WASHINGTON, Nov. 14, 2006
Report: Race Gap In U.S. Persists
Income, Education, Home Ownership Disparities Remain Between Whites, Blacks, Hispanics
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(AP / CBS)
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The Nation We Live In
Who are Americans and what do they do? A comprehensive look at our economic, sociological and racial breakdown.
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Living In Poverty
A state-by-state look at U.S. Census Bureau data on income and poverty levels.
White households had incomes that were two-thirds higher than blacks and 40 percent higher than Hispanics last year, according to data released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau.
White adults were also more likely than black and Hispanic adults to have college degrees and to own their own homes. They were less likely to live in poverty.
"Race is so associated with class in the United States that it may not be direct discrimination, but it still matters indirectly," said Dalton Conley, a sociology professor at New York University and the author of "Being Black, Living in the Red."
"It doesn't mean it's any less powerful just because it's indirect," he said.
Home ownership grew among white middle-class families after World War II when access to credit and government programs made buying houses affordable. Black families were largely left out because of discrimination, and the effects are still being felt today, said Lance Freeman, assistant professor of urban planning at Columbia University and author of "There Goes the 'Hood."
Home ownership creates wealth, which enables families to live in good neighborhoods with good schools. It also helps families finance college, which leads to better-paying jobs, perpetuating the cycle, Freeman said.
"If your parents own their own home they can leave it to you when they pass on or they can use the equity to help you with a down payment on yours," Freeman said.
Three-fourths of white households owned their homes in 2005, compared with 46 percent of black households and 48 percent of Hispanic households. Home ownership is near an all-time high in the United States, but racial gaps have increased in the past 25 years.
Black families have also been hurt by the decline of manufacturing jobs — the same jobs that helped propel many white families into the middle class after World War II, said Hilary Shelton, director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's Washington office.
Among Hispanics, education, income and home ownership gaps are exacerbated by recent Latin American immigrants. Hispanic immigrants have, on average, lower incomes and education levels than people born in the United States. About 40 percent of U.S. Hispanics are immigrants.
Asian Americans, on average, have higher incomes and education levels than whites. However, they have higher poverty rates and lower home ownership rates.
The Census Bureau released 2005 racial data on incomes, education levels, home ownership rates and poverty rates Tuesday. The data are from the American Community Survey, the bureau's new annual survey of 3 million households nationwide. The Associated Press compared the figures with census data from 1980, 1990 and 2000.
Among the findings:
Thomas Shapiro, professor of law and social policy at Brandeis University, said the "easiest answer" to narrowing racial gaps is to promote home ownership, which would help minority families accumulate wealth.
"The wealth gap is not just a story of merit and achievement, it's also a story of the historical legacy of race in the United Sates," said Shapiro, author of "The Hidden Cost of Being African American."
Shelton, of the NAACP, called for more government funding for preschool programs, improving public schools and making college more affordable.
"Income should not be a significant determining factor whether someone should have an opportunity to go to college," Shelton said.
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See all 96 CommentsIf they don't take advantage of this, then that is their fault and is not because of any discrimination. Once people stop blaming other for their failures, they can move on and become successful in their own right.
Correct me if I am wrong but is there any welfare housing in Hillary, Nancy or Teds neighborhoods. Didn't Hillary and Billary send their kid to a private upscale school using public funds? But not allow working or welfare parents the same choice?
I am not saying Republicans are above all this but at least the Democrats shouldn't get a free ride on their greater hypocrisy.
The reason Asians do well is simple.
Thousands of years of experience with huge bureaucracies in a state of relative FREEDOM of its citizens allowed the Asians to cultivate very effective and structured social systems.
Which government in the west could today, or any time in the near future, manage so skillfully a population of 1.3 BILLION citizens as the Chinese are doing?
The US has one billion less citizens than China. And yet the US imprisons a greater proportion of its citizens in the supposed 'land of the free'.
Enslaving, handicapping, and excluding the Black population to this day has created a serious social situation for the US.
Citizens who have not been FREE to participate in the society, naturally are not going to be afforded the opportunities to progress.
However, the institutionalized 'lack of Black progress' is precisely what has historically been the aim of the US vis-a-vis its Black population especially: Keep them down and keep them out!
