Staff Writer
In its 40th annual report on the State of Black America, the National Urban League (NUL) reports that Black people continue to trail White residents in every category the league tracks, “presenting a persistent racial disparity in American life.” In presenting this report, NUL President Marc Morial stated that “all gears have been thrown in reverse.” The disparity is also being called a reversal of fortune for strides toward equality made after the Civil Rights era of the 1960s.The report, a compilation of data gathered in 2016, reveals that the 2016 equality index is at 72.2 percent when compared to Whites, used as a “benchmark because of the history of race in America.” There were slight increases in this year’s index over 2015 in the areas of education which went from 76.1 percent to 77.4 percent; slight increase in economics which was due in part to lower denial rates for Black people seeking mortgage loans, and what is being called a sizable decline in the Black incarceration rate. There was a drop in civic engagement and lower voter registration.
Unemployment continues to be disproportionate between Blacks and Whites in the same cities. For example, Black unemployment in Los Angeles is at 14 percent while White unemployment was reported at 6.8 percent; Baltimore Black unemployment is at 12.4 percent compared to Whites at 4.5. St. Louis is at 14.5 compared to 5.2 of Whites.
In response to the many findings in the report, the NUL proposes that America adopt the Main Street Marshall Plan, referring to the kind of plan America created to rebuild Europe after World War II. The NUL plan would require a $1 trillion investment which would be applied to infrastructures within America’s urban cities. But the challenges are great considering the budget slashing proposals the Trump Administration has in mind.
The 2017 report entitled “Protect Our Progress,” in its examination of key areas like jobs, wages, education, health care, voting rights, criminal justice reform and financial literacy, it acknowledges that America’s 46 million African Americans, comprising about 14 percent of the population, must stay engaged and fight the roll backs of eight years of progress under the Obama administration. Morial said those gains and others are “being threatened” under the new Administration and on Capitol Hill. “Recently proposals before Congress would shift disparately needed resources away from underfunded public schools.”
Morial called the federal budget currently under consideration with cuts to health, housing, labor and education, a blueprint for a sick, uneducated, homeless and unemployed America. More of the State of Black America will be reported in future articles.
