Study Gives Portrait of Black Gains

First the good news for and about black America: The country’s surging economic tide is lifting African American boats to unprecedented levels in the areas of employment and income.

Now the bad. In key sectors--including educational attainment, access to health care and incarceration rates--blacks continue to fare worse than whites.

Those findings in “The State of Black America,” published annually by the National Urban League, sum up the African American experience.

The 247-page report, to be made public Tuesday, presents statistics, charts and essays on employment and wage gaps, health disparities and education levels that alternately are encouraging and sobering.

“Our path of progression is clear, and it’s good news that the pace is quickening thanks to the strong economy. But income gaps still persist and our children still trail academically,” the league’s president, Hugh B. Price, said in an interview before the book’s release.

Aside from praising the effect the booming economy has had on the nation’s 35 million African Americans, the book lays out causes of, and possible solutions to, the gulfs in achievement between the races.

Price said blacks must continue to take responsibility for improving their condition, but vestiges of discrimination in areas such as bank lending and public school spending play an even larger role.

“Institutional racism is embedded in the way we staff the schools. Suburban schools aren’t filled with unqualified teachers,” Price said. “You find more in the heart of the inner city. Look at the physical conditions of schools.”

Studies pointing to a decrease in black out-of-wedlock births and a rise in black high school completion rates show how the black community has taken a more active role in improving its future, Price said.

The report suggests that shifts in behavior within the black community could lead to greater economic gains. Research shows blacks are less likely to be married than whites. Some researchers therefore contend that individualist lifestyle is an economic drag.

Numbers back that contention.

In 1997, black families had a median income of $28,602 while white family income was $46,745--a difference of $18,143.

But the gap narrowed sharply for households headed by a married couple. Income for black married couples was $45,375 while white married couples’ median income was $52,098--a difference of $6,723.

“When you put a couple of earners together, you get over that poverty line in a hurry,” Price said.