The Chinese, say, do not have the kind of serious division of its society even though there are 56 different ethnic groups recognized in China.
Upward mobility, progress and advancements are more assured in non-racist societies. Unfortunately, for many generations now the US has not been one of those kinds of society.
You give an interesting comparison of Chinese and American societies. But my question had to do with Chinese-American citizens. Why do more of them go to college than whites? Whey they earn more, on average, than whites? And finally, once we answer those questions, how do the answers apply to the same disparities involving Blacks?
As Bill Cosby has said. You have got to break the cycle of the way you were raised. Don't have babies so young, pay attention in school, get a good education no matter what. Stay away from gangs, drugs and alcohol. Once you have children, take responsibility for them. BE there for your children. Don't expect anything from anybody.
It's not the fault of any other race. That is an excuse to do nothing.
Also, success doesn't work if you are spending what you DO have to wear all the latest, greatest and most expensive clothes and jewelery. You're just making somebody else richer. Define who you are and be yourself.
Only the upper 2 percent of Southern American households owned slaves.
Upper class black Africans in Africa also bought, sold and owned slaves.
you know, I'm white, but I have a bunch of Black and Asian friends and a whole ton of Latino friends. My kids hang out with their kids. For the most part, I don't really think that any of us really cares or at least no one has ever come right out and said something about it... but I can't read minds, maybe they do.
Now if we all broke out our tax returns I'd bet dollars on donuts you'd find some serious disparities, maybe enough to **** a few of us off... but we don't.
I do know of one case about 10 years ago I helped a Korean kid, who used to work for me, change careers. I even got him is first job. Today he makes nearly twice as much as I do and owns a much bigger house. He says "thank you". I say "you're welcome".
...you guys keep coming up with reasons for all their problems and who knows?... they may start believing you.
Oh, and those Republicans you are thinking of, have more Democratic credentials than some Democrats... they are almost all Liberal Republicans.... So, your "perception" is kinda off..
"Only the upper 2 percent of Southern American households owned slaves."
So?
"Upper class black Africans in Africa also bought, sold and owned slaves."
Its clear that slavery in Africa was NOT the same as slavery in the U.S. "Slaves" in most African societies were well-treated and often would become full members of the society. Slaves in America were brutalized to a degree completely unknown in Africa and were kept a permanent racial underclass in America for two centuries.
So what point were you trying to make with your facts?
In relation to previous posts, my point is....we need to quit using the Civil War as a scapegoat for what's happening today.
Everybody has opportunity to better themselves today.
Although, I'm only half black and comfortable with my achievements and life so, perhaps my opinions do not qualify.
So as soon as you see a story about inequity you jump on these platitudes? Perhaps that is part of the problem? Be that as it may, read all the posts here from other folks like you who say essentially "Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps and leave me out of it." After two generations of the "me generation," incalous indifference, and an utter lack of social responsibility, it's really unrealistic to expect much progress on behalf of the folks with no bootstraps.
It's the price I must pay to avoid part of the statistics published in this article. Maybe it will be a little easier for my daughters and my son.
youngjaki
You can't be serious that you think the only thieves are minorities, especially when you factor in major theft and not stealing a car...also not to say that whites don't steal cars, but to use your prejudiced opinions. How many cars would need to be stolen by a minority to equal the amount of theft at places like Enron, Tyco, Worldcom, etc.? What if you factor in the billions stole each year via the Iraq reconstruction efforts? Or does your warped mind not consider this theft or something?
Finally, many of the lower level expendible dealers of drugs are minorities, but if you add in the higher level chain of command, you are also get many non-minorities. If you factor in meth sales and cocaine dealing, you are really balancing the whole thing out.
I didn't say that, so why would I be serious about it? If you have to twist my words to make an argument, then don't bother. If you want to lie to yourself about which community is affected by gang problems more, don't drag me into it.
I think it is a little bit ridiculous to think that we can fix something in 30 years that has been created in 400 years.
That's false.
You talk about balancing things out to say that blacks and Hispanics steal more dollar-wise than whites and I think that is absolutely ridiculous.
There are poor gangs and there are rich gangs. You fail to see the complete picture.
