Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

The State of Black America
Townhall.com ^ | June 9, 2021 | Star Parker

Posted on 06/09/2021 6:15:35 AM PDT by Kaslin

Listening to all the rhetoric in the popular media, you would think America is the most unfair, racist nation in the world. You would think that Black Americans are uniformly living in oppression and poverty, with no hope for the future, save the federal government arriving on the scene to their rescue.

Sorry, liberals, to trouble you with facts. But indeed there are facts. And the facts tell a far different story than what we are hearing.

Let's start with the most recent annual report of the Census Bureau: Income and Poverty in the United States: 2019.

According to this report, annual real median household income in the U.S. increased 6.8% in 2019, the largest annual increase recorded by the Census Bureau going back to 1967.

Black median household income in 2019 increased 7.9%, the largest on record and, per American Enterprise Institute economist Mark Perry, "almost nine times the average annual increase of 0.90% over the last half-century."

Moreover, in 2019, 29.4% of Black households had income of $75,000 or more, compared with 28.7% of Black households that had income of $25,000 or less. This was the first time, ever, that the percentage of high-income Black households exceeded the percentage of low-income Black households.

In 1967, 44.5% of Black households were low-income, compared with 9.1% high-income.

Last September, the Federal Reserve published its Survey of Consumer Finances, published once every three years. The survey covers the three-year period 2016-2019, just prior to the onset of the pandemic.

Over this period, per the report, Black net worth increased 32.1%, Hispanic net worth increased 63.6% and white net worth increased 4%.

Business equity among Blacks increased 138%.

How about other measures of achievement?

Per the Census Bureau, in 2019, 88% of Blacks had a high school diploma, 98% of the national average. In 1950, the percent of Blacks with a high school diploma equaled 50% of the national average.

In 2018, 37.8% of Blacks ages 18-24 were enrolled in college, compared with a national average of 40.9% in this age group.

In the age group of 25-39, 28.4% had a bachelor's degree or higher, compared with 40.5% of the general population.

The high school dropout rate among Blacks in 2018 was 4.9%, compared with a national average of 5.7%.

Am I trying to divert attention from the many real economic and social problems in many Black communities?

Certainly not. But what I do wish to disabuse is the focus on problems in certain Black communities and using this data to generalize about all Blacks. It's certainly false and a distortion, and ironic how often this is coming from those who pretend to be fighting racism.

It certainly is true, again according to the Census Bureau, that in 2019, Blacks, who constituted 13.2% of the population, represented 23.8% of those living below the poverty line.

But is this about racism? The data tells us that this is about family breakdown, not racism.

And the problem of family breakdown is afflicting the whole nation. It just happens to be hitting many Black communities particularly hard. Poverty is excessive in households of all races that are headed by single women. Blacks just happen to have a very high percentage of households headed by single women.

But, according to Statistica, only 6.4% of Black households headed by a married couple live in poverty.

So, enough of racist generalizations about Blacks. And enough of the distortions that Blacks have not been gaining ground in our free country and that where we do have problems, we need more government.

Black progress and achievement since the 1960s have been substantial.

Where problems exist, and where progress is disappointing, invariably, government has been the problem, not the solution.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS: blackcommunity; conservatism; racism
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-31 next last

1 posted on 06/09/2021 6:15:35 AM PDT by Kaslin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

FUBAR


2 posted on 06/09/2021 6:16:52 AM PDT by Levy78
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin
I don't know who is more pathetic. Those who stoke victimhood or those who embrace it.
3 posted on 06/09/2021 6:19:09 AM PDT by Texas Eagle (If it wasn't for double-standards, Liberals would have no standards at all.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

I know...let’s listen to BLM and other black leaders and defund the police - that ought to help black American excel even further, right?

They could even distribute those new Amazon T-shirts stating “Blue Lives Murder” - which will further help their cause.

No wonder the nano-second they can, they move into White neighborhoods - like BLM founder Patrisse Cullors.


4 posted on 06/09/2021 6:21:14 AM PDT by Bon of Babble (Rigged Elections have Consequences)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Texas Eagle
I don't know who is more pathetic. Those who stoke victimhood or those who embrace it.

