Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 9, 1989)
February 9,1989 • Portland Observer ■ Page 9 National Urban League Calls On President Bush To Adopt The Parity 2000 Theme During Release Of “The State Of Black America 1989” • The essay will present the updated data and discuss recent trends in the economic status of Black-Americans. The emphasis this year will be on describing the magnitude and dim en sions of the persisting economic ine quality in economic life. The report points out that the new Bush adm ini stration will need a clear understand ing of the large magnitude of the problem of economic disparities as a precondition to finding effective reme dies to the problem. A lengthy discussion of the causes of the persisting disparities have been deliberately avoided. The report also focuses on the broad dimensions of inequality. W e will not attempt to find tune our discussion or to analyze in detail all of the differences which exist within the Black community. W hile such internal differences may be of interest, the report is about the overall size and structure of the economic pyramid within the Black community rather than the distribution of Blacks within this economic pyramid. While year to year economic fluctuations are of interest and although the latest trends are noted, this report is about the long term persistence of racial inequality which is observed year in and year out at all stages of the business cycle. The author notes that reasonable observers may disagree over the causes of racial inequality, the pre cise magnitude and dimensions of racial inequality, the importance of the latest fluctuations in racial ine quality, and the most appropriate public policies to cure the racial inequality that exist in Am erican economic life. However, the author explains that the data presented in the essay will iden tify economic gaps that are so large and so persistent that few could deny that pervasive racial inequality is a problem that requires immediate and significant national attention. The essay proceeds in a straight forward fashion, starting with a brief review of recent trends and current racial gaps in income and poverty rates. A brief review of the contribu tion of each source of income to the existing racial disparities is discussed. The author then takes a look at the disparities in Black participation in the Am erican economy which produces th e persisting disparities in income and poverty rates. The report concludes with a brief section that discuss the implications of the analysis for achieving racial parity in economic life under the new administration. SUMMARY CRITICAL ISSUES FOR BLACK FAM ILIES BY THE YEAR 2000 DR. ROBERT B .H iL L RESEARCH CONSULTANT INTRODUCTION After making unprecedented strides during the 1960s, Black families experienced sharp social and eco nomic setbacks during the 1970s and 1980s. Not only was the poverty rate for Black fam ilies higher in 1987 (30 percent) than the rate (of 28 percent) in 1969, but also there were 700,000 more poor Black families. Similarly, not only was the unem ploym ent rate for Blacks twice as high in 1988 (12 percent) than it was in 1969 (six per cent), but also three times more Blacks were unemployed in 1988 (1.7 mil lion) than in 1969 (570,000). Such severe economic instability led to family instability. W hile Black unem ploym ent soared from six per cent to 20 percent between 1969 and 1983 due to four back-to-back reces sions, the proportion of female-headed Black families jum ped from 28 per cent to 42 percent. Each percentage point rise in Black unemployment was correlated with a comparable increase in one-parent Black families. Black families continue to be dis proportionately disadvantaged in other aspects as well. Although out-of- wedlock birth rates declined steadily among Black teens during the 1970s and 1980s, while rising among white teens, Black adolescents are four times more likely than white adolescents to have babies out-of-wedlock. Over half of all Black births today are out-of- wedlock, compared to only 13 per cent of all white births. Unprecedented levels of crime and gang violence have also destablized many Black families. W ith drug traf ficking rampant in most inner-city areas, drug-related homicides among Blacks have reached record-levels. The disproportionate surge in deaths among Blacks has resulted in the first declines in Black life expectancy since 1962. W hile life expectancy from birth rose among whites from 75.3 to 75 4 between 1984 and 1986 (the latest year available), life expectancy among Blacks declined from 69.7 in 1984 to 69.5 in 1985 and 1986, respectively. Black families have also been dis proportionately devastated by the de clining stock of affordable housing due to abandonment, urban renewal, commercial development, gentrifica tion and condominium conversions. About half a million low-income units have been disappearing each year. Thus, the number of homeless indi viduals and families has soared to about two to three million. In addition, there are hundreds of thousands “ hidden hom eless” who “double-up” with relatives and friends for varying periods of time. Blacks areoverrepre- sented among the thousands of families and children living in welfare hotels and shelters for the homeless. Not only has there been a shrink ing in th size of the Black middle-class since 1978, but poverty rates among Black two-parent families have risen more rapidly than among Black single parent