Since 1976, the National Urban League has released its
annual State of Black America (SOBA) report, a barometer of conditions of the
African-American community in the United States. The 2008 edition of the State
of Black America report is subtitled “In the Black Woman’s Voice.” As the
subtitle suggests, the report provides the Black female perspective on the
challenges that currently confront African Americans in general and women of
color in particular.
With a Foreword by the esteemed Dr. Dorothy I. Height,
president emeritus of the National Council of Negro Women, the 2008 State of
Black America features essays from noted Black female scholars, political
activists, business consultants and other critical thinkers.
The 2008 State of Black America presents the National Urban
League’s groundbreaking Opportunity Compact, a comprehensive set of principles
and policy recommendations designed to empower all Americans to be full
participants in the economic and social mainstream of this nation. The
Opportunity Compact provides the framework for the 2008 edition, with several
essays addressing the recommendations set out in the Compact.
Key Findings: 2008 Equality Index
In addition to addressing specific themes, the 2008 State of
Black America report, includes the National Urban League 2008 Equality Index,™ an
aggregate measure of the relative status between Blacks and whites in America,
based upon five sub indexes: Economics, Education, Health, Social Justice and
Civic Engagement The overall 2008 Equality Index is 73 percent, an increase of
0.41 percent from the 2007 index. The 2008 Equality Index indicates an increase
in economics, education and social justice sub indexes.
Other Highlights:
• The Economic sub-index (30 percent of the Equality Index) is
56 percent, unchanged for the previous year.
• The Education sub-index (25 percent of the Equality Index)
of 78.2 percent is a
0.6 decline from 2007 (78.6 percent).
• The Health sub-index (25 percent of the Equality Index)
increased 0.4 percentage point to 75.7 percent, upon revision of the 2007
figure from 77.8 percent to 75.3 percent.
• The Social Justice sub-index (10 percent of the Equality
Index) increased six percentage points from a revised 65.4 percent in 2007 to
71.7 percent in 2008. The largest improvement of all sub-indexes.
• The Civic Engagement sub-index (10 percent of the Equality
Index) was 103.6 percent, a decrease of 1.3 percentage points from 105 percent
in 2007.
Economics: The Economic sub-index remained unchanged from
last year (56.8 percent), and the index for median income remained the same at
61 percent. The poverty index minimally changed, with three times as many Blacks
as whites living below 125 percent of the poverty line. The black-white
unemployment gap decreased between 2007 (45 percent) and 2008 (49 percent).The
2008 Equality Index also showed an increase in the digital divide, a component
of the economics sub-index, in which the ratio for adult users of broadband access
increased from to 82 percent, and increase of 21 percent from 2007.
Education: In the Education sub-index, the rate of
enrollment for African-American students within the age range of 30 to 34 years
of age increased from 7.2 percent to 10 percent, with much of the school
enrollment occurring at the college level. Also, the index indicated that the
dropout rate for Black high school students decreased from 15 percent in 2007
to 13 percent in 2008. However, the index showed a 15 percentage decline in
college enrollment for recent African-American high school graduates from 2007,
with black students less likely to enroll compared to recent white high school
graduates.
Health: The 2008 Health sub-index increased slightly, at a
0.4 percentage point. The gap in total uninsured increased this year, with the
index falling from 56 percent in 2007 to 53 percent in 2008. Also, there was
minimal change in the gap of children’s health insurance, with Black children
twice as likely to be uninsured compared to their white counterparts (52
percent).
Social Justice: Of all sub-indexes of the Equality Index,
the Social Justice sub-index showed the most improvement, with jail sentencing
for blacks decreasing 15 percentage points, from 93 percent in 2007 to 77
percent in 2008. Also, the average sentence for Blacks decreased from 44 months
to 40 months, while the average sentence for whites increased from 34 months to
37 months.
Civic Engagement: Civic Engagement is the only area in which
African Americans exceed whites. However, the sub-index indicated a small
decline at 1.3 percentage points. Black volunteerism in the U.S Military
reserves has slightly decreased over the last five years, possibly due the
current war in Iraq.
