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Status of Black New York 1978

10 Years After the Kerner Commission Report
presented by the New York Urban League
John A. Herrmann, Jr., President;
Ms. Dolly Christian, Chairman;
Horace W. Morris, Executive Director

Since 1919 the New York Urban League has been dedicated to the task of developing and implementing programs to alleviate inequalities in employment, education, housing, health and welfare for blacks and other minorities in New York City. The following report, "Status of Black New York 1978", therefore, is intended to further the cause for which the New York Urban League has labored for the past 59 years.

Black/white relationships deteriorated considerably in New York City last year. The deteriorated can best be expressed in terms of the lack of social, political and economic progress. Both races have suffered serious reverses in terms of jobs the last few years, and 1977 was no different, especially for black New Yorkers. The Northeastern region, as a whole, was hard hit by unemployment. More than 250,000 persons are out of work in New York City... blacks accounting for 25% of that number...black youth under 21 years old averaging 60%, 70%, even 80% of the unemployment rate in some neighborhoods.

While unemployment remains high, businesses, once stable in the city, are continuing to venture to other areas. In the last six years the city has lost upwards of 550,000 jobs, many of these were held by black and Hispanic New Yorkers.

Although local unemployment eased somewhat during the last 12 months...from 9.6% to 9.4%, black New Yorkers remained on the bottom of the economic ladder with unemployment rates two to three times higher than the city's average.

The disastrous unemployment figure for black youth is most ominous at best and unless drastic measures by both the public and private sectors are implemented in the very near future, the price tag of addressing this situation in years to come will be astronomical.

There are several other reasons for the erosion of relations between black and whites, in addition to unemployment. The major power blackout last summer left most New Yorkers with a bitter taste, and unfortunately the negative image most minorities received during media coverage of the blackout only helped to widen the gap between black and white. The aftermath of July 13, 1977 has continued into 1978.

The city's public school system is another area of great concern for black New Yorkers. Of the approximately 1,100,000 students in the New York City Public School System, nearly 40%, 410,000 are black. Recent school studies in New York indicate that 7 of every 10 black students entering high school in 1977 will not receive a diploma. Of those black students graduating nearly 50% will have reading skills far below the eighth grade reading requirement.

While there has been a serious effort in recent years to link school truancy problems and the city's crime rate, it is the League's contention that each problem merits separate review and study. A check of 15 predominantly black high schools shows daily absenteeism was well over 30%.

According to Dr. Lamar Miller, director of Urban and Minority Education at New York University, the absentee rate of black students reflects their lack of interest in the school system. Dr. Miller concludes that as school suspensions rise, the holding power of high school decreases because black students do not see schools as being important to their lives. Consequently, more students drop out than graduate. For the city's black students that means 67% presently fail to complete their secondary education.

New York City does not compare favorably with other large cities in the ratio of black teachers to black students. In fact, the ratio has declined by 10% since 1975. The United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare, as an indication of the severity of the New York City Public School System's problem, cited several civil rights violations by the New York City Board of Education last year. The fact that H.E.W. threatened in 1976 to withhold more than 200 million dollars in federal aid to the city's school system is clearly indicative of the urgency of the situation.

In December of 1976 the New York Urban League, in a letter to the chancellor of the City of New York Board of Education, urged the formation of a broad based task force to formulate a plan for compliance with the Civil Rights Office of H.E.W. The New York Urban League's suggestion would have guaranteed the input of varying opinions and interest groups and secure support for the resulting plan. As always the New York Urban League made itself available to join in such an effort.

The Board of Education with the assistance of the mayor and his administration and local organizations such as the Economic Development Council, New York Urban League, ASPIRA and parent organizations could still be brought together to make a positive impact on the problem of New York City's Public School System.

Employment, and employment exclusively is the number one item confronting the city's black population. Without work other major needs pale by comparison. Only through employment can other issues fall into focus...decent housing for low and moderate income families, basic health care services, neighborhood crime prevention, and equal access to quality educational opportunities for the city's black and hispanic residents.

The lack of housing opportunities has become a critical problem for the 650,000 minority households in New York City, approximately 47% of whom have annual incomes under $5,000.

Housing needs for residents in the South Bronx, Harlem and sections of Brooklyn could be provided through renovation of suitable and available housing structures with overall neighborhood revitalization efforts. Despite the President's visit to the South Bronx last year, meaningful change seems distant...many families still reside in burned out and abandoned tenements, victims of a total lack of public and private services.

Basic health care is also of great concern to many black and hispanic New Yorkers, particularly those of low income who have suffered unjustly because of a curtailment of a historically inadequate health care program. In spite of the ever increasing costs of medical care in the city, there is little evidence of a comprehensive plan to improve the delivery of health care and health related services to the indigent and working poor. The majority of blacks and hispanics and other low income people depend upon municipal hospitals and other public health facilities for the total health

[[left-pointing arrow]] [[caption]] RIOT PANEL: Members of the new Presidential commission to investigate city riots assembled last week at the White House. From left, seated: Roy Wilkins, N.A.A.C.P. director; Illinois Gov. Otto Kerner, commission chairman; President Johnson; New York Mayor John Lindsay, commission vice-chairman; I. W. Abel, United Steelworkers president. Standing: Charles Thornton, president of Litton Industries; Rep. James Corman of California; Rep. William McCulloch of Ohio; Sen. Fred Harris of Oklahoma; Vice President Humphrey; Kentucky Commerce Commissioner Katherine Peden; Atlanta Police Chief Herbert Jenkins; Senator Edward Brooke of Massachusetts; Cyrus Vance, the President's special agent in Detroit during recent riots; Attorney General Ramsey Clark. [[/caption]]

Ninetieth Congress, 1967-68
Education Act • Air pollution control • Social security increases • Outer space treaty • Public television broadcasting • Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty • Safe streets • Health Manpower Act • Vocational education assistance • Scenic trails •

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