families. While poverty among fem ale headed Black families edged up from 51 percent to 52 percent between 1978 and 1987, these rates jumped from 12 percent to 14 percent among male-headed Black families. And, although the proportion of middle- income ($25,000 & over) Black fam i lies grew from 33 percent between 1970 and 1978, it declined to 36 per cent by 1987. The disproportionate declines in living standards experienced by low- income and m iddle-income Black families led to a widening in the eco nomic gap with white families. While the income ratio between Black and white families in general declined from 59 percent to 56 percent between 1978 and 1987, the ratio between white and Black couples fell more sharply from 81 percent to 77 per cent. Furthermore, since the strong est economic gains over the past two decades were made by upper-class whites and Blacks, the gap between the rich and poor in this nation is now w iderthan it has been in generations. In order to make significant strides toward parity between Blacks and whites by the year 2000, it is im por tant to address the following ques tions: (1) W hat will be the dem o graphic characteristics (i.e., size, age composition, family structure and labor force patterns) of the Black popula tion by the year 2000?; (2) W hat are the critical issues that will be con fronting Black families during the 1990s?; and (3) What strategies must be adopted by the public and private sectors for Black families to achieve equity with white families by the 21st Century? SUMMARY BLACK CHILDREN IN AMERICA MARIAN W RIGHT EDELMAN PRESIDENT-CHILDREN’S DEFENSE FUND Millions of Black children today live in a desolate world where physical survival is a triumph, where fear and hopelessness reign, and where the future holds no promises and few opportunities. As America positions itself for passage into the 21 st cen tury, its current policies conspire to abandon these children and their families. Unless we change this coun try’s course, many Black children will be left behind completely, suffering from poor health care and nutrition, stifled by inadequate education and training, and trapped in lives of im poverishment and despair. Our prospects as a nation now de pend in large part on our ability to cultivate a new generation of citizens and employees and leaders and par ents from a pool of children that, without intervention, will remain dis proportionately poor, undereducated, and untrained. By the year 2000, the total number of minority children will increase by over 25 percent and will constitute one-third of all children; the number of white, non-Hispanic chil dren will increase by only two-thirds of one percent. In 1978, young people age 16 through 24 were 27 percent of the working age population (age 16-64). By 1995, these young adults will be only 18 percent of Americans of working age, and one in three of our new workers will be minority. As the number of workers steadily declines, business and industry will be forced to rely upon workers and potential workers in whom we traditionally have failed to invest, including large num bers of Blacks. Between now and the year 2000, the Hudson Institute esti mates that only 15 percent of all new labor force entrants will be white males born in the United States. < *» . > (Continued From Front Page) To ignore these facts is to jeopard ize Am erica's future and underm ine the com petitiveness and productivity of our economy in the twenty-first century. And for Black children, con tinued failure to recognize the need for public, private, and com m unity intervention only increases the al ready high odds against their sur vival. Today, com pared to 1980, Black children are now more likely to be born into poverty, lack early prenatal care, have a single mother, have an unemployed parent, be unemployed themselves as teenagers, and not go to college after high school gradu ation: A Black baby is almost three times as likely as a white baby to be born to a m other who has had no prenatal care at all. A Black infant is more than twice as likely as a white infant to die during the first year of life. A Black child’s father is twice as likely as a white child” s father to be unemployed. If both parents of a Black child work, they earn 84 percent of what a white family earns. A Black child is 40 percent more likely than a w hite child to be behind grade level in school and 15 percent more likely to drop out. A Black youth is twice as likely as a white youth to be unemployed. A black college graduate faces about the same odds of unemployment as a white high school graduate who never attended the college. A Black male teenager is six times as likely as a white male teenager to be a victim of homicide. W hat America needs is a com pre hensive, long-term investment in policies and programs which help all poor children and their families. We need a new national commitment to ensure as well as we can that every child, Black and white, has basic health and nutrition services and the oppor tunity to attend good schools, to develop strong basic academic skills, and to become economically inde pendent as a young adult. The papers and their authors are: "ECONOMIC STATUS OF BLACK AMERI CANS, " by Dr. David H. Swinton, Dean, School of Business, Jackson State University. "CRITICAL ISSUES FOR BLACK FAMI LIES BY THE YEAR 2000," Dr. Robert B Hill, Research Consultant. "BLACK CHILDREN IN AMERICA," by Marian Wright Edelman, Esq., President Chil dren’s