CHICAGO — In the December issue of EBONY magazine, the publication focuses on the topic of race and releases the “State of Race in America” report. In the report, EBONY identifies statistics related to race in the areas of economic disparity, education, entrepreneurship, health and wellbeing, and protection under the law.
“Traditionally, our December issue is dedicated to celebrating those who have made the great achievements during the calendar year,” said EBONY Editor-in-Chief Mitzi Miller. “However, throughout 2014, the issue of race in America has consistently established itself as the leading topic of our collective cultural conversations. In recognition, EBONY curated a statistical feature that examines the current condition of the African-American community by the numbers. Our motive is to encourage a results-driven dialogue on the challenges we face based on the facts.”
The findings from the study revealed the following:
- 3% of African-American homes were affected by predatory lending practices, versus 38.2% of White homes
- The household income for African-Americans in 2013 was $34,598 versus the household income for whites at $58,270
- Of the $98.2 billion awarded in federal small business contracts in 2012, Black-owned firms received only 7.2 percent
- From 2010-2012, Black males between the ages of 15 and 19 years old were 21 times as likely as their White peers to be killed by police
- Under New York City’s Stop and Frisk practice, 14,549 (53 percent) Blacks were detained versus only 3,363 (12 percent) Whites.
However, EBONY not only reports the statistics, but also offers solutions from experts such as Dr. Steve Perry, Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr., Wes Moore and Attorney Paula Penn-Nabrit.
“Part of the solution is to understand the necessity to reform our expectation for our young people, who must understand that the ‘Blackest’ things they can do is to master their ABCs and multiplication tables and learn how to use a computer,” commented Gates in the report. “We must return to our roots and teach our people that education is the common denominator. It has kept us alive from the darkest times of slavery through Jim Crow into the Civil Rights era, and it can do the same today.”
To supplement the feature, EBONY.com is featuring five videos on race relations interviews with thought-leaders including Dr. Ben Carson, Dr. Marc Lamont Hill, Melissa Harris Perry, Rev. Al Sharpton, Julian Bond, Dr. Cornell West, Marian Wright Edelman, Don Lemon, Julian Bond and many others.
Readers can read the remaining results in the December issue of EBONY magazine, on newsstands now.
