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.
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(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.