WASHINGTON, Nov. 13, 2007
Study: Black Pessimism On The Rise
Just One In Five Blacks Say They Are Better Off Compared To Five Years Ago, Survey Shows
-
(CBS/AP)
-
Photo Essay Rally In Jena Louisiana town at center of racism debate after black teens are charged in beating of white student.
The survey by the Pew Research Center, a Washington-based research organization, paints a mixed picture of race relations following Hurricane Katrina and the Jena Six case, in which six black teens were charged with beating a white student at a high school in the town of Jena, La.
It found that just one in five blacks, or 20 percent, said things were better off for blacks compared with five years ago; that is the smallest percentage since 1983, when 20 percent also made that claim. In-between, the percentage of blacks who said things had gotten better had grown, only to drop back to 20 percent.
Another 29 percent of blacks said things had gotten worse as opposed to staying the same, the largest number since 32 percent made that claim in 1990.
In addition, fewer than half of all blacks, or 44 percent, said they expected their prospects to brighten in the future. That's down from 57 percent in 1986, during the height of the Reagan administration when the Justice Department actively sought to curtail affirmative action in favor of race-neutral policies.
Whites have a different view about black progress, according to the survey. Whites were nearly twice as likely as blacks to see black gains in the past five years. A majority of whites polled, or 56 percent, also said they believed prospects for blacks would improve in the future.
"As disturbing as these findings are, in one sense it's surprising they are not actually worse," said Wade Henderson, president of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, a coalition of 200 groups including the NAACP and National Urban League. "Most African Americans believe the government response to problems is one of benign neglect rather than forceful action."
Since the Supreme Court's Brown vs. Board of Education decision more than 50 years ago that outlawed segregation in public schools, blacks have seen substantial civil rights gains including the passage of laws in the 1960s and 1970s that sought, in part, to deter discrimination in housing and employment.
Decades later, blacks and whites are now at a crossroads, with the nation and even the black community itself divided over the best approach to achieve racial equality, whether by affirmative action to foster integration or more race-neutral policies to promote ideals of a colorblind society.
Fast Fact
Moreover, the income gap between black and white families has not narrowed, according to a new study being released Tuesday that tracked the incomes of some 2,300 families for more than 30 years. Incomes have increased among both black and white families in the past three decades, mainly because more women are in the work force. But the increase was greater among whites, according to the study conducted by the Pew Charitable Trust's Economic Mobility Project, which is separate from the Pew Research Center.Most blacks believe racial discrimination is pervasive when applying for a job (67 percent), renting an apartment or buying a house (65 percent).
Among black men, incomes have declined in the past three decades, when adjusted for inflation. They were offset only by gains among black women.
In the Jena Six case, some black leaders said that only charging the black teens was questionable since the beating followed a number of racially charged incidents in which white students hung nooses on a school campus. Many poor and black people also faulted the Bush administration for its response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
The Pew poll involved telephone interviews with 3,086 people in the continental United States, conducted in September and October. The margin of sampling error was 2.5 percentage points for the total sample, slightly larger for whites, blacks and Hispanics.
Among the findings:
Terence Pell, president of the conservative group Center for Individual Rights, said the Pew findings suggest racial preference policies aren't necessary, noting there are growing divisions among poor and middle-class blacks themselves. His organization is pushing for elimination of affirmative action at colleges and universities.
"The use of racial preferences in admissions has become a sacred cow," said Pell. "In truth, these policies have not been that effective."
© MMVII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
More From U.S.
Best-selling author Mitch Albom on his first nonfiction work since "Tuesdays with Morrie."
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- next
See all 68 CommentsPosted by brianbwb
It is time to stop blaming Republicans for the lack of black achievement. Until black students and their parents make education paramount in their lives, achievement will be elusive to many blacks. Why not emulate other achieving groups. The Chinese and the Koreans demand much from their children. For most of them, failing in school, not earning high grades and attending good colleges is unacceptable. How many generations will it take for black leaders, black students, and black parents to learn this?
If I have not misread your post You seem to be advocating a racial ''war'', please tell me I am wrong.
Gregory ''Pappy'' Boyington wrote a book called "BAA BAA BLACKSHEEP" sketching his time in the service as an AVG and later a Marine Pilot in WWII. He tells of being imprisoned as a P.O.W. in a Japanese prison camp. One of the things that struck him was the wanton cruelty of the Japanese soldiers and the privations of the civillians who for the most part treated the Americans much better than the military types. His take on it was that the soldiers cruelty was more a response by a ''formerly'' subjugated lower class being given power (which they had never had before) and over-reacting to the taller and bigger Americans. his story is really a must read by any segement of society that has been dealt with harshly in the past.
I personally don''t understand why supposed intelligent individuals keep bringing up "skin color", when they know it has absolutely nothing to do with an individual''s[groups] ethnocentricism and hegemony over resources, land, material wealth, etc..
The pity lies within the %u201Cblack psychic%u201D, because they%u2019ve failed to understand, comprehend, etc. the %u201Csocial Darwinian logic%u201D of European discourse, which is "eliminate the competition", by any means necessary.
A BANK ERROR IN EUROPEAN FAVOR!
Western Europeans and Americans flourished at the expense of the African populous, while the %u201CRICHEST%u201D continent on this planet%u2019 resources and wealth filled the pockets of greedy American corporations and corrupt politicians and a %u201Cpinch%u201D to bloodthirsty self-aggrandized African %u201Cwarlords%u2019.
