(As an invited speaker at Philadelphia’s “10,000 Men Rally,” on October 21, I delivered most of the following remarks, during the program.
I’ve reproduced the entire presentation here, for those who did not have the opportunity to hear it, in its entirety, last weekend).
I understand that the purpose of today’s rally is to generate support from black men to assist in restoring order in our own neighborhoods.
While this rally is committed to dealing with the immediate and current symptoms of our problems- - the crime, the violence, the broken families, the jail terms- - we also understand that, at some point, we will have to begin to address the “root causes” of our problems, and we know, deep down inside, that more police, more security and neighborhood patrols are not the true, long- term solution. What we should also know is that no other race of people, no other ethnic group or religious group in this country, has ever gained respect, neighborhood stability, or true political influence without first building its own internal economy.
We have been in this country for nearly 400 years, and in Philadelphia for nearly 325 years, and we still haven’t taken care of that critically important issue. Of course, our ability to create and control our economy has been complicated and delayed by a little thing called slavery, but, at this late date, that’s an unacceptable excuse. Since we’ve been here, for example, the Irish have come here poor, created an economic base and moved themselves up. The Jews have come here poor, created an economic base and moved themselves up. The Italians have come here poor, created an economic base and moved themselves up, and now it’s the Asians and Hispanics who are doing the same thing. And where are we? Standing on the sidelines, being pushed out of our neighborhoods, being eliminated from a workforce that we don’t control, shopping at stores we don’t own, living in houses that we didn’t get paid to build, voting for the Democrats, and waiting, far too patiently, for our turn.
But that is not how it works in the United States. If you don’t have economic control, you don’t get the quality of education your children deserve. You don’t get to decide when your community will rise above the poverty level and you don’t get access to and support from elected officials, even when you vote for them.
How bad is it? Where’s the evidence that we haven’t done our economic homework?
The Census Bureau tells us that in the United States, the median income of black households is $30,200. At the same time, the average Hispanic median household income is $34,241, the average white household is $48,800 and the average Asian median household income is $57,518.
In addition, about 25% of blacks live below the poverty level, versus 21.9% for Hispanics, 8.6% for whites and 9.8% for Asians.
No wonder our neighborhoods are more run-down, no wonder our houses are worth less, no wonder we can’t qualify for bank loans and credit cards as readily as whites, Asians and Hispanics.
When you look at the demographic profile of Philadelphia, you see a city comprised of 1.4 million people, 45.4% of whom are black, 39.6% of whom are white, about 10% Hispanic and 5% Asian.
With all of that as background, here are a couple of important observations… The first is from the Washington Times Newspaper, September 3, 2007. The quote is this: “Where there are large numbers of young men living in situations of economic inequality and lack of opportunity, the gun and crime, in general, is a way out and seen as the only avenue.
“The highest levels of armed violence in the United States is in medium-sized cities such as Gary, Indiana. One of the reasons is that many of these cities are struggling socioeconomically.”
The second observation comes from South Africa, where indigenous Africans are economically marginalized such that there is a 57% poverty rate, and where the annual murder rate has just climbed to 19,200 persons. In that country, Dr. Johan Burger, an analyst for the Institute of Security Studies in Pretoria, acknowledging that South Africa already exceeds international norms for the number of police officers needed for its population, has said, “The nation needs to reduce the vast gap between the wealthy and the jobless underclass that has little hope of climbing out of poverty, except by crime.”
If there is a connection between unemployment, poverty and crime, then Philadelphia can be the national poster child. The City has the highest poverty rate of any of the country’s 10 largest cities and 50% of its African-American males are unemployed.
While nearly 16% of its businesses are black-owned, those businesses have struggled and have been virtually shut out of meaningful contract participation from either the private sector or the public sector in the City. The lack of support for the City’s black businesses, by both large corporate Philadelphia and by the City administration has sharply reduced the employment opportunities that should have been available over the years through African-American-owned businesses. After all, the U.S. Census Bureau tells us that 85% of the employees at a so-called minority-owned business are, themselves, minorities. There’s no quicker or better way to create jobs for black people than to help black-owned businesses to prosper.
