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Collecting Data on the Well-Being of African Americans

By Lois Elfman diverseeducation.com In “Black Thriving in America: 2023,” data is presented detailing the experiences of Black Americans when shopping, dining out, in healthcare settings, at work, with schools, with police and more. The findings are presented in a dashboard, which will serve as a benchmark. The Payne Center for Social Justice, which is […]
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5 months ago

December 5, 2023

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By Lois Elfman

diverseeducation.com

In “Black Thriving in America: 2023,” data is presented detailing the experiences of Black Americans when shopping, dining out, in healthcare settings, at work, with schools, with police and more.

The findings are presented in a dashboard, which will serve as a benchmark. The Payne Center for Social Justice, which is part of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, has committed to conducting the survey with the same questions and publishing the data annually for the next 100 years.

“It becomes an annual dashboard and snapshot of the state of Black life in America as self-reported,” said Dr. M. C. Brown II, executive director and research scientist of the Payne Center for Social Justice. He said it was essential to establish data and quantify areas related to social justice issues. Gallup conducted the study. Brown noted that it reflects 40 million Black Americans.

The Five Pillars of Wellbeing are career, community, social, physical and financial. Behind each of the indexes are sub-questions. While 60 percent of Black Americans are thriving in the social interactions and 53 percent in their careers, less than half report thriving in their community, physical and financial circumstances.

Overall, 52 percent of Black Americans are thriving and living “best life imaginable,” which matches white Americans, but the rate masks disparities across key areas of Black life experiences.

“When you unpack each of the four areas of inquiry (dignity in public, respect at work, police and me, and safety in neighborhood), there were significant differences in Black life experiences and other people’s experiences in this country, but they did not perceive them with the same levels of negativity that they were actually experiencing,” said Brown, who formerly served as president of Kentucky State University and Alcorn State University. “While we should acknowledge the 52 percent thriving is progress, it also fails to account for the fact that 48 percent of Black Americans report that they are struggling or suffering in this nation.”

Interactions With Police

An example Brown cites is interactions with police. 26 percent of respondents, who were polled in February 2023, reported personally having an interaction with police over the previous 12 months. The national average is 29 percent. The percentage became lower when income increased.

Black respondents with income under $48,000 per year reported 29 percent, while Black respondents with income $120,000 or higher reported 23 percent. Of those who had an interaction, 71 percent of Black Americans reported they are less likely to say they were treated fairly in the interaction as opposed to 90 percent of white individuals.

Dr. Keith Taylor an adjunct assistant professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a veteran of the New York Police Department, teaches several courses for future police officers in Law of Police Science and Criminal Justice Administration. Those courses include engaging multi-cultural and multi-ethnic communities, introduction to policing and police in urban communities. He also teaches in the Africana Studies department.

“You have to look at what type of policing is being conducted,” said Taylor. “Often, Black neighborhoods—especially the poor or working class neighborhoods—are the ones usually targeted for anti-crime measures. … That would then lead to African Americans having a high level of dissatisfaction with their encounters with police.

In areas where policing is not based on enforcement but includes community policing involving creative types of ways of engaging communities to address problems as opposed to seeing arrests as the primary function of police, you tend to have a greater satisfaction of the relationship with police.”

Nuances Of Existence

Taylor said the Payne report brings attention to the nuances of existence that African Americans have and can generate research around potential solutions to disparities.

Only 42 percent of Black Americans said they were treated with respect at work versus 46 percent of white Americans. 56 percent of Black Americans said they felt safe walking alone at night in the neighborhood where they lived, versus 77 percent of white Americans. Brown said this data provides researchers with a concrete foundation for further inquiry.

“We were purposeful and intentional not to interpret the data and just to present the data,” Brown said. “By us not giving the narrative, it leaves it open for everyone.”

Taylor said he wished the report offered some historical context, such as how redlining impacted voting patterns and access to education. “You can ask somebody if they’re getting respected or how the police are treating them or do they feel safe in their neighborhood, but without understanding the very real complexities that they are having to deal with, the disparities that exist in their lives and in past generations…you’re missing a piece,” Taylor said.

Going forward, as there is new data the Payne Center for Social Justice will engage with policy makers about the issues.

“Our hope is that every politician, every Presidential candidate will look at where these numbers are for the country and we’ll hold them accountable to move these numbers forward in a positive way, and that cities and states will ultimately adopt them as well and we’ll be asking them to move the needle in each of their communities,” said Brown.

This article originally appeared in The Birmingham Times.

