March 4. 2009
Page A4
O pinion
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White Recession, Black Depression
Our racial
wealth divide
by D errick
M i hammad and
M ichael B rown
D uring this Black H istory
Month, the nation and the world
anxiously watch the living black
history that is taking place with
the first African American presi
dent.
Yet at this very sam e m o
ment the future of black America
is in an exceedingly precarious
condition.
The State of the Dream 2009:
The Silent Depression, a recent
re p o rt by th e I n s titu te fo r
Policy Studies and United For
A Fair Economy, highlights how
the current econom ic recession
impacts the racial wealth divide
in this country.
As the U. S. delves further
into a serious long-term reces
sion, African Americans are fac
ing the ch allenge o f com ing
from a seven year silent reces
sion into a depression for dis
enfranchised com m unities that
includes m ost A frican A m eri
cans.
Between 2(XX) and 2007, be
fore the country was officially
in a recession, black em ploy
m ent decreased by 2.4 percent
and A frican A m eric an s saw
th eir incom es decline by 2.9
percent.
Between 2(XX) and 2005, the
median family income o f African
Am ericans decreased and fell
more steeply than that for whites
or Latinos. To a large extent,
A fric a n A m e ric a n s n ev e r
emerged from the 2001 recession.
With blacks having 15 cents of
every dollar o f white wealth and
nearly 30 percent of black house
holds having zero to negative net
worth, the decline o f the overall
American economy promises to
subm erge A frican A m ericans
into a depression.
W hat is a d ep ressio n ? A
depression is a long-term and
severe recession. It is already
clear that A frican A m ericans
have been through a long-term
recession. Let us look at the
severity.
The unem ploym ent rate for
African Americans is already in
the double digits, 11.2 percent,
and is expected to increase to
20 percent or more. It is esti
mated that a deep national re
c e ssio n , w hich in c re asin g ly
looks like w hat the national
economy is going through, will
decrease the black middle class
by a staggering 33 percent.
The nation is well on its way
to its m ost sev ere recessio n
since the G reat D epression and
A frican A m ericans are faced
w ith ev en g rea ter ec o n o m ic
challenges.
As the election has shown,
A m e ric a n s are lo o k in g for
change we can believe in. We
can find examples in Great Brit
ain.
In 2002, Britain implemented
the Child Trust Fund. This pro
gram allocates start up savings
funds for families with the birth
of a child. It is an attempt to as
sist and develop more of a wealth
b u ild in g so ciety w hich is a
change greatly needed in the
United States. Britain, a wealthy
country with the greatest decline
in income inequality and poverty
since 2000, is also in the midst of
discussing a proposal called the
"social mobility white paper" to
make all government funds and
program s focus on decreasing
inequality.
T h is c o m p re h e n s iv e a p
proach is also necessary in the
U. S. As President O bam a or
ch e strates m ass g o v ern m en t
investment to help the economy
recover, he must make a center-
piece o f this plan, the end of
e c o n o m ic in e q u a lity o f all
groups.
P re sid en t O b am a h as th e
opportunity to not ju st be a sig
nificant piece o f black history,
but more im portantly and with
the support o f Congress, make
racial inequality a piece o f black
history.
D edrick M uham m ad and
Michael Brown work fo r the In
stitute fo r Policy Studies.
President Obama, the Ordinary Person
Opportunity is the key to success
by E rvin M il. ton
L ik e so m any
A m e ric a n s, I am
proud of the recent
election and inaugu
ration o f President
Barack Obama. He
was certainly a for-
midable candidate and I believe
he will prove him self to be a
strong president.
Many people, however, seem
to have the impression that Presi
dent Obama is some kind of su
per man. 1 have heard people
make such comments as, “ Presi
dent O bam a is intelligent” or
“he's so articulate."
To m e, th o se c o m m e n ts
sound as if they are saying
that the President is not a
“norm al” person o f color.
They certainly cannot mean
that a person has to possess
those qualities in order to be
President. I have seen Presi
dents in my lifetime that did
not possess those qualities. Per
haps they mean that a person of
color has to possess those quali
ties in order to be President.
While President Obama is in
telligent, well spoken and pos
sesses m any other adm irable
leadership qualities, he is not
unique because many people of
color possess similar traits.
There are many other persons
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of color who are also qualified to
lead this great country. The key
is having access to a good edu
catio n , develo p in g the skills
needed for strong leadership and
gain experiences that make them
well-rounded citizens o f a global
world.
The accomplishment ceiling
has not been raised for President
/ would like to see President
Obama known, not for eloquent
speeches or his above-average
intelligence, but because he has
tried to make this a more just
world.
using the innate gifts that God
has provided.
