Poverty & Urban Blacks

The emergence of the underclass in black society first received recognition by social scientists during the mid-1960s. Despite rising unemployment, teenage pregnancies, and female-headed households, African-American communities such as Harlem exhibited many positive aspects of social organizations throughout most of the 20th Century. Residents felt a sense of community, and few episodes of anti-social behavior disturbed the general feelings of security. By the 1970s, the situation had changed drastically. The rate of social dislocation in black neighborhoods increased to the point where law-abiding citizens feared walking the streets at night (Wilson 3). Urban analysts discussed the causes and repercussions of the deterioration of inner city neighborhoods, but seldom formulated meaningful policies to address the problems.

By the 1980s, sociologists still found themselves at a loss to develop solutions to help the black underclass. Debate still surrounds the exte

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stream of society, the underclass is doomed to social isolation. Social isolation limits the upward mobility of the black underclass. Residents of the ghetto find it difficult to secure employment because of their inability to connect into the job network. Forced to rely on the want ads or employment offices, they cannot benefit from the hidden job market. Social isolation further results in behavior not conducive to employability. For instance, a person accustomed to casual labor may find it hard to develop the work habits necessary for long-term employment. These habits include punctuality and dependability. It is especially difficult for these habits to become ingrained in a person who lives in a neighborhood where the majority of the residents do not have steady employment. As Wilson describes it, "the less frequent the contact with those who have steady and full-time employment (that is, the greater the degree of social isolation), the more likely that initial job performance will be characterized by tardiness, absenteeism, and thereby, low retention" (61). Therefore, an endless cycle of sustained unemployment is set in motion. Past and present public policy efforts to break this cycle have focused on civil righ
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Approximate Word count = 1825
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)

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