The Opportunity Compact
The 2008 edition of SOBA presents the National Urban
League’s Opportunity Compact, a comprehensive set of principles and policy
recommendations designed to empower all Americans to be full participants in
the economic and social mainstream of this nation. Based upon the National
Urban League’s five point Empowerment Agenda, this comprehensive plan for
empowering the nation’s urban communities, identifies four cornerstones that
reflect the values represent the American dream: (1) The Opportunity to Thrive
(Children), (2) The Opportunity to Earn (Jobs), (3) The Opportunity to Own (Housing)
and (4) The Opportunity to Prosper (Entrepreneurship). The cornerstones are supported
by a list of 10 policy priorities:
1. Commit to mandatory early childhood education beginning
at age three as well as guarantee access to college for all;
2. Close the gaps in the health insurance system to ensure
universal healthcare for all children;
3. Establish policies that provide tools for working
families to become economically self-sufficient;
4. Create an urban infrastructure bank to fund reinvestment
in urban communities (e.g. parks, schools, roads);
5. Increase economic self-sufficiency by indexing the
minimum wage to the rate of inflation and expanding the Earned Income Tax
Credit to benefit more working families;
6. Expand “second chance” programs for high school drop
outs, ex-offenders and at-risk youth to secure GEDs, job training and
employment;
7. Adopt the “Homebuyer’s Bill of Rights” as recommended by
the National Urban League;
8. Reform public housing to assure continuing national
commitment to low-income families;
9. Strongly enforce federal minority business opportunity
goals to ensure greater minority participation in government contracting;
10. Build capacity of minority business through expansion of
micro-financing, equity financing and the development of strategic alliances
with major corporations.
State of Black America Essays and Commentaries
The essays and commentaries in the 2008 State of Black
America explore the social, economic, educational, health and political issues
currently affecting the African- American community in general and black women
in particular. The essays address both the issues contained in the Opportunity
Compact and the National Urban League’s five-point Empowerment Agenda:
Economics, Education, Employment, Health and Quality of Life, Civic Engagement
and Civil Rights.
Economics
In the opening essay, “Shouldering the Third Burden: The
Status of African-American Women,” Dr. Julianne Malveaux, president of Bennett
College for Women and guest editor for the 2008 SOBA report, explores the
disproportionate economic, family and societal responsibilities that
African-American women bear as a result of, among other things, the limited
employment and educational opportunities afforded to many African-American men,
who are either spouses or fathers to the children of Black women.
In “Invisibility Blues,” Maudine Cooper, president & CEO
of the Greater Washington Urban League, uses a recent tragic case in Washington
D.C., involving a mentally disturbed young woman who murdered her four
children, to illustrate how impoverished Black women are often “invisible” to a
society that often ignores their needs, sometimes leading to devastating
consequences. To this end, she endorses several policies of NUL’s Opportunity
Compact, which would greatly assist single, poor African-American mothers and
thereby lift the “veil of invisibility” for such women.
Education
The SOBA report also addresses educational issues that
impact African-American mothers in their efforts to educate their children.
Renee Hanson, the National Urban League’s Policy Institute emerging scholar,
explores the role that preschool attendance and parental commitment can play in
determining early learning outcomes for children in her essay “ A Pathway to
School Readiness: The Impact of Family on early Childhood Education.”
In “The Triumphs and Challenges of Historically Black
Colleges and Universities,” Dr. Johnnetta Cole explains how Historically Black
Colleges and Universities account for 25 percent of all Black college graduates
and 75 percent of Blacks with doctorate degrees. Yet many educational
institutions are in despite need of funding, as endowments for these schools
are meager.
Employment and Entrepreneurship
In “Tale of Two Cities,” former Labor Secretary Alexis
Herman discusses the challenges confronting the increasing presence of Black
women in today’s workforce. Although more opportunities have opened up to
African-American women in both the workplace and academia, with nearly 150,000
Black women currently holding college degrees, Black women are still making
salaries that are lower to those of their white female counterparts.
Dr. Lucy Reuben’s “The New She EOs: An Analysis of Business
Owned by Black Females,” explains how Black women-owned enterprises play a
significant role in employing workers and how many of these enterprises provide
realistic living wages for their employees.