Oprah%u2019s trying to change this longstanding historical injustice through empowering the African woman, but will see how far this goes, considering the American and Western European economy has depended greatly on exploiting the natural resources in Africa, e.g. oil, rubber, minerals, gold, %u201CDIAMONDS%u201D, and other precious gemstones.
What black folks don%u2019t get here is that it%u2019s not about %u201Cskin color%u201D, that%u2019s a rouse, it%u2019s about %u201Ccompetition for jobs and resources, which a dominant culture is not willing to share, by no means necessary..
Posted by brianbwb at 11:14 PM : Nov 13, 2007
I realize that I and some other posters here have a different outlook than others about race, religion and politics but it has been my experience that except for the standard racial bigot, the majority want this ''name-calling'' to end, now. I have always looked at my friends as people (period). Some of them happen to be Black and three are Asian (yellow) a quarter of my family tree is Red (American Indian).
A large portion of the people I know regard the heart of a person as a measure of ''what'' he/she is as opposed to the color of the epidermis. The moment someone calls attention to their race, my first reaction is "Oh My!!! here we go again." I hate feeling like that! I want to be able to talk straight to a person without having to walk on eggs every time I am near them. I would never make a ''fat'' joke at a overweight friend (or stranger) simply because I know how these things hurt. I am not trying to say that we will not see differences in people (skin color, slanted eyes, round eyes, big/small ears) but to me, that is what makes life worth living.
2.) Get a job.
The racial divide will close
Also, give up the gansta thug idiocy.
And that is the telling statistic. As America''s jobs are offshored and the inequality curve steepens, the vast majority of Americans are being squeezed - without regard to ethnicity.
In the eyes of the new American reality - brought to you courtesy of both major political parties - the only color that makes you matter now is green.
brianbwb,
Your perspective is always interesting.
In fact, my point is that I cannot accept that our heroes died and continue to die, or otherwise suffered and continue to suffer in the struggle for equal citizenship, so that we could become just like the dogs that stood, and still stand, on our potential. My soul cries to see "Black" soldiers, in military service because it was the only legal way out of their situation, in Iraq, treating innocent civilians in the same manner as "whites" did our ancestors, and our brethren, to further the corruption of those who still regard us as less than human.
I believe that our heroes sacrificed dreaming that we could one day be what our potential allows us, unfettered by and uncaring of what "whites" like or dislike about us, or our cultural evolution, to create a life where I can, as long as I don''t bring harm to others, whatever I choose to be.
Posted by AgentG1967
The problems with education are many, first, public education in America does not prepare children for life in the modern world, choosing instead to focus on irrelevant propaganda called "history" and "social studies" rather than science, technology and business.
One example, because I am a musician, why do schools not prepare music students for the multi billion dollar industry that is music, instead focusing on irrelevant knowledge and facility in arcane and non commercial forms?
The other problem is that the fascists don''t want America to be smart enough to understand the details of its corruption, so ever since the college students led the protests that ultimately drove Nixon from office, education budgets have been ever diminishing, as proven by Bush''s veto of an education bill, in favor of financing his illegal war.
Here is our enemy, the "race" issue will have to be taken up when the more immediate threat is addressed.
The issues are not music, crime, the GOP, or even racism. The core issue is that African-Americans are in a vicious cycle of being undereducated and underskilled. True there is great psychological oppression, but we must pass on hope to the next generation.
To break the cycle, every single person should strive to attain the best education and skill set possible. I am amazed that people do not realize that. It is as if the educators have given up on any embetterment for the future. Wake up and learn something today, just for the fun of it!
I have absolutely no problem with your beliefs, you are entitled to them, as I am to mine, but once our beliefs motivate us to support those who would twist the concept of government to deny either one of us the right to our beliefs, (the Pats, Robertson and Buchanan, David Duke, Robert Novak, George Bush and his klan, the kkk, aryan nations, and other core groups of the Republican party) then we go beyond holding beliefs, and move to denial of the right of others to hold dissimilar beliefs.
Posted by tiddsanbeer
At 50 years old, and having lived in several countries around the world, I have heard the n word from "white" Americans so many times that if I had a quarter for each time, I could buy California. The context is understood, just as it is when the "Brothers" use it, and the two are polar opposites, like the difference between myself, or Jeff Foxworthy calling you a "redneck", the difference in context is understood. And if you don''t want a sunburned neck, which I understand can be painful, a backwards hat makes sense does it not?
I have met Mr. Cosby several times, and he is indeed a fine human being, but what he "gets" is germane only to his own experience, which has been a unique one.
You say I live in the past, but I say all statistics show that racism is living in the present. My fight is not over until those statistics say they are, but right now we all have a greater enemy to face.
Posted by tiddsanbeer
My point was that everything you said was not true. I made a line by line refutation based in fact, not supposition, whereas your statement was all supposition, not backed up by fact, and designed to malign a culture that by your own admission, you don''t wish to understand. That is what makes your statement racist.
Do you own stock in companies that practice discrimination? If you own any stock at all, the answer is probably yes. Do you support the Republican party, whose most vocal members are all virulent racists? If you have, then your statement "I have never done one bad thing to a black." is also not true, for you have enabled them and their racist policies that negatively affect every one, especially "Black" people.
Posted by SgtRDS
Demographics bear your statement out, Sarge, My position however is if we don''t fix the more immediate problem of rampant, unchecked fascism, this country won''t last another 10 years, let alone 40.
Posted by tburzio at 08:09 PM : Nov 13, 2007
Actually in a few decades (less then 40 years) they''ll be the majority of people in America, even more of them then white people. Then they''ll run the country.
A + B = C.
This is a surprise to anyone?
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- next
See all 68 Comments