Hot on HuffPost Parents:
Bonnie Fuller: Zach Sobiech: You Were a Huge Inspiration in Your…
When A Tornado Strikes, Should Schools Evacuate?
African-American Children Face Bleak Reality but They Remain Optimistic, Report Says
Filed under: In The News, Research Reveals: Teens
A new report from the Children's Defense Fund finds African-American children pay a price because of their skin color. Credit: Corbis
Not so fast.
The Children's Defense Fund reports we're not there yet -- especially when it comes to kids.
The black tax remains in force.
That's the price African-Americans pay simply because of the color of their skin, according to the Children's Defense Fund, and children have been paying a higher price for it in just the past six years.
Higher crime rates and debilitating economic conditions paint a bleak picture for African-American young people. However, the kids themselves are optimistic -- with 72 percent saying life is better for them than it was for their parents.
The findings are part of "The State of Black Children and Families," released last week by the Children's Defense Fund. The Washington-based advocacy group hired researchers to interview some 1,200 African-Americans in November and December.
Approximately 800 of those interviewees were adults. The rest were kids between the ages of 11 and 17.
Some seven out of 10 African-American adults reported black children face a "tough or really bad" climate due to poor schools, guns, weak families and a generally negative portrayal of black people in the media.
The Children's Defense Fund released a separate study in December that only confirms those impressions.
In 2010, only 13 percent of black teens living in households with annual incomes below $40,000 were employed during an average month. The study also found more than half of black teens come from families earning less than $40,000.
Two-thirds of African-American children come from low-income families. From 2008 to 2009, real median income declined by 4.4 percent in black households, compared with 1.6 percent for white households.
The last time the Children's Defense Fund issued a report on African-American children was in 1994. Since then, conditions have gotten worse, but hope is on the rise.
Children's Defense Fund President Marian Wright-Edelman says the challenge now is to keep the momentum going.
"We need to create models that get students pumped up and excited about learning," she said at a Jan. 13 press conference covered by Scripps News. "We need to create strong children inside so they can withstand corrosive messages from the media."
Your<span>Voice</span>
Ask Us Anything About Parenting
Recently Asked
- Trends and there creators
- Here in dc since dec, 6 2006 retired FED BOARD GOV,inventor ,writter, FORMER GOVERNOR (founder of the republic of )DERIAN DOUGLAS HICKMAN
- If i own all or most of the property in dc think the mayor already knows. president and others including Embassies. on my property for 20 +years
TheTalkies:RelatedVideos
-
Transracial Adoption
Full Segment: More African-American children are being adopted by white parents. How should adoptive parents prepare their black children for inevitable race issue?
-
Marian Wright Edelman: The Worst Crisis Since Slavery
Edelman addresses the frightening statistics that face African-American children, particularly boys, today.
-
Trayvon Martin: Faith and Social Justice
A month after Trayvon Martin's killing in Sanford, Florida, the call for social justice continues to grow. Some of the loudest voices have risen from faith communities to speak out against racial inequities and last Sunday, hoodies could be found in the pulpit, the pews and the choir loft. The Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, an organization of progressive African American faith leaders, issued "A Litany for Children Slain By Violence" to raise awareness.
-
Top 10 Fun Facts About Denzel Washington
Learn 10 fun facts about actor Denzel Washington. Denzel declined Brad Pitt's role of Detective David Mills in 'Se7en' and still regrets it. He is the first African American actor to obtain 2 Academy Awards. He has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Fordham University. He has four children including a set of twins. He has worn military costumes in 6 of his movies.
SitesWeLove
- Site Map
- |
- Staff
- |
- Terms of Service
- |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Trademarks
- |
- Advertise With Us
- |
- About Our Ads
- |
- AOL Downloads
- |
- Contact Us
- |
© Copyright 2012 AOL Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Aol Family