Taking A Stand On Civil Rights

Q- How do you view civil rights in the United States today?

A-Iwould like to say that things have never been better, and in many areasthat would be true. Opportunities for women, the disabled, the elderlyand those of various ethnic and religious backgrounds have expanded sothat more individuals in each category have access to educational andcareer opportunities than ever before.

However, I think we madea wrong turn along the road towards justice and harmonious racerelations in this country. Everyone is seeing the results now in theunrest on campuses and the return of so-called hate crimes. Somepredict even greater troubles in the future.

Q-What do you suggest?

A-First, we have to define the problem .

Second, see where we are and how we got here.

Third, determine our real goal.

Fourth, decide how to reach it.

Q-That sounds like a large order for a short discussion.

A-In condensed form:

Isee our problem as trying to provide equal economic, social andpolitical opportunities to relatively powerless minorities while nottrampling the so-called rights of the more powerful majority.

Unfortunately,we have managed to make all parties concerned feel they have beenunjustly treated at the hands of government. I would say this hashappened because, as a nation we were impatient, proceeded too quicklyand used force.

Q-That defines the problem. Now for a brief look at where we are now, which should reveal the extent of the problem.

A-Let’slook at some statistics: About one percent of the entire population ismade up of about 2.5 million black males age 16 to 25. 647,000 are inhigh school and 351,000 are in college according to the 1990 census.Another million are gainfully employed and 163,000 are in the military.

Statistics show annual wage and salary income for 25-34 year oldblack men increased from forty-seven percent to sixty percent of thatof white men between 1940-1960 and from sixty percent to seventy-fivepercent between 1960-1980!

Q-But what about all the young black males that want to be working and can’t find jobs?

A-Irefer you to all the arguments that were brought up to fight theminimum wage laws. Unfortunately the high unemployment rates amongyoung and entry level workers—black and white—are proof of thevalidity of those argument against a minimum wage.

Q-Has unemployment gotten worse among black males?

A-In1962, almost sixty percent of young black males were employed, but by1985 this figure had fallen to forty-four percent. But there areestimates that more than 25 percent of black males in this age groupderive their income from illegal activities—so if you want to figurein illegal activities, the employment rate has not declined that much.

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