What is false about this? Most drug users are white, not black or Hispanic. Meth/cocaine dealing is not prosecuted to the same extent as crack dealing, but that does not make the drugs better.
Good post.
There are poor gangs and there are rich gangs. You fail to see the complete picture."
Your argument is invalid because you're talking about things that, although they may be theft, would still show up as income in most cases. Corporate theft is not accomplished by taking money when no one's looking. It's done in ways that makes it look like legitimate income.
The guy owns a couple covenience stores. He started out by working at one of them for his uncle, learning the ropes. At one time, he and his new family lived with other relatives.
He has a nice house, nice cars and is currently grooming his two teenaged sons to take over for him someday.
If I asked my siblings to move in with me and start a business, they would laugh me. Theres a difference.
My point this time (and hopefully related to other posts) is success sometimes means sacrifice. And don't expect success to come quickly...but dream of being successful. It works.
What's the purpose of asking me a question and then answering it yourself? I don't give a rat's behind who the users are. We're talking about selling ... you know, income.
btw, this is meant to be facetious before someone gets all angry.
Where is your head, dude? Where is the income from the S&L scandal from the 1980s. That money magically disappeared and the U.S. government is paying still for it. In fact, your great grand children will still be paying via their taxes.
I'd like you to tell the Enron employees (who lost their entire retirement funds) that the money that was stolen by Enron executives is showing up as income, so they are better off than if someone had stolen their wallet with 20 dollars in it.
" I don't give a rat's behind who the users are. We're talking about selling ... you know, income."
- This is where you and I differ greatly. When it comes to drugs, I blame more the users than the dealers. If nobody wanted the drugs, nobody would be selling them.
VERY GOOD POINT, I worked with an Indian woman and I so admire their dedication to family. Her son and dil live with her and her husband and she says that when they have a child she will stop working to help care for the child. Latin/Mexican Americans have a similar sense of family. You are right, other cultures would balk at the idea of sacrifice and taking time to accomplish success. Also, minorities tend to spend money on depreciating goods (cars, clothes, etc.) Delayed gratification is such an important aspect of true success.
One thing you have to remember with our immigration policies for India is that poor Indians were not allowed into this country. Most of the Indians who come here were well-educated before they got here. In India, you will find the same issues that you have here. The Untouchables, for example, do not immigrate to America.
That is my point also about Indians. For the most part, the door has been closed to the poor Chinese and the poor Indians. The only ones that were allowed to come here were the ones that already ambitious in their respective countries. Maybe this is changing, but for a long time when it came to much of Asia, send us your poor was not offered.
I'd like you to tell the Enron employees (who lost their entire retirement funds) that the money that was stolen by Enron executives is showing up as income, so they are better off than if someone had stolen their wallet with 20 dollars in it."
You're twisting the facts again. Yes, it's theft. Yes, it's theft. Yes, it's theft. YES, THE EXECUTIVES IN QUESTION TOOK IT AS INCOME AND THEREFORE IT DOESN'T APPLY TO THIS PARTICULAR ARGUMENT.
"This is where you and I differ greatly. When it comes to drugs, I blame more the users than the dealers. If nobody wanted the drugs, nobody would be selling them."
Where we differ is that I'm talking about one thing and you're talking about something else. I mean what's your next theory? That Bill Cosby's income should be considered white income because more white people watched his show?
You are mentally ill. Your heart and mind are obviously hardened and unable to change, so I think it is pointless in trying to have a discussion with you.
However, I will make one final point. The only difference I see with black/Hispanic drug dealing versus white drug dealing is the normal difference that I see with crime in poor areas versus crime in not so poor areas. One is done in the open and the other is done more covertly. However, they are both wrong and I'm not sure that one balances out the other.
I'm trying to figure this one out. What city run by Democrats has a black community that's prospering? I live in a city run by Republicans and all the black folks I know are filthy rich.
Regarding the Indian neighbors....I'm not sure what their financial situation was when they came over. The point is, they sacrificed (maybe a comfortable life in India) and lived together to make ends meet while they grew their business. I couldn't imagine any of my family members or relatives agreeing to do this.
If we could adopt more of their mentality, maybe situations would change for some(?)
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