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IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, activist Ramona Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.
The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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3 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Once upon a time, Black Americans were simply known as colored people, or Negroes. That is until Ramona Edelin came along. The activist, renowned for her pivotal roles in advancing civil rights, education reform, and community empowerment, died at her D.C. residence last month at the age of 78. Her death, finally confirmed this week by Barnaby Towns, a communications strategist who collaborated with Dr. Edelin, was attributed to cancer.

Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.

Edelin’s contributions to academia and activism were manifold. She was pivotal in popularizing the term “African American” alongside Rev. Jesse L. Jackson in the late 1980s.

Jackson had announced the preference for “African American,” speaking for summit organizers that included Dr. Edelin. “Just as we were called Colored, but were not that, and then Negro, but not that, to be called Black is just as baseless,” he said, adding that “African American” “has cultural integrity” and “puts us in our proper historical context.”

Later, Edelin told Ebony magazine, “Calling ourselves African Americans is the first step in the cultural offensive,” while linking the name change to a “cultural renaissance” in which Black Americans reconnected with their history and heritage.

“Who are we if we don’t acknowledge our motherland?” she asked later. “When a child in a ghetto calls himself African American, immediately he’s international. You’ve taken him from the ghetto and put him on the globe.”

The HistoryMakers bio noted that Edelin’s academic pursuits led her to found and chair the Department of African American Studies at Northeastern University, where she established herself as a leading voice.

Transitioning from academia to advocacy, Edelin joined the National Urban Coalition in 1977, eventually ascending to president and CEO. During her tenure, she spearheaded initiatives such as the “Say Yes to a Youngster’s Future” program, which provided crucial support in math, science, and technology to youth and teachers of color in urban areas. Her biography noted that Edelin’s efforts extended nationwide through partnerships with organizations like the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Education.

President Bill Clinton recognized Edelin’s expertise by appointing her to the Presidential Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities in 1998. She also co-founded and served as treasurer of the Black Leadership Forum, solidifying her standing as a respected leader in African American communities.

Beyond her professional achievements, Edelin dedicated herself to numerous boards and committees, including chairing the District of Columbia Educational Goals 2000 Panel and contributing to the Federal Advisory Committee for the Black Community Crusade for Children.

Throughout her life, Edelin received widespread recognition for her contributions. Ebony magazine honored her as one of the 100 Most Influential Black Americans, and she received prestigious awards such as the Southern Christian Leadership Award for Progressive Leadership and the IBM Community Executive Program Award.

The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.
The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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3 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Tennessee State University (TSU), the state’s only public historically Black college and university (HBCU), faces a tumultuous future as Gov. Bill Lee dissolved its board, a move supported by racist conservatives and MAGA Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly, who follow the lead of the twice-impeached, four-times indicted, alleged sexual predator former President Donald Trump. Educators and others have denounced the move as an attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) and a grave setback for higher education.

Critics argue that TSU’s purported financial mismanagement is a manufactured crisis rooted in decades of underinvestment by the state government. They’ve noted that it continues a trend by conservatives and the racist MAGA movement to eliminate opportunities for Blacks in education, corporate America, and the public sector.

Gevin Reynolds, a former speechwriter for Vice President Kamala Harris, emphasizes in an op-ed that TSU’s financial difficulties are not the result of university leadership because a recent audit found no evidence of fraud or malfeasance.

Reynolds noted that the disbanding of TSU’s board is not an isolated incident but part of a broader assault on DE&I initiatives nationwide. Ten states, including Tennessee, have enacted laws banning DE&I policies on college campuses, while governors appointing MAGA loyalists to university trustee positions further undermine efforts to promote inclusivity and equality.

Moreover, recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.

The actions echo historical efforts to suppress Black progress, reminiscent of the violent backlash against gains made during the Reconstruction era. President Joe Biden warned during an appearance in New York last month that Trump desires to bring the nation back to the 18th and 19th centuries – in other words, to see, among other things, African Americans back in the chains of slavery, women subservient to men without any say over their bodies, and all voting rights restricted to white men.

The parallels are stark, with white supremacist ideologies used to justify attacks on Black institutions and disenfranchise marginalized communities, Reynolds argued.

In response to these challenges, advocates stress the urgency of collective action to defend democracy and combat systemic racism. Understanding that attacks on institutions like TSU are symptomatic of broader threats to democratic norms, they call for increased civic engagement and voting at all levels of government.

The actions of people dedicated to upholding the principles of inclusivity, equity, and justice for all will determine the outcome of the ongoing fight for democracy, Reynolds noted. “We are in a war for our democracy, one whose outcome will be determined by every line on every ballot at every precinct,” he stated.

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Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy

May 24, 2023 – Walker West Music Academy gets an early start on expansion. Join us for a Wednesday episode of The …
The post Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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3 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

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