In the Philadelphia area construction industry, wherein $16 billion is spent each year, African-American-owned construction companies receive about .8% of the total revenue. At the same time, the skilled trades unions continue to work systematically to keep black workers and businesses out of their membership and off construction worksites. And, as we have seen recently, when a few black construction workers and contractors do find their way to the worksite, they’re experiencing, as black hoist operator Paul Solomon did on October 1, a work environment wherein a white construction worker can shake a hangman’s noose in a black worker’s face and tell him “I feel like hanging somebody.” That’s entirely unacceptable and the kind of issue that has kept us out of our own economy.
There is a clear and absolute connection between poverty, unemployment and crime. It is estimated that there are currently more than 250,000 Philadelphians, including a substantial number of African Americans, who have been involved in the criminal justice system. That is understandable when you recognize that blacks are eight times more likely than whites to be incarcerated for the same non-violent crime.
And when you realize that most job classifications in this City are still closed to ex-offenders, you have no trouble understanding why we have such a high, black unemployment rate and why 67% of ex-offenders are re-arrested within 36 months of their release.
I could go on, but this is not about me talking, it is about you, and all of us, having enough information to start doing something about the crushing economic issues that breed crime in our community.
The black community’s economic problems have led us to desperation; that desperation has driven too many of us to give up hope, to lose confidence in education, to disrespect our own families and community, and to commit petty crimes and crimes of violence. All of that, of course, has to stop, or coming here today will have been a colossal waste of time.
I hope that we all understand that, once we finish with this first phase of the “10,000 Men” effort, we will absolutely have to develop an economic agenda that would include, among other things,
- Starting more businesses in our community.
- Supporting black businesses that already exist so that they can thrive and hire more people from our own neighborhoods. There is evidence that we still spend only $.07 out of every one of our dollars in black-owned businesses. That, too, is a crime.
- Getting very serious about making sure that the black community receives its fair share
of City contracts, both from government and mainstream businesses. - Organizing to ensure that we finally have our appropriate level of inclusion
and respect in the local construction industry. We’re already doing some of that
through the Technical Assistance Center for Emerging Contractors and other
organizations, but there is so much more we need to do, so many more of our
black contractors that we need to identify and put into the “mix.” - Supporting only elected officials who support the black community’s economic
agenda. That’s what other ethnic groups and special interest groups have always
done. What’s taking us so long to figure that one out? - Organizing inside our own families to raise capital, to start businesses and build family job
opportunities. - Educating our community to recognize that any time anything is built, moved, painted, torn down, wired or illuminated, somebody is getting paid and, if we are not involved in it, that means it is absolutely not us. That too has to stop. People from other communities make all the money that there is to be made in their own neighborhoods and then the make all the money that there is to be made in our neighborhoods. Now that we understand the importance of economics, we don’t just want new, affordable housing, we also want to build the new affordable housing, and earn the salaries on the work site and turn the profit, just like other groups do every day.
- Working with your elected officials and holding them accountable to create political and economic leverage on projects that will be located in our communities. Watch closely and learn from what the people in Pennypack are doing with Sugarhouse Casino and what the
people in South Philadelphia are doing on Columbus Boulevard with Foxwoods. Even people in the city who believe the casinos will eventually bring broad, citywide economic benefits to Philadelphia, have had to respect the fact that those people do have neighborhood leverage, that they know how to use it, and that their neighbors and their neighbors’ children will benefit economically because of their actions. When are we going to get that focused on the economic picture?
On that same general subject, I want to be sure to point out that Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell has the right idea with her position on the Barnes relocation. That’s the kind of politics you should support. It may not be popular with the editorial boards at mainstream newspapers, but it does make sense for the economic growth of our community. We need more elected officials who are thinking and acting like Jannie Blackwell in situations like that.
Here’s the bottom line: The indisputable fact is that unless Philadelphia begins to include its 45% black population as normal participants in its workforce and job creation efforts, the City’s overall economy will continue to stagnate.
This is not an either/or; this is not a luxury. It is simply a fact. This City can’t move any further economically than its black residents are prepared to go.
And if 10,000 men get behind our economic issues like the residents of South Philadelphia got behind blocking the Foxwoods Casino, we should have absolutely no problem.
It's up to us.
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