ount for 40% of the total Islamic population in the United States (Aymer 2).
To understand the African American Islamic movement one must take a long dispassionate look at the plight of the African American in our society, as well as the overall role of blacks in the global economy. It is hardly surprising to anyone at this stage in the game that Blacks remain at or near the bottom of the economic heap in America. The subjugated role of the African American in our nation's economy can be easily extrapolated from recent Census figures. Of the 10.4 million African American males in the United States, 10.8 percent reside in the lowest income category, "$1 to $2,499 or less," compared to 6.4 percent of Whites, and 7.6 percent of Hispanics.ß Looking at the higher income levels, a distinct racial divide can be readily seen. The $50,000 to $74,999 category includes 8.8 percent of Whites compared to only 2.7 percent of Blacks.ß This discrepancy is further apparent as one slides higher up the income scale: 5.0 percent of White males earned $75,000 or more, compared to only 1.1 percent of their African American counterparts. Indeed, looking at the average family income for blacks versus whites reveals the inequality that remains the paradigm for interracial relations in America today. Approximately 58 million White families averaged a median income in 1992 of $38,812 compared to the mean of $21,161 for almost 8 million Black families (U.S. Bureau of the Census 1994a). It is not surprising then that many African Americans still harbor resentment against Whites for what is seen as the continuation of the racial divide.
As the global economy becomes increasingly unified, the racial divisions at home affect global affairs more than ever. And the reciprocal to this is also true·the African American
often feels a bond with the continent of his origin even more, there is some similarity between his desire for equal status with ...