Defense Fund. PORTLAND OBSERVER "The Eyes and Ears of the Community" 288-0033 NRMP Are Being Recruited Citizen Representatives for the Neighborhood Revitalization Manage ment Panel are being recruited from all geographic areas of Portland. The neighborhood revitalization strategy, one of M ayor Clark's priorities for the next few years, will be implemented with the assistance of the m anage ment panel and neighborhood-based steering com m ittees. The manage ment panel will be comprised of rep resentatives from the city of Portland, United Way, Portland Public Schools, Multnomah County, and the Cham ber of Commerce, as well as five citizen representatives. M ayor Clark will chair the committee. Two citizen representatives from Northeast Portland, one each from Southeast and North Portland, and one at-large member will be selected by the neighborhood district coalition boards. The panel will meet regularly to oversee the work of the neighbor hood revitalization strategy and to establish a mechanism for recom mending target areas for revitaliza tion efforts. Appointments to the panel are for a one-year term. Interested citizens may apply for positions on the panel through the office of neighborhood associations or district neighborhood office. Appli cants should have an interest in neigh borhood livability issues such as jobs, housing, and public safety, and should be able to work effectively with a group process. Applications are due to the neighborhood offices by Feb. 17. Final selections to the Panel will be made by march 1,1989. For more information contact: Nancy Biasi 248-4519. . F * » * **-■' News Around Town Black History Month Events At Reed College PBPN Celebrates Black History Month Sunday, February 12 7:00 p.m. Commons Perform ance: "The African-Ameri can Woman: 1500 to Present,” pre sented by Praada Productions of Portland. This 45-minute musical and dramatic production includes portray als from the years of Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth and the Abolitionists to the present. Tuesday, February 14 7:00 p.m. Vollum Lecture Hall L e c tu re : Reed alumnus Ron Herndon, co-chairman of the Black United Front, and director of Albina Ministerial Alliance Headstart, will discuss Allan Bloom's controversial book ‘The Closing of the American Mind’. Thursday, February 16 7:00 p.m. Vollum Lecture Hall Portland Black Professional Net work celebrates Black History Month by inviting the community to attend a reception that honors the accomplish ments of all the African-Americans of our past, our present, and our future. DATE: February 18,198 9 TIM E: 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. PLAC E: Lloyd Center Tower 825 Northeast Multnomah Street R.S.V.P. 282-3801 Speaker for the event will be Ms. W illie Richardson. Music will be pro vided by D. Wiggins. S lid e /L e c tu re : "M ulti-M edia Im ages of Black M en” presented by well-known media analyst Brenda Verner, who has been hailed as a pioneer in her field for her efforts to educate people about the influence of media and the roots of racism in society, and for the exhaustive re search she has done on stereotyping. Sunday, February 19 3:00 p.m. Eliot Hall Chapel C oncert: Critically acclaimed Port land pianist Janice Scroggins, who can play everything from barrelhouse blues and gospel to jazz and electric blues, will present 90-minutes of keyboard virtuosity. Second Annual Fashion Fling Proceeds Are targeted For The Delta Community Facility Project The Portland Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, Inc., a public service sorority presents its Second Annual Fashion Fling, Saturday, Feb. 25, from 4.00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.; PCC Cascade Auditorium; Donation: $5.00 at the door, proceeds are targeted for the Delta Community Facility Project. For information, please call (503) 293-' 5870. Clothes will be provided by several of Portland’s Finest Stores and there will be refreshments provided by Delta Sigma Theta. North Portland Library Branch Celebrates Celebrate Black History Month at the North Portland Library. Members of the Sojourner Truth Theater Com pany will present “ Great Moments in Black History” , Saturday, February 18,1989 from 2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m, at North Portland Library, Black Resource Center, 512 N. Killingsworth St. Call 221 -7702 for more information. Black Sisters Together To Perform The public is invited to attend a performance of "Black Sisters To gether" at St. Mary's Academy on Friday, February 10, at 11:20 a.m. The academy islocated in downtown Portland at Market and Fifth. This celebration of Black History month is under the sponsorship of the Am eri can Dance Theatre. A potluck recep tion will follow immediately after the performance. A Fashion Extravaganza At The Royal Esquire Club Donnie James “ Men & W om en’s Fashions", If You Dare To Be Fash ionable presents a fashion extrava ganza at the Royal Esquire Club, 1708 N.E. Alberta. February 10, 1989 at 9:00 p.m. Join Donnie & James to preview the fashions of Portland's Latest Fashion Boutique located at 517 N.E. Killingsworth. For more information call Donnie Lewis and James W il liams at 282-3675. Fashion Coord'- nator, Connie White, New York City. Members and guests - Donation at the door. Big savings on garments modeled. Black History Observance At Portland Federal Building An art show featuring vanous Afro- American artist and other prominent artists will be