Everyone needs the opportu
nity to get a good education and
O bam a alone, but it has been
raised for every child, regardless
of that ch ild ’s background or
their race. I want to see children
o f th e w o rld h av e the tools
needed to succeed and m ake
their parents, their race and the
whole world proud.
Moreover, I would like to see
President Obama known, not for
eloquent speeches or his above-
average intelligence, but b e
cause he has tried to make this a
more just world.
I believe President O bam a
can give children o f color the
hope that they can do something
worthwhile with their lives and
live out their own dreams, just
as he is living out his dreams.
All A m erican s h av e been
promised the right to life, liberty
and the pursuit o f happiness.
This right is promised, not as a
result of our “articulation” but
N eg ro H istory W eek, w hich
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awe o f Am erica elect
ing its first Black president still com e, em ploym ent, incarcera
tion rates, educational achieve
reverberates across this land.
Even before Barack O bam a ment and health status to see
a c h ie v e d th at ex tra o rd in a ry that race still matters in America
breakthrough, there were some Equal opportunity is still part
who questioned the necessity o f the unfinished business o f
o f a special month to recognize American democracy.
In 1926, after centuries o f
the m any u nknow n an d u n
sung achievem ents o f African blacks being excluded, not only
from the m ainstream o f A m eri
Americans.
With Obama as President, the can life, but also from the text
lo g ic g o e s , w e h a v e now books in our schools, the A fri
achieved Dr. King's dream o f a can-Am erican historian, Carter
non-racial America where every G Woodson did a service to all
one is judged by the content of A m erican s w hen he created
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Marc H. Morial is president
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We are located at
(Between Broadway
and Sandy Blvd.)
remind all Americans that in the
face o f seem ingly insurm ount
able odds, our diversity is our
greatest strength.
It is fitting that the first Presi
dential Proclam ation issued by
Barack O bam a is one that rec
ognizes National African Ameri
can History M onth. He writes,
"The b elief th a t...th e dream s
and the promise o f our nation...
might one day be realized by all
o f o u r citizen s gave A frican
A merican men and women the
same sense o f duty and love of
country that led them to shed
blood in every w ar we have ever
fought, invest hard-earned re
sources in their com m unities
with the hope o f self-em pow er
ment, and to pass the ideals of
this great land dow n to their
children and grandchildren."
Eight years after the horrific
events o f Sept. 11, the A m eri
can spirit is again being put to
the test with an econom ic crisis
that is being com pared to the
G reat Depression.
We need to look no further
than the lives o f great men and
women like Frederick Douglas,
Harriet Tubman, W.E.B Dubois,
T hurgood M arshall, W hitney
Y oung, R o sa P ark s, M artin
Luther King and Barack Obama
for a sense o f certainty that this
too, "we shall overcome."
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"W hat we need is not a history
o f selected races or nations, but
the history o f the world void of
national bias, race, hate and re
ligious prejudice." That is a goal
that Am erica is still struggling
to achieve.
In fact, legislatures in a num
ber o f states, including New
York and New Jersey, have re
cently passed laws mandating
o r e n c o u ra g in g te a c h e rs to
broaden their history courses
to include more ethnic, racial
and gender diversity.
T hat is why we still recog
nize March as Women's History
M onth, May as Jewish A m eri
can History Month, Septem ber
15 to O ctober 15 as Hispanic
Heritage M onth and February
as Black History Month.
T hese celebrations serve a
dual purpose; first to build self
esteem am ong historically op
pressed people; and second to
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Ervin Milton is a team leader
and director fo r Justice Minis
tries in the United Church o f
Christ.
Race Still Matters in America
character, not the color o f
Black History their
was expanded to Black History
their skin. I w ish it were so.
All one needs to do is look M onth in 1976.
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Month needed at the glaring d isp arities b e W oodson's vision was one
tween blacks and w hites in in of unity and inclusion. He said.
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Equal opportunity is still
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T he p eren n ial d e
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business of American
Black H istory M onth
h as in te n s if ie d th is
democracy.
year as the shock and
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as a result of our right to dream
and then pursue and live out our
dreams.
I would ask you, if you have
m a d e a s s e s s m e n ts a b o u t
people o f color that w ould indi
cate that they are above others
within their race, that you re
think your actions. If such state
ments or com m ents are made to
you, I invite you to challenge
the speaker to m ove b eyond
th eir th in k in g an d m ake the
evaluation that alm ost anyone
w ho is given the educational
o p p o rtu n ity an d a ch an ce to
succeed can do it.
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