Interesting thought, but both suck, bigly.

5 posted on 06/09/2021 6:24:02 AM PDT by Mark17 (Father of US Air Force combat pilot )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

People who’ve got time to feel oppressed by statues and names on parks, streets and buildings are not oppressed at all, not even one jot.


6 posted on 06/09/2021 6:29:57 AM PDT by Rurudyne (Standup Philosopher)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

At the core of almost all “progressive” thinking is delusion. Facts and observations that don’t fit the narrative are ignored. Yet they exist and the conclusions and policies made by “progressives” are absurd and harmful.
Must never forget that it has always been the goal of the Left to tear down and destroy America so as to rebuild it in the image they imagine.


7 posted on 06/09/2021 6:32:04 AM PDT by allendale
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Rurudyne

How does removing a statue re renaming a park, street or building help the crisis in the black family?


8 posted on 06/09/2021 6:35:31 AM PDT by ActresponsiblyinVA
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

Stay away.

As in physically.

BLM taught me blacks are dangerous.

I cross the street to avoid being within 40 feet.


9 posted on 06/09/2021 6:37:39 AM PDT by Uncle Miltie (I'm changing my name to 'Spike Protein'!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ActresponsiblyinVA

Feelings, nothing more than feelings
Trying to remove anything
That makes me feel unloved
Feelings, whoa, whoa, whoa, feelings
All my life I’m feeling
Thinking feels make it real


10 posted on 06/09/2021 6:42:06 AM PDT by Rurudyne (Standup Philosopher)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

I worked with a black guy who was super efficient, likeable and in every way, a model co worker.

However, he never heard of Candace Owens and kept mum about anything political.

It’s like he wore blinders


11 posted on 06/09/2021 6:43:05 AM PDT by SMARTY ( "Force always attracts men of low morality. " Albert Einstein)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Uncle Miltie

A person is wise to get as far away as possible. How many unprovoked attacks do we have to see to not realize that? It’s a shame for the blacks that do things right but that’s the way it is.


12 posted on 06/09/2021 6:45:13 AM PDT by boycott
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: Uncle Miltie

The sad thing is our nation’s violent people problem are still a minority among every race demographic ... just not among every ideology demographic as, for example, critical race theory nitwit spouting off after CRTN amply demonstrates.

Nitwits drag people down.


13 posted on 06/09/2021 6:46:51 AM PDT by Rurudyne (Standup Philosopher)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: Rurudyne

I think it was Eric Hoffer who said that people who constantly, immediately take offense at everything and who are easily and unnecessarily offended are acting from a profound sense of inadequacy


14 posted on 06/09/2021 6:48:38 AM PDT by SMARTY ( "Force always attracts men of low morality. " Albert Einstein)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: SMARTY

He naturally didn’t mean when progressives do it.


15 posted on 06/09/2021 6:50:26 AM PDT by Rurudyne (Standup Philosopher)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: SMARTY

My bad... I misread Hoffer as Holder! Sorry, sorry!


16 posted on 06/09/2021 6:51:03 AM PDT by Rurudyne (Standup Philosopher)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: allendale

Progressive thinking goes all the way back to Rousseau, who asserted that people are innately good, and what makes them bad is society and it’s imperfections. So when people do bad things, blame society not the person.


17 posted on 06/09/2021 7:04:04 AM PDT by hinckley buzzard (resist the narrative. .)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

Yeah, but the majority do not care.
“I’m a victim and give me my sh!t!”
Racist.


18 posted on 06/09/2021 7:05:26 AM PDT by TexasM1A
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

The left wants blacks to be poor and miserable, so that the dems can convince them to vote democrat every year as they blame the blacks’ misery on Whitey.


19 posted on 06/09/2021 7:10:47 AM PDT by I want the USA back (The reflectance of my epidermis does not give anyone the right to assume anything about me.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SMARTY

Can’t fault him for that. My preoccupation with politics is very depressing at times. All we can do is vote, and even that is questionable.


20 posted on 06/09/2021 7:13:32 AM PDT by pingman ("I ain't in no ways tarred.." of WINNING!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-31 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson