Blacks in White America

Roughly one in 10 black men is in prison - a statistic with major social implications because prisoners don't have jobs, pay taxes or care for their children at home. To add salt to this festering wound, since many states bar felons from voting, at least one in seven of these black men lose the right to vote—and, will thus lose their right to express themselves at the ballot box, thereby further alienating them. 

The staggering reality is that 2000 marks the first year that African American adults behind prison bars will top the million mark; and the numbers are climbing. 

Who’s fault is it? Well, the easy answer is: theirs! However, there is enough blame to go around. When announcing our independence, our forefathers wisely declared that :

“We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Yet, it took another 85 years before our nation was will to go to war to defend that concept. During the meantime, black women were breed like cattle, and the marriage ceremony was restricted primarily for those fortunate enough to be white—actually, to be white enough, since many of the octoroons were as white as their masters. So, I would say that we, as a nation, bear a large share of the responsibility.

Well, you say, what does that have to do with the disproportionate number of black men in prison today? Unfortunately, a whole lot.

Let me explain.

For those of us who have made it a life long habit to study cultures (missionaries, anthropologists, sociologists, and so-forth) the causes are very simple. If one’s ancestors considered marriage of blacks of such little consequence and thereby indoctrinating them with the same concept also, why would we not expect those mores to extend down through succeeding generations? According to my findings, 56% of all Black families are single parent households. (Source: 2008 American Community Survey http://factfinder.census.gov)

Anthropologists discovered a long time ago that unthinkable crimes, such as incest and murder can be, and many times are, perpetuated through societal mores. As for example, an Ifugao headhunter hunts heads because it is the norm; or a Muslim takes 4 wives, when we Christians take one—or at least, we should.

However, if our slave owning forefathers felt that marriage was really only for the “white folks,” then why should we not expect that mentality to be instilled and perpetuated in the black slave mind-set. Well, whether you or I like it or not, it was. And, furthermore, subconsciously it still lingers.

Any good psychologist, or pastor, can tell you that a home without a father is more apt to poverty, unsupervised and rebellious children, and worst of all an atmosphere devoid of moral standards of common decency. Now, there are exceptions—that’s for sure; however, generally speaking a promiscuous lifestyle will not generate societal responsibility, so what else should we expect.

Now, add to that the abject despondency that poverty, and the decadent environment of the ghetto brings; may I ask you, what else can we expect.  

Here are some interesting statistics taken from Sabol, W.J., West, H.C., Cooper, M. (2009). Prisoners in 2008. Washington D.C.: U.S Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics.

State	State Black Population	Black Prison Pop
Georgia	29%	64%
Ohio	12%	52%
Iowa	02%	24%
Minnesota	03%	37%
Wisconsin	06%	48%
Illinois	15%	65%
Missouri	11%	45%
Arkansas	16%	52%
Louisiana	33%	76%
Mississippi	36%	75%
Alabama	26%	65%
Tennessee	16%	53%
Kentucky	07%	36%
Indiana	08%	42%
Michigan	14%	55%
South Carolina	30%	69%
North Carolina	22%	64%
Virginia	20%	68%
Pennsylvania	10%	56%
New York	15%	51%
Delaware	19%	63%
Maryland	28%	77%
Connecticut	09%	47%
New Jersey	13%	64%
Rhode Island	04%	30%

The states where Blacks are not being placed in prison as a matter of course are Hawaii, Maine, New Hampshire, and Idaho, even though their general populations are small.  

Here is a further breakdown: The racial composition of the US prison and jail population as of 2008 was 33.44% White American (non-Hispanic), 40.21% African American (non-Hispanic), 20.29% Hispanic, and 6.06% Other (American Indian, Alaska Native, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander American, and Multiracial American). 

Now, for the Black male unemployment figures, here is what I have been able to gather:

“While the nation is reeling over double-digit jobless rates showing up for the first time in decades, Black males are looking at numbers almost twice as worse.

Almost one in five Black men 20-years-old or older are without a job, according to figures released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics earlier this month.

The seasonally-adjusted October unemployment rate for Black males is above 17 percent whereas the jobless rate for White adult males and females is under double digits at 9.5 percent and 7.4 percent, respectively. At 12.4 percent, joblessness for Black women also skews above the national rate, which is currently at 10.2 percent, approaching the December 1982 level of 10.8 percent.

The disparate rates of Black male unemployment have teetered near recession-type numbers above eight percent since 2001 but since April the rates have surged to around 17 percent, numbers which are comparable to the Great Depression of the early 1930s, according to Dr. Rodney Green, chairman of the economics department Howard University and the executive director of the Howard University Center for Urban Progress.”(Black Male Unemployment Comparable to 'Great Depression' NNPA, News Analysis, Pharoh Martin, Posted: Nov 20, 2009 WASHINGTON (NNPA)

In wrapping these comments up, let’s take a look at the number of Blacks in our military (keeping in focus the deep gratitude and appreciation we owe these men and women that defend our country). First of all, we should understand that there has been no war fought by or within the United States in which African Americans did not participate, including the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Civil War, the Spanish American War, the World Wars, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, and the current wars Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as other minor conflicts.. According to my latest findings, there were approximately 2.3 million serving our nation as of 2008; although, I understand that the number is declining. This makes them the single largest minority group in the military. (Source: 2008 American Community Survey http://factfinder.census.gov).

May I remind all of us that There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Gal. 3:28 NIV)