Employers Prefer White Felons Over Blacks With No Criminal Record; So, How Will Blacks Feed Their Families?

You may remember the 2003 University of Chicago study by Devah Pager that  sent young white and black “testers” with randomly assigned “felony  convictions” to apply for low-wage jobs. The study found that whites  with felonies were more likely to be called for interviews than black  applicants without criminal records.

Eight years later, black male unemployment has hit the highest rate  since the government began keeping track in 1972. It is estimated that  only 56.9 percent of black men over age 20 are working, and the  prospects for them to earn an honest living anytime soon in this  crumbling economy are not good.

While Obama battles the GOP over raising the debt ceiling and preserving  “sacred cow” tax cuts and entitlement programs, the unemployed poor are  becoming increasingly desperate. Of particular concern is the reality  that the once-supportive family members who used to serve as safety nets  for struggling felons are now losing their jobs and homes in record  numbers. The safety net exists no more.

According to an analysis of Federal Reserve data by the Economic Policy  Institute in 2004, the median net worth of white households was  $134,280, compared with $13,450 for black households. By 2009, the  median net worth for white households had fallen 24 percent to $97,860;  the median black net worth had fallen 83 percent to $2,170.  And, no,  that is not a typo.  Algernon Austin, director of the Economic Policy  Institute’s Program on Race, Ethnicity and the Economy describes the  wealth gap like this, “In 2009, for every dollar of wealth the average  white household had, black households only had two cents.”

Two cents. Really? If anyone has the audacity to suggest to me that  having a black president means America is now “post racial,” I will have  to hold myself back. And, speaking of  remaining nonviolent in the face of violent oppression… If there has ever been a reason to march on Washington, it is right the hell now. –kathleen cross

http://rollingout.com/politics/employers-prefer-white-felons-over-blacks-with-no-criminal-record-so-how-will-blacks-feed-their-families/

Related articles

• Dr. Amos Wilson’s Last Interview (1995)
• The Real Truth About Blacks and Unemployment