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US blacks worse off than whites
05/03/2008 21:10 - (SA)
Atlanta - Black Americans still trail whites on such basics as income, education and health, a study showed on Wednesday, even as Barack Obama's barrier-breaking run for the presidency has renewed the national focus on race.
Across a range of economic indicators including measures of
employment, poverty, housing, income and wealth, blacks were
much worse off than whites. If whites scored 100% on
such measures, blacks scored just 56.8%, a figure
unchanged from last year, the National Urban League said.
The league said on a broader index covering such issues as education, health, social justice and civic engagement, blacks stood at 73%, an increase of just 0.41 percentage points over last year.
Three times as many US blacks as whites live below the
poverty line, defined as an income of $20 000 for a family of four. The disparity between the races on unemployment narrowed
slightly, but blacks were still twice as likely to be jobless.
'Disparities remain consistent'
The report, one of the most comprehensive on the subject,
addresses more than 300 separate categories, which it uses to
come up with an overall equality index.
League president Marc Morial said: "The disparities between black and white Americans remain consistent, nagging and substantial.
"The next president has to take the bull by the horns and change the nation's priorities and focus on domestic initiatives."
Obama, an Illinois senator, would be the first black US
president if elected, and, although he remains locked in a
battle for the Democratic nomination, has been by far the most
successful black presidential candidate.
The National Urban League was founded in 1910 to improve
the lives of black Americans. Its annual report focuses solely
on relationships between blacks and whites, but its programmes are open to people from all races.
- Reuters
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