I was watching Meet the Press today. Bill Cosby and Dr. Alvin Poussaint were on talking about the African-American community. Now in light of the recent problems in Gena I think we as a country and we as the next generation of leaders of this country need to have a honest conversation about race. So lets get some of the facts.
In 1950, 5/6 African-American children where born in a "two parent house hold" today its less than 2/6.
70% of African American babies are born to single mothers.
1/3 of homeless people in this country are African American males. Yet African Americans only make up 12% of the population in the US.
2.2 million people are in jail in this country. 910,000 of them are African American. Thats 44% of the prison population that is African American and again African Americans only make up 12% of this countries total population. 90% of all African Americans who are in jail are male.
Homicide is the number one cause of death for African American males between the ages of 15 and 29.
Their is a racial difference in the sentencing practices in America. 80% of powdered cocaine users are white. Yet it takes 100 times as much powdered cocaine than crack cocaine to get the same mandatory sentence. In other words you get put in jail longer if you are caught with a drug mostly used by African Americans.
Gangster rap constantly uses the "N-word" yet gangster rap main audience is mostly white youth.
50% of new HIV/AIDS cases are African American.
I got these facts from the transcripts of Meet the Press. So now we have the facts, what are we going to do about it?
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2 comments:
The use of the "N-word" is what truely disturbs me. That is a demeaning and horrid word, that should not leave the lips of ANYONE, regardless of race or ethnicity. However, an African-American rapper is allowed to use it, but coming from a caucasian, especially in the south, it is deemed as racist. Can someone please explain this to me? Why is anyone allowed to say that term? And why does it have two meanings depending on what ethnicity the person saying it is? 50 Cent can say it in his music, but you can bet if Eminem ever did, he'd be in trouble.
The use of the "N-word" in rap music troubles me too and the fact the largest buyer of rap music are white teenage males is also troubling...
Also the people who want the "N-word" in the music are often times White Music Label Owners...I can't get past the fact that it is white people pushing this music and it is white people buying this music.
Bill Cosbey might have said it best last night "the audience for gangsta rap is made up predominantly of white youth, who get a vicarious thrill from participating in a black thug fantasy, including the degradation of women."
The point wasn't to show that African Americans can say the "N-Word" and whites can't. It was that the N'word is bad, and it is being pushed into the world by white label owners...This to me is one example of institutional racism.
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