Black men facing terrible times

March 20, 2006

The plight of black males is far more dire than commonly portrayed, the New York Times reported today.

Focusing more closely on life patterns of young men, studies show:

-- The share of young black men without jobs climbed with only a slight pause during the economic peak of the late 1990s. In 2000, 65 percent of black male high school dropouts in their 20s were jobless -- that is, unable to find work, not seeking it or incarcerated. By 2004, the share had grown to 72 percent, compared with 34 percent of white dropouts and 19 percent of Hispanic dropouts. Even when high school graduates were included, half of black men in their 20s were jobless in 2004, up from 46 percent in 2000.

-- Among black dropouts in their late 20s, more are in prison on a given day -- 34 percent

-- than are working -- 30 percent -- an analysis of 2000 census data shows; the study is by Steven Raphael of UC Berkeley.

-- Incarceration rates climbed in the 1990s and reached historic highs in the last few years. In 1995, 16 percent of black men in their 20s who did not attend college were in jail or prison; by 2004, 21 percent were incarcerated. By their mid-30s, 6 in 10 black men who have dropped out of school have spent time in prison.

-- In urban neighborhoods, more than half of all black men never finish high school.

For full story published by the San Francisco Chronicle, click here.

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