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Authors, sign in!"According to John Stapleford, the socio-economic gaps between blacks and whites in America remain substantial. While the majority of white evangelicals attribute these gaps to poor moral choices and laziness, Stapleford asserts that the causes of the gaps are primarily structural and not individualistic. As a result of slavery and Jim Crow there are crippling wealth and human capital deficits that should be addressed by Christians." (Abstract, A Torturous Journey: The Condition of Black America, Christian Scholar's Review)
So, how are we doing when it comes to race in America?
Consider these facts...
- Lack household median income is 65% of white household median income, and given the rate of closure over the past 40 years, it will take 150 more years for the nation to reach parity.
- One of 4 African Americans lives in poverty--for white Americans the ratio is 1 of 12.
- Over any 4-year period 54% of blacks will have a run of poverty, while in the white community 28% will have the run of bad luck.
- One-third of black children are poor, compared to 10% of white kids.
- Black families possess 10 cents of wealth for every dollar of wealth held by whites families.
- Median inheritance for whites is $10,000, compared to $798 for blacks.
- A person is considered "asset poor" if his/her access to resources is inadequate to meet basic needs for 90 days. The asset poverty rate for white families was 19.7% in 1999. For blacks it was 57.6%.
- To arrive at residential racial integration, about 2/3 of black households would need to relocate.
- Blacks make up about 13% of the U. S. population, but own only 5% of all businesses and receive less than one-half of 1% of business sales.
- Unemployment rates for blacks is twice that of whites.
[from John E. Stapleford, "A Torturous Journey: The Condition of Black America," Christian Scholar's Review, XXXVII:2, Winter 2008, pages 232-233]
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