are many blacks/ Afro-Americans who believe that since he is a black senator (and not a senator who happens to be black) they have these expectations of him. My post was to discourage that. I hope that clears up the confusion.

[Abevigoda]

Cool.

[YoungIke]

Does this mean anything to you or is it just rhetoric.

RNC Chief to Say It Was 'Wrong' to Exploit Racial Conflict for Votes

By Mike Allen

Thursday, July 14, 2005; Page A04

It was called "the southern strategy," started under Richard M. Nixon in 1968, and described Republican efforts to use race as a wedge issue -- on matters such as desegregation and busing -- to appeal to white southern voters.

Ken Mehlman, the Republican National Committee chairman, this morning will tell the NAACP national convention in Milwaukee that it was "wrong."

 
Politics Trivia
  Karl Rove has a long history as a political operative in the Republican party. Which of the following people did not have Rove work on his election campaign?
George H. W. Bush
Bill Clements
Rep. Tom DeLay
Phil Gramm



 
"By the '70s and into the '80s and '90s, the Democratic Party solidified its gains in the African American community, and we Republicans did not effectively reach out," Mehlman says in his prepared text. "Some Republicans gave up on winning the African American vote, looking the other way or trying to benefit politically from racial polarization. I am here today as the Republican chairman to tell you we were wrong."

Mehlman, a Baltimore native who managed President Bush's reelection campaign, goes on to discuss current overtures to minorities, calling it "not healthy for the country for our political parties to be so racially polarized." The party lists century-old outreach efforts in a new feature on its Web site, GOP.com, which was relaunched yesterday with new interactive features and a history section called "Lincoln's Legacy."

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean spoke to the NAACP yesterday and said through an aide: "It's no coincidence that 43 out of 43 members of the Congressional Black Caucus are Democrats. The Democratic Party is the real party of opportunity for African Americans."