Memo: Geraldine Ferraro
Ms. Ferraro:
You have been quoted as saying that Barack Obama is “"lucky" to be black, and that he would not be where he is today "if he were a white man" or "a woman." You have gone on to say that you will not be discriminated against because you are white.
Ms. Ferraro may I please remind you of the following:
Black males 18-24 years old have the highest homicide victimization rates. Their rates are more than double the rates for black males age 25 and older and almost 4 times the rates for black males 14-17 years old. (Bureau of Justice Statistics)
One in nine black men between the ages of 20 and 34 is in prison. (Pew Center on the States)
The share of young black men without jobs has climbed relentlessly, with only a slight pause during the economic peak of the late 1990's. In 2000, 65 percent of black male high school dropouts in their 20's were jobless — that is, unable to find work, not seeking it or incarcerated. By 2004, the share had grown to 72 percent, compared with 34 percent of white and 19 percent of Hispanic dropouts. Even when high school graduates were included, half of black men in their 20's were jobless in 2004, up from 46 percent in 2000. (“Reconnecting Disadvantaged Young Men" - Urban Institute Press, 2006).
Incarceration rates climbed in the 1990's and reached historic highs in the past few years. In 1995, 16 percent of black men in their 20's who did not attend college were in jail or prison; by 2004, 21 percent were incarcerated. By their mid-30's, 6 in 10 black men who had dropped out of school had spent time in prison. (“Reconnecting Disadvantaged Young Men" - Urban Institute Press, 2006).
In the inner cities, more than half of all black men do not finish high school. (“Reconnecting Disadvantaged Young Men" - Urban Institute Press, 2006).
African Americans have the highest age-adjusted death rate for heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and HIV/AIDS. (Center for Disease Control)
Black people have come to bear the greatest burden of AIDS in America. They represent 54 percent of the new HIV/AIDS cases in America, 70 percent of the new cases among American youth are Black, and nearly 67 percent of the new HIV/AIDS cases among American women are Black, and 43 percent of the new cases among men are Black. Most importantly, the majority of those still dying from AIDS in America, totaling more than 18,000 last year, were Black. (Black AIDS Institute)
As you have said that your comments were taken out of context I hope that not even you could take those staggering realities listed above out of context.
To that end Ms. Ferraro, please be clear that Barack Obama is not lucky to be who he is. He is lucky to be alive in America.
You have been quoted as saying that Barack Obama is “"lucky" to be black, and that he would not be where he is today "if he were a white man" or "a woman." You have gone on to say that you will not be discriminated against because you are white.
Ms. Ferraro may I please remind you of the following:
Black males 18-24 years old have the highest homicide victimization rates. Their rates are more than double the rates for black males age 25 and older and almost 4 times the rates for black males 14-17 years old. (Bureau of Justice Statistics)
One in nine black men between the ages of 20 and 34 is in prison. (Pew Center on the States)
The share of young black men without jobs has climbed relentlessly, with only a slight pause during the economic peak of the late 1990's. In 2000, 65 percent of black male high school dropouts in their 20's were jobless — that is, unable to find work, not seeking it or incarcerated. By 2004, the share had grown to 72 percent, compared with 34 percent of white and 19 percent of Hispanic dropouts. Even when high school graduates were included, half of black men in their 20's were jobless in 2004, up from 46 percent in 2000. (“Reconnecting Disadvantaged Young Men" - Urban Institute Press, 2006).
Incarceration rates climbed in the 1990's and reached historic highs in the past few years. In 1995, 16 percent of black men in their 20's who did not attend college were in jail or prison; by 2004, 21 percent were incarcerated. By their mid-30's, 6 in 10 black men who had dropped out of school had spent time in prison. (“Reconnecting Disadvantaged Young Men" - Urban Institute Press, 2006).
In the inner cities, more than half of all black men do not finish high school. (“Reconnecting Disadvantaged Young Men" - Urban Institute Press, 2006).
African Americans have the highest age-adjusted death rate for heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and HIV/AIDS. (Center for Disease Control)
Black people have come to bear the greatest burden of AIDS in America. They represent 54 percent of the new HIV/AIDS cases in America, 70 percent of the new cases among American youth are Black, and nearly 67 percent of the new HIV/AIDS cases among American women are Black, and 43 percent of the new cases among men are Black. Most importantly, the majority of those still dying from AIDS in America, totaling more than 18,000 last year, were Black. (Black AIDS Institute)
As you have said that your comments were taken out of context I hope that not even you could take those staggering realities listed above out of context.
To that end Ms. Ferraro, please be clear that Barack Obama is not lucky to be who he is. He is lucky to be alive in America.
posted by ClayStarr at 12:35 AM
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