Black Adults Pessimistic About Children’s Future, Poll Finds

Black adults are overwhelmingly pessimistic about the prospects of black children, citing fears of violence, guns, drugs and gangs, according to a national poll released Thursday.

The poll, commissioned by the Children’s Defense Fund and a new organization known as the Black Community Crusade for Children, found that more than three-fourths of black adults fear that their children or children they know will fall victim to violence. The poll did not include comparable figures for whites or others.

More than 80% of the black adults said these are “really bad times” or “tough times” for black children. More than 70% of the adults--many of whom were raised during an era of segregation--believe it is harder for children today than it was for them.

“This poll confirms what black leaders already know,” said Children’s Defense Fund President Marian Wright Edelman. “We have a black child crisis worse than any since slavery.”

The poll showed that, although 75% of black children said these are good times for them personally, they also see major obstacles ahead. More than three-fourths of these young people said school violence is a serious problem for them; 70% said the same of guns, and 64% said dangerous neighborhoods are a major problem.

“They do have dreams and hopes and ambitions, but they see the road from here to there is laden with obstacles,” said Geoffrey Garin, president of Peter D. Hart Research Associates, which conducted the poll. The poll, taken in January, questioned 1,004 adults and 421 children ages 11 to 17.

Two-thirds of adults polled said black children face more problems than opportunities, and the vast majority believe that at least half of all black children will become teen-age parents, will be denied opportunities because of racial prejudice or will have their lives destroyed by drugs.

Several community efforts were cited as models of creative solutions, including “beacon schools” in New York City that stay open until 11 p.m. year-round and operate as community centers.