Culture

New report says Black men are succeeding in America

A new report by CNN suggests despite sobering and depressing news about racism in America, black men are flourishing and thriving.

Published

8 years ago

July 6, 2018

UVM Staff

New Report Says Black Men Are Succeeding In America

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In recent years, much of the racial news in America has been distressing, especially about Black men.

Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, Walter Scott, Antwon Rose, The Charleston 9, these stories have highlighted the underline pattern of racism in America, the racial divide when it comes to the issue, and the toll it has taken on those who are impacted from it.

Despite these sobering events and ultimately negative perceptions, a new report by CNN suggest there’s some good news about African American men.

Black men succeeding study

In a 2006 study by the Washington Post, Kaiser Family Foundation, and Harvard University, the findings believed that crime, unemployment, and poverty are endemic among African American men.

The reality is that most African American men will not be incarcerated, are not unemployed, and are not poor, even if black men are more likely than other men to experience these outcomes.

In fact, the study finds many African American men are flourishing in America.

CNN Report

In CNN’s report, “Black Men Making It In America,” spotlights two pieces of particular good news about the economic well-being of black men.

Statistics

“First, the share of black men in poverty has fallen from 41% in 1960 to 18% today. Second, and more importantly, the share of black men in the middle or upper class — as measured by their family income — has risen from 38% in 1960 to 57% today. In other words, about one-in-two black men in America have reached the middle class or higher.”

This news is important to share as it might reduce the discrimination towards black men and negative portrayal of them in the media.

Black men succeeding research study

Alan Jenkins, executive director of Opportunity Agenda, a social justice organization, noted that “Research and experience show that expectations and biases on the part of potential employers, teachers, health care providers, police officers, and other stakeholders influence the life outcomes of millions of black males.”

Tracking African American men from young adulthood through their 50s using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979, CNN identified three factors that are associated with their success: education, work, and marriage.