Afrocentrism, Feminism & Poverty in the Black Community
From 1970 to 1993 African Americans lost ground in nearly every economic category (Cha-Jua & Lang, 1999, p. 25). However, after 1993, the economic situation of Blacks appeared to improve as the country recovered from the 1989 recession. For example, the median Black family income rose 20 percent between 1993 and 1997 from $23,927 to $28,602 (Cha-Jua & Lang, 1999, p. 25). In addition, the poverty rate of Blacks in 1997 (26.5 percent) was the lowest recorded in the thirty-seven years the government had collected this data.
However, the improved economic indicators have not eliminated the vast economic disparity between Blacks and Whites (Cha-Jua & Lang, 1999, p. 25). For example, in 1997, the median income of Black families was still only 61 percent that of Whites and the poverty rate remained two and a half times that of Whites. Moreover, in accumulated wealth, the most meaningful economic category, the gap between Blacks and Whites is astronomical. In 1995, Black households' median net wealth was only $7,400, about 12 percent that of White households. Furthermore, when home equity is subtracted, median Black financial wealth plunges to $200, only 1 percent of Whites' median financial wealth of $18,000 (Cha-Jua & Lange, 1999, p. 25).
Another problem indicator in the African American community is the birth rate for unmarried Black women (The Atlanta Journal, 1998, p. A22). Although the rate of single Black women having babies has declined, of all the Black babies born in the United States, 69.8 percent were born to single mothers. This means that 70 percent of Black babies are born to unwed mothers (The Atlanta Journal, 1998, p. A22). Studies have demonstrated that children born to unmarried mothers are much more likely to be psychologically, economically and culturally disadvantaged. They are also a disproportionate part of some of the most pervasive societal ills includi...