Afrocentrism, Feminism & Poverty

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

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viors express ideological convictions or are solely the result of economic necessity (1999, p. 480). Thus, while it is tacitly assumed that while adversity and oppression led Black women to forge strong, multidimensional roles, these same factors essentially stripped Black men of the prerogatives of manhood (Hill & Sprague, 1999, p. 480). Psychology professor Richard Majors and sociology professor Janet Mancini Billson state that "[t]he statistics show a clear disadvantage to being born Black and male in America. Black males have higher rates than White males in mental disorders, unemployment, poverty, injuries, accidents, infant mortality, AIDS, homicide and suicide, drug and alcohol abuse, imprisonment, and criminality; they have poorer incomes, life expectancy, access to health care, and education" (The Futurist, 1992, p. 50). Moreover, young Black men tend to view these problems as assaults on their masculinity, and they seek to alleviate their stress by adopting a "cool pose," a mask of aloofness and superiority crafted to convey pride, strength, and control, the authors argue (The Futurist, 1992, p. 50). But this facade itself contributes to the young Black man's mounting problems. By cultivating emotional detachment, he
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Approximate Word count = 4394
Approximate Pages = 18 (250 words per page)