The National Urban League (NUL) State of Black America Report provides an in-depth analysis of the economic, political, and social state of African Americans in the United States. The report finds that Black Americans remain at a disadvantage in all aspects of life, demonstrating a stark economic inequality and lack of economic opportunity.
According to the report, Black Americans are more than twice as likely to be unemployed than their white counterparts, with an unemployment rate of 10.2% for Black Americans compared to 4.4% for white Americans. In addition, Black Americans are more likely to be underemployed, with a rate of 19.2% compared to 8.1% for white Americans. The report also finds that Black Americans experience significantly lower levels of wealth compared to white Americans. The median wealth of a Black family is only one-tenth that of a white family.
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This gap is growing, with the median wealth of a white family increasing by 8.1% between 2017 and 2019, while the median wealth of a Black family decreased by 4.2%. The report also finds that Black Americans are significantly more likely to live in poverty than white Americans. In 2019, 22.1% of Black Americans lived in poverty, compared to 8.4% of white Americans. In addition, Black Americans are more likely to experience housing insecurity, with a rate of 35.4%, compared to 17.9% for white Americans.
Finally, the report finds that Black Americans experience higher rates of discrimination in the labor market. Black men are more than twice as likely to be unemployed as white men, and Black women are more than three times as likely to be unemployed as white women. In addition, Black Americans are more likely to be employed in lower-wage occupations, and less likely to receive promotions or raises than their white counterparts.
Overall, this report demonstrates the stark economic inequity that Black Americans face in the United States. The report highlights the importance of economic equity and the need to create more economic opportunities for Black Americans in order to create a more just society.
Since 2005, the National Urban League has released an annual “Equality Index” to compare how Black Americans are doing in comparison to white Americans. This year, the index shows that Black Americans get only 73.9 percent of what white Americans enjoy.
Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League, joins John Yang to discuss. Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS NewsHour at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6 Follow us: Facebook: http://www.pbs.org/newshour Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/newshour Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/newshour Subscribe:
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