The Commission's Position on Economics
It's Time to Fight for our "Silver" Rights
We live in a capitalistic democracy. The civil rights movement greatly advanced our civil rights as Black people under the law. We began participating in the democratic process and joined the "body politic" of America.
Now we must claim our "silver rights " and fully participate in our nation's capitalistic economy. Only by mastering both the policitical and economic aspects of our society can we realize our greatest potential in America.
Urban League Index Underscores the Point
The National Urban League's "The State of Black America 2007"© report examines the status of Blacks compared to Whites. This is done through an "Equality Index" that boils down various indicators to a single number.
The status of White people overall is set at the number "1." The status of Black people overall is compared to that number. Anything below "1" shows where Black people must gain ground to achieve equality. Anything above "1" shows where Black people are equal to or exceeding White people.
The graph below shows the index values. The overall status of White people is shown as a yellow line and the status of Black people is shown by the green bars.
2007 National Urban League Equality Index ©
Weighted Index Values
Source: The State of Black America 2007, Page 19, Figure 2
The Good News
The League's indexed values show that we've met and exceeded the White population in "Civic Engagement." This index captures four categories; "The Democratic Process," "Community Participation," "Collective Bargaining," and "Government Employment."
The Bad News
While we may be ahead in terms of civic engagement, we are far behind in terms of economics. The League's indexed values show a huge "wealth gap" between Black people and our White neighbors. This index captures six categories; "Housing and Wealth Formation," "Median Income," "Employment Issues," Poverty," "Digital Divide," and "Transportation."
This wealth gap must be closed. This gap exceeds those in other areas of life. If the League's numbers are valid -- and we believe they are -- economic advancement must be a key feature of any plan to improve the status of Black people.