displayed from January 30 through February 25 from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (Monday through Friday). This display will be provided by the Progressive Arts, Inc. Also, a soul food luncheon will be prepared in the cafeteria of the Fed eral Building, Wednesday throughout the month of February. The luncheon will be available to the public at modest prices. This celebration has been planned to coincide with the nationally desig nated Black History month by com mittees from the Veterans Adm ini stration Regional Office, Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service Regional Office and the Internal Revenue Service. Portland Arts & Lectures Brings Maya Angelou To Portland Novelist, poet, actress and singer Maya Angelou comes to Portland for two events, Wednesday, Feb. 22, and Friday, Feb. 24. Her Portland visit is made possible through a grant from Kaiser Permanente. Ms. Angelou performs in a special event at the First Congregational Church at 1126 S.W. Park on Feb. 22, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for this eve ning are sold-out. Friday, Feb. 24, the artist speaks to 1,200 area high school students at Jefferson High School, 9:30 a.m., in the high school auditorium. This is Portland Arts & Lectures' first involve ment with Portland Public Schools. The event is made possible through support from Kaiser Permanente as well as additional funding from Port land Public Schools and the Oregon Committee for the Humanities. Special A n n o u n c e m e n t Send all your announcem ents to the Portland Observer. Keep the com m unity informed. If you have a spe cial program coming up ... Let us print the announcem ent. All infor mation must be in by Monday (Noon) to make the deadline. Call (503) 288-0033 or bring your new s to 525 N.E. Killingsworth Avenue. Let us hear from You! Keep the com m unity informed. Meet The World Face To Face For American teenagers in grades 10-12, who wish to have an interna tional experience, spend a summer, a school year, or possibly a semester as a foreign student with AFS Inter- cultural Programs and you'll make friends around the globe. Join the AFS family in one of 55 countries and gain a new view of yourself and oth ers. The possibilities and opportuni ties are unlimited when young people from the USA could learn a new lan guage and a new way of life. An AFS experience looks good on college and job applications, too. It is time for American families to think about hosting an AFS foreign student for the 1989-90 school year. With this opportunity, the world be comes more than the evening news as you exchange customs and life styles and learn to see the world from a youthful new perspective. AFS host families come from all walks of life, vary in age, size, income level, and occupation. They may in clude two parents with children, single parent families, young parents, or older couples. In addition, AFS fami lies are open minded, flexible, curi ous about others, possess a sense of humor, and have a willingness to share their lives with a foreign teen ager. Each AFS student is between 16 and 18 and lives as a family member while attending high school. It is possible to participate in the selection of the student. For more information, please con tact Peggy Hickman at 654-7500. 1,400 Youths Denied Licenses More than 1,400 license denials were ordered last year by courts for Oregon youths between the ages of 13 and 17, according to the Motor Vehicles Division. This figure repre sents a five percent decrease over 1987. The 1,436 denials were based on court convictions or determinations involving alcohol or drug possession, use or abuse. Courts then order DM V to suspend licenses or deny the privi lege to apply for a license or permit. There were 1,264 denials for pos session of alcohol or drugs. This accounted for 87 percent of the total. Twenty-one denials were for having an open container of alcohol or drink ing in a motor vehicle, 97 were for intoxication, two for driving under the influence of intoxicants (DUII) and 149 for miscellaneous alcohol and drug offenses such as theft, delivery or manufacturing of a controlled substance. Males accounted for 1,089 of the denials, or 75 percent. Under the law, first offenders are denied licenses for one year or until the person becomes 17, whichever is longer. Repeat offenders are sus pended or denied for one year or until the person becomes 18, whichever is longer DMV statistics show that 204 of the actions were for second denials, 23 for third denials, 12 for fourth denials, five for fifth denials, two for sixth denials, one for a seventh denial, two for eighth denials, and two for ninth denials. ■ ■ ■■ Henry C. Miggins Miggins Selected For Lawyer Disciplinary Post Henry C. “ Hank” Miggins has been appointed by Supreme Court Justice Edwin J. Peterson to a regional disci plinary board of the Oregon State Bar Association. Miggins is executive assistant to Multnomah County Chair Gladys McCoy. He is a member of the Region 5 Disciplinary Committee area which covers Multnomah County. Members of the board make decisions regard ing the actions of m embers of the Oregon State Board. Miggins worked in the Multnomah County Auditor’s Office for more than six years, the last four as deputy county auditor. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the North/ Northeast Com m unity Mental Health Center, the M ainstream Youth Pro gram and the Colum bia River C hap ter of Blacks in Governm ent.