National Urban League's State of Black America 2007 Report Details Plight of Minority Youths
Posted on: Tuesday, 17 April 2007, 12:00 CDT
WASHINGTON, April 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Dr. Gail Christopher, director of the Health Policy Institute (HPI) at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, discusses the plight of young men of color in the National Urban League's State of Black America 2007 report. This analysis of conditions for African Americans in the United States was released today by the Urban League.
In a chapter outlining the challenges faced by young men of color, Dr. Christopher cites a series of public policy recommendations that would improve life options for these young men and help them overcome many social and institutional obstacles. The recommendations were formulated by the Dellums Commission, a group appointed by HPI to investigate the circumstances faced by a broad range of young minority males.
"We concluded that misguided public policies have contributed to many of the hurdles faced by young men of color," Dr. Christopher said. "Prison incarceration rates shot up in the 1980s after youth offenders were increasingly diverted to adult criminal systems and municipalities abandoned rehabilitation and treatment for drug users in favor of interdiction and criminal sanctions. In another example, school dropout rates grew with the imposition of zero tolerance policies in schools across the country."
To address these, and other barriers, Dr. Christopher advocated in the State of Black America 2007 report that legislators heed the call of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Kennedy and other prominent justice officials for the repeal of mandatory minimum sentences; that states enact legislation giving health insurance to all uninsured children under age 18; that the minimum wage be significantly increased; and that significant changes be made to the No Child Left Behind law.
"We are proud that Dr. Christopher was given the opportunity to contribute to the Urban League's State of Black America 2007 report," said Ralph Everett, President and CEO of the Joint Center. "The Joint Center, through the HPI, has been a leader in striving to improve the quality of life for young minority males in America. We are on the verge of making a real difference in the lives of these young men."
Dr. Christopher noted, for instance, that since the Dellums Commission released its report last fall, Congress, AFL-CIO, municipalities, policy- makers and non-profit organizations have launched multiple projects and legislation across the country aimed at improving the health, education and employment opportunities for young men of color.
Among the initiatives is legislation filed by members of the Congressional Black Caucus creating an Office of Men's Health within the Department of Health and Human Services that would address the disproportionate diseases suffered by minority men; a project by the Phelps Stokes Fund to recruit more African American male school teachers; and a commission empowered by Chicago and Illinois public officials to help implement the Dellums Commission recommendations in Chicago.
Moreover, the AFL-CIO is preparing to launch their first Mobilization for Young Men of Color (MYMC) center in New Orleans. The pilot program has been established by the AFL-CIO, its Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO, as well as the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust (HIT) and AFL-CIO Investment Trust Corporation. MYMC will create employment, educational and cultural opportunities for young men of color in New Orleans, and eventually establish similar programs in other cities across the country.
The AFL-CIO Investment Trust Corporation established the Solidarity Revitalization Corporation, a 501(c)(3) which can secure funding for the acquisition and operation of the MYMC anchor facility. In addition, the Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO, has received a three- year, $3 million grant under the Louisiana Community Development Block Grant Recovery Workforce Training Program to implement the central job training aspect of the MYMC program and anchor facility. "The MYMC program and anchor facility will be centered on workforce training," said Stephen Coyle, CEO of the HIT. "The facility can also be used for community purposes, such as mobile health clinics, after school programming for pre-teen youth, as well as financial literacy, musical and cultural education. We look forward to getting the first MYMC center up and running."
Other activities across the country include: -- The Black Administrators in Child Welfare (BACW) is leading an effort to get states to implement recommendations designed to improve the way young men of color are handled in the Child Welfare Systems, and after they leave the systems. -- Fulton County, Georgia has launched a major effort to implement recommendations from Dellums Commission related to criminal justice. They sponsored a Drug Policy Strategic Planning Session to begin reforming drug laws in Fulton County -- and ultimately in the State of Georgia. The effort is supported by the Joint Center HPI and the Lowery Institute Criminal Justice Symposium through a grant from the Kellogg Foundation.
"We believe these activities are just the beginning of a broad based effort to create a more encouraging environment for young men of color," Dr. Christopher said. "We encourage other lawmakers, policy-makers, non-profits and the business community to join us in this effort to create opportunities for these young men."
The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies is a national, nonprofit research and public policy institution based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1970, it is recognized as one of the nation's premier think tanks that focuses on issues of importance and concern to African Americans and other people of color. For more information about the Joint Center, visit its Web site at http://www.jointcenter.org/ or call 202-789-3500.
Contact: Trudy Wong-You 202-789-6366 Michael K. Frisby 202-625-4328
Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies
CONTACT: Trudy Wong-You of the Joint Center for Political and EconomicStudies, +1-202-789-6366; or Michael K. Frisby, +1-202-625-4328, for the JointCenter for Political and Economic Studies
Web site: http://www.jointcenter.org/
Source: PRNewswire-USNewswire
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