The simplistic idea that impoverished African Americans have only themselves to blame for their poverty, due to their poor cultural values—a notion advanced by many, including black public figures such as Bill Cosby—is believable only if a blind eye is turned to those inconvenient things social scientists like to call “facts.” Algernon Austin soundly refutes the “culture of poverty” argument by paying careful attention to marco-economic data about long-term poverty trends and sociological case studies about persistent discrimination. In other words, unlike the glib punditry, Austin actually looks at the “facts.”
--Dr. Andrew Hartman, professor and audience member, Illinois State University
Contact Dr. Austin to arrange a speaking engagement.
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Hunger in America
The United States is one of the richest countries in the world, and yet we have a high and growing rate of people who cannot obtain enough food to eat. In 2008, the United States Department of Agriculture observed a record high rate of households that did not have "dependable access to adequate food." This rise in food insecurity is most likely due to the recession. This means that we should expect the numbers of the hungry in America rise again in the 2009 data and maybe in the 2010 data too since unemployment will likely increase into 2010.
Source: United States Department of Agriculture, 2009Not surprisingly, the black rate of food insecurity was more than twice the white rate. Although Canada is not as rich a country as the United States, it has a lower rate of food insecurity than the United States.
Who Gets the Good Jobs?
At every education level, white workers are more likely to obtain good jobs than blacks. In the analysis below, a good job is defined as a job that pays 60 percent of the median household income and provides health and retirement benefits. Whites without a college education are much more likely to obtain good jobs than blacks with comparable levels of education. The disparity shrinks as at higher education levels, but it does not go away.
Source: Economic Policy Institute, 2009Share this article with a friend. Use the email icon below.
--Algernon Austin, Ph.D.
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