The Problem: Black Economic & Racial Inequality in America
Poverty
- Whites living at or below poverty line 10.8%
- Blacks living at or below poverty line 27.4%
- Black single mothers living in poverty 78%
Unemployment
- White adult unemployment rate 4.6%
- Black adult unemployment rate compared to Whites 52%
- Black teen unemployment compared to White teens 48%
Police Brutality
Number of unarmed Black people killed by Police in 2019
Institutional Racism
Likelihood of Blacks being killed by Police compared to Whites
*Statistics provided courtesy of the National Urban League’s State of Black America Report and MappingPoliceViolence.org
The Cause
Although the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation were supposed to signal the end of slavery, for roughly 100 years more, we were systematically abused and discriminated against under what were known as Jim Crow laws. And to add insult to injury, since the mid-70’s, we have become victims of prejudicial drug laws and mass incarceration.
Unsurprisingly, the result of more than 400 years of oppression and relegation to the status of permanent second class citizenship, has left many of our brothers and sisters traumatized. They are confused, scared, brainwashed with self-hate, and now find themselves economically and socially disadvantaged in a country that was literally built on their backs.
In the 1950’s and 60’s, many of our Black community leaders fought for racial equality, while others tackled economic issues. Each faction believed their cause was the key to addressing African American problems of the day.
The achievements of the Civil Rights movement can not be discounted, but it is plain to see the Black community still has major economic and racial challenges. As any Black man or woman can attest, there is no shortage of current issues. For starters:
- We lack unity
- We lack racial pride
- We lack opportunities for our youth
- We are unemployed and under-employed at a disproportionate rate
- We receive substandard education at a disproportionate rate
- We receive substandard healthcare at a disproportionate rate
- We experience generational poverty at a disproportionate rate
- We experience mass incarceration at a disproportionate rate
- We experience police brutality at a disproportionate rate
Despite these challenges, we can not afford to throw a pity-party and bemoan the situation. We must wipe away our tears, stand up tall, and accept the cards we have been dealt. Then, and only then, can we prepare our minds to begin the important work of finding a solution to our problems—using whatever resources we have available to help ourselves.
“It is imperative that we pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps… Because protesting, marching, and rioting (especially in our own neighborhoods) is an outdated strategy for making progress.”
The Solution
We’ve all seen it before.
A tragic incident occurs in the Black Community and a charismatic leader stands before the people and declares, “This nonsense must stop!”
- We need to unite and fight injustices perpetrated against us!
- We need more Black businesses!
- We need more jobs!
- We need better education for our children!
The crowd pumps their fists and roars, “Hell Yeah!”
Then someone asks, “How can we stop this? What’s the plan?”
The leader replies, “We’ll organize. We’ll march. We’ll protest.“
The crowd organizes. The crowd marches. The crowd protests.
The police come. They engage the crowd. Things get out of hand.
Shit gets real. Everyone goes home. The movement is dead.
It didn’t go down like this in the 50’s and 60’s, but sadly, this is the way it goes down today.
So it’s imperative that we pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps!
Why?
Because the marching, protesting, and rioting (especially in our own neighborhoods) is an outdated strategy that no longer works. It won’t help us make progress.
We need a new plan. A plan that recognizes without money to effect change, we will still be marching and chanting, “No justice, No peace!”
And guess what we’ll get? “No justice and No peace!”
There’s a smarter way. We have technology that can connect us no matter where we are in the world. We have our collective voices and spending power. We can intelligently leverage these resources to build a financial base so we can fund our own social programs and pay for lawyers and lobbyists to represent our interest in government — just like major corporations do.
And you want to know the best part? If we are good stewards of our capital… and invest it wisely… we can retain control of those assets and pass them on to future generations as Black Wealth.
That’s the kind of plan we need!
So if you’re sick and tired of the current state of affairs in our community — AND ARE READY TO SEE SOME REAL RESULTS — check out this video presentation of Black Wallets Matter: The Financial Blueprint To Help Black America Save Itself.