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The Good News on Race
The census shows real progress for black Americans.
Saturday, April 13, 2002 12:01 a.m. EDT
A national poll released four years ago revealed some stunning news about the economic progress of black Americans. In a historic first, more blacks (51%) than whites (32%) reported that their economic situation had improved in the past year. And only 9% of blacks, against 17% of whites, said they were worse off. Subsequent polls have produced similar results, and even the most cursory glance at data still trickling out of the 2000 Census helps explain why.
Poverty rates are down and employment rates are up. Blacks own more homes and make more money. They occupy less-segregated communities in more-prosperous parts of the country. Graduation rates have risen both at the high school and college levels, as has the number of black-owned businesses. Racial gaps do persist generally, but in most categories the gap has narrowed, and in a few it has even disappeared. By any honest measure, blacks are significantly better off today than at any time in U.S. history.
If this surprises you, forgive yourself. The media and political drone of negativity about such matters can be overwhelming. Our national conversations on race tend to be dominated by those who have a vested interest in glass-half-empty assessments of progress. The census data, however, tell a remarkably different story. The evidence shows that America's long history of racial progress has continued and if anything accelerated in recent years.
"The numbers are obvious to anyone who looks at them," said Edward Glaeser, a Harvard demographer and economist. "Sociologists have somehow managed to blind themselves to the fact that there were changes for the better, and in terms of historical trends there were big changes."
Segregation is just one example provided by Mr. Glaeser, who used Census 2000 data to analyze 291 metropolitan areas; he found all but 19 of them more integrated than in 1990. The findings perpetuate a 30-year trend that has left segregation levels at their lowest point since 1920. Racial segregation remains a problem in some areas--particularly in large Rust Belt cities--but it is undeniable that the situation has greatly improved.
Rising incomes have allowed more black families to quit these ghettos, and a better-educated black populace has lifted earnings. The census figures for 2000 show a record-low black poverty rate (22%) and a record-high black median household income ($30,000). The corresponding figures for whites--8% and $44,000--reveal that blacks still have a way to go.
But more striking is the progress already made: Just 20 years ago, the black poverty rate was 36%, and household income stood at one-third of what it is today. Moreover, the racial disparity is steadily shrinking. Between 1967 and 1997, black household incomes rose 31%; over the same period white household incomes rose by only 18%.
Economic ascension has always been linked to educational achievement, but never more so than it is today. "There are many valid reasons that prompt individuals to pursue higher levels of education," notes a 1998 Census Bureau report. "One of the most convincing, though, is the economic return associated with increased schooling."
In 1980, barely one in two blacks over 25 held a high school diploma. Today that figure is just under 80%. For blacks in the 25-29 age group, the figure is 86%, the same as for whites. And in less than 20 years, the number of black college graduates has doubled. This progress should only increase public anger over those inner-city public schools that still leave too many black kids behind.
These educational strides surely underpin black monetary gains, but they also speak pointedly to the current state of race relations. In America today, education has become a far better indicator of socioeconomic status than race. For a nation barely one generation removed from Jim Crow's grasp, this is no mean feat.
Which is why efforts to downplay or even dismiss black achievement are so disturbing. Blinkered civil-rights leaders see only shortcomings, while liberal public servants play divisive victim politics. (Too many conservatives ignore the issue altogether.) The resulting noise keeps much of the public--white and black--ignorant of the truth that upwardly mobile minorities are the American norm.
Census 2000 data, much of which are still forthcoming, deserve more attention and ought to play an important role in this discussion--at least among those who care about facts. So watch this space.
The Good News on Race
The census shows real progress for black Americans.
Saturday, April 13, 2002 12:01 a.m. EDT
A national poll released four years ago revealed some stunning news about the economic progress of black Americans. In a historic first, more blacks (51%) than whites (32%) reported that their economic situation had improved in the past year. And only 9% of blacks, against 17% of whites, said they were worse off. Subsequent polls have produced similar results, and even the most cursory glance at data still trickling out of the 2000 Census helps explain why.
Poverty rates are down and employment rates are up. Blacks own more homes and make more money. They occupy less-segregated communities in more-prosperous parts of the country. Graduation rates have risen both at the high school and college levels, as has the number of black-owned businesses. Racial gaps do persist generally, but in most categories the gap has narrowed, and in a few it has even disappeared. By any honest measure, blacks are significantly better off today than at any time in U.S. history.
If this surprises you, forgive yourself. The media and political drone of negativity about such matters can be overwhelming. Our national conversations on race tend to be dominated by those who have a vested interest in glass-half-empty assessments of progress. The census data, however, tell a remarkably different story. The evidence shows that America's long history of racial progress has continued and if anything accelerated in recent years.
"The numbers are obvious to anyone who looks at them," said Edward Glaeser, a Harvard demographer and economist. "Sociologists have somehow managed to blind themselves to the fact that there were changes for the better, and in terms of historical trends there were big changes."
Segregation is just one example provided by Mr. Glaeser, who used Census 2000 data to analyze 291 metropolitan areas; he found all but 19 of them more integrated than in 1990. The findings perpetuate a 30-year trend that has left segregation levels at their lowest point since 1920. Racial segregation remains a problem in some areas--particularly in large Rust Belt cities--but it is undeniable that the situation has greatly improved.
Rising incomes have allowed more black families to quit these ghettos, and a better-educated black populace has lifted earnings. The census figures for 2000 show a record-low black poverty rate (22%) and a record-high black median household income ($30,000). The corresponding figures for whites--8% and $44,000--reveal that blacks still have a way to go.
But more striking is the progress already made: Just 20 years ago, the black poverty rate was 36%, and household income stood at one-third of what it is today. Moreover, the racial disparity is steadily shrinking. Between 1967 and 1997, black household incomes rose 31%; over the same period white household incomes rose by only 18%.
Economic ascension has always been linked to educational achievement, but never more so than it is today. "There are many valid reasons that prompt individuals to pursue higher levels of education," notes a 1998 Census Bureau report. "One of the most convincing, though, is the economic return associated with increased schooling."
In 1980, barely one in two blacks over 25 held a high school diploma. Today that figure is just under 80%. For blacks in the 25-29 age group, the figure is 86%, the same as for whites. And in less than 20 years, the number of black college graduates has doubled. This progress should only increase public anger over those inner-city public schools that still leave too many black kids behind.
These educational strides surely underpin black monetary gains, but they also speak pointedly to the current state of race relations. In America today, education has become a far better indicator of socioeconomic status than race. For a nation barely one generation removed from Jim Crow's grasp, this is no mean feat.
Which is why efforts to downplay or even dismiss black achievement are so disturbing. Blinkered civil-rights leaders see only shortcomings, while liberal public servants play divisive victim politics. (Too many conservatives ignore the issue altogether.) The resulting noise keeps much of the public--white and black--ignorant of the truth that upwardly mobile minorities are the American norm.
Census 2000 data, much of which are still forthcoming, deserve more attention and ought to play an important role in this discussion--at least among those who care about facts. So watch this space.
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