Housing and the Subprime Mortgage Crisis
As with most Americans, homeownership is an important goal
for many African-American women. However, unscrupulous practices in subprime
lending in recent years have made it extremely difficult for African-American
women to achieve the American Dream. In her essay “Unsustainable Loans Wipe Out
Gains Made by African American Women,” Andrea Harris cites a recent report
issued by the Consumer Federation of America disclosing that African-American
women, along with Latino women, have the highest rate of subprime borrowing.
Also, African American women accounted for nearly 50 percent of
African-American borrowers in 2006, and African-American women are five times
more likely to receive subprime mortgages than white men. Harris proposes the enactment
of legislation to prohibit predatory lending.
In “Putting Homeownership Back Within Our Reach,” Lisa
Mensah, executive director of the Initiative on Financial Security, suggests
how homebuyers, particularly ones who are less than affluent, would benefit
from a matched down payment savings account or “home account” to purchase
homes, as an alternative to subprime mortgages.
Civic Engagement & Civil Rights
In “Election Reform: Protecting Our Vote from the Enemy Who
Never Sleeps!” Melanie Campbell, president of the National Coalition of Black
Civic Participation, maintains that voter disenfranchisement among African
Americans still persists. She calls on African Americans to pressure political
officials to enforce the Voting Act of 1965 and the Help America Vote Act of
2002 to ensure that all Americans are guaranteed their right to vote political
elections.
In “The State of Civil Rights,” Kimberly Alton, public
policy counsel for the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law also
acknowledges the need for activism to combat racist practices affecting Black
America, such as discriminatory practices in housing, unfair mortgage lending,
anti-affirmative action initiatives, and voter disenfranchisement. She also
advocates the lobbying of Congress for the restoration of civil rights laws
that have been incorrectly interpreted by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Special Section: Black Women’s Health
Dr. Doris Browne’s “Black Women’s Health Report” cites the
health differences that unfortunately still exist with regard to race and
gender in the United States. For instance, the heart disease death rate for Black
women is 20 percent higher than that for white women, and, while cancer is the
second leading cause of death among women in the United States, the five –year
survival rate is 10 percent lower for Black women. Furthermore, an African-American
woman is 24 times more likely to become afflicted with HIV/AIDS than a
Caucasian woman.
Eboni Morris, Health Policy Fellow at the National Urban
League Policy Institute, details the statistics and implications for health
outcomes for uninsured African-American women in the U.S. healthcare system and
offers possible public and private sector solutions aimed at improving the rate
of health insurance coverage among African-American women.
Commentary
The 2008 SOBA also features commentaries by several
African-American women, who provide insights about various issues affecting Black
women and African–American culture. Susan Taylor, former editorial director of Essence
magazine, offers her thoughts and feelings on how relationships in the
African-American community can be enhanced in “Black Love Under Siege.” ”In
“Weaving the Fabric: The Political Activism of Young African-American Women,”
Tiffany Lindsay, student body president at Bennett College for Women, reflects
on her experiences in banding together her fellow students for the historic
Jena Six Rally in Louisiana and stresses the key element of unity in activism.
“Going in Circles: The Struggle to Diversify Popular Images
of Black Women” is writer Moya Bailey’s call to Black women to take measures
combating the perpetuation of degrading and stereotypical images of
African-American women currently portrayed in the media. Guest editor Dr
Julianne Malveaux comments on the numerous contributions and accomplishments
made by of Black women in global affairs in the book’s final essay, “Black
Women’s Hands Can Rock the World.”
The 2008 SOBA closes with an Afterword by editor-in-chief
Stephanie Jones, executive director of the National Urban League Policy
Institute, who notes that “[t]he State of Black America: In the Black Woman’s
Voice is a painstakingly researched yet uniquely inspirational reference tool
for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the issues, challenges, successes
and beauty of the African-American woman and the communities she graces.”
By uplifting black women, especially those struggling
hardest to keep their families together and their dreams on track, we lift up
every American community. I encourage you to read this year’s edition of the
State of Black America: In the Black Woman’s Voice with special attention to
the Opportunity Compact. Our country urgently needs a new vision to close the gaps
between Black and white Americans. The State of Black America and the
Opportunity Compact will help guide the way.
---Marc H. Morial, National Urban League President & CEO
