Sixty years after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, a groundbreaking new report has laid bare the stark truth of ongoing black economic inequality in the United States.

Titled “STILL A DREAM: Over 500 Years to Black Economic Equality,” the report, co-authored by prominent experts Dedrick Asante-Muhammad, Chuck Collins, Omar Ocampo, and Sally Sim, and published by the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) and National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC), underscores the enduring disparities faced by Black Americans and highlights the pressing need for concerted action to address these disparities.

“Sixty years ago, Dr. King observed that America has defaulted on this promissory note to Black citizens,” stated Chuck Collins, an IPS senior scholar who directs the Program on Inequality and the Common Good in Washington, DC.

“Six decades later, despite incremental progress on some fronts, the check of opportunity has still come back with insufficient funds.”

Dedrick Asante-Muhammad, Chief of Race, Wealth, and Community for NCRC, lamented, “It is deeply troubling that, sixty years after the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Black economic equality remains nothing more than a dream for most Black Americans.”

“The revelation that it would take more than 500 additional years to close the economic gap for black Americans is a stark reminder of the systemic inequities that persist,” Asante-Muhammad asserted.

Sally Sim, a senior organizer, and project specialist at NCRC, emphasized the urgency of the situation.

“The sobering projection and findings of our report sixty years after the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom reinforce that the dream for economic equality for Black Americans remains unfulfilled,” Sim stated.

“On this historic anniversary, let us turn this report into a catalyst for meaningful action towards comprehensive solutions and public support for policies and initiatives that promote black economic equality.”

Some key findings from the comprehensive report were that, despite modest advancements made by African Americans since the 1960s, including reduced poverty rates, increased high school attainment, and lower unemployment rates, income disparities between Black and white Americans have only slightly improved.

The report exposes that in 2021, African Americans earn 62 cents to every dollar earned by white families.

The report’s authors said, at this rate, achieving income parity would take an astonishing 513 years.

Further, the wealth gap between Black and non-Black Americans has experienced only marginal growth, with African Americans possessing 18 cents for every dollar of non-Black wealth in 2019.

If this pace continues, it will take approximately 780 years for Black wealth to match non-Black wealth.

Median household income for African Americans has shown minimal growth, growing just 0.36% since the turn of the century.

Strikingly, it remained lower than white median family income in 1963.
Even after over six decades, the Black-white homeownership divide persists.

Black homeownership has grown from 38% in 1960 to 44% in 2021, while white homeownership surged from 64% in 1960 to 74% in 2021.

The report outlined a series of recommendations to combat black economic inequality:

1. Advocate for full employment and guaranteed jobs to ensure equal economic opportunities for all.

2. Enact a substantial land and homeownership program to address the enduring homeownership gap between Black and white Americans.

3. Commit to individual asset building, including financial education, asset matching programs, and supportive policies, to facilitate access to wealth-building opportunities for Black Americans.

4. Implement policies to reduce dynastic concentrations of wealth and power, tackling the structural barriers that impede economic progress for Black Americans.

5. Explore targeted reparations to address historical injustices and provide meaningful redress for the economic disparities Black Americans face.

The authors noted that, as the nation reflects on King’s enduring vision for equality and justice, the report serves as a sobering reminder that pursuing Black economic equality remains an unmet challenge in America.

“The findings of this report are sobering and demand immediate and comprehensive action to address the economic disparities faced by African Americans,” remarked Omar Ocampo, a researcher for the Program on Inequality and the Common Good at IPS.

“We must invest in transformative policies that address systemic racism and create an equitable society.”

View the full report here.

The post Six Decades after King’s historic speech, report shows Black economic quality is ‘Still a Dream’ appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.

* This article was originally published here

Ready to feel very, very old? “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,” the titular performer’s seminal solo debut album, turns 25 years old this month. The 1998 neo-soul record produced classic tracks like “Doo Wop (That Thing)”, “Ex-Factor” and “Everything Is Everything” and earned Hill five Grammy awards, making the singer-rapper the first woman to receive that many awards in one night. 

Given the popularity and pedigree of the record, it’s no surprise that Lauryn Hill will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the album that made her a superstar with a US tour this fall, including several stops in the New York area.

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“The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’ is and was a love song to my parents, my family, my people, my musical and cultural forebears, my teachers, my loves, my Creator,” Hill said in a press release. “I wrote love songs and protest songs—(still love songs) about the subjects and interests that inspired and moved me. I was confident that what inspired me would resonate with an audience that had been led to believe that songs of that kind could only live in the past.”

She continued, “I loved music, I loved people, I truly felt grateful to God for my life, and genuinely blessed to have a platform where I could share wisdom and perspective through music. I felt a charge to challenge the idea that certain kinds of expression and/or certain kinds of people didn’t belong in certain places. I loved showing what could work or happen provided there was imagination, creativity, and LOVE leading the way.”

Here’s everything we know so far about Lauryn Hill’s 25th-anniversary tour in NYC:

When is ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’ 25th-anniversary tour coming to NYC?

After the anniversary tour plays Newark (Lauryn Hill is a Jersey girl, after all) on Tuesday, October 17 at Prudential Center, it will make its way to NYC with a Brooklyn show on Thursday, October 19 at Barclays Center.

Hill will also perform in NYC a month earlier at the Global Citizen Festival in Central Park on Saturday, September 23, alongside Red Hot Chili Peppers, Megan Thee Stallion and more. 

How can I get tickets to the NYC shows?

Tickets for all tour dates will go on sale on Friday, August 25 at 10am local time, with presales beginning on Wednesday, August 23 at 10am. They’ll be available on all of the usual platforms: Ticketmaster, SeatGeek, VividSeats, etc. 

How much do tickets cost?

As of press time, tickets for the upper levels at Barclays Center are going for about $75 a pop, whereas a spot closest to the stage in the General Admission Pit will run you back $750. 

Any news on the setlist?

No word yet on the official setlist but given that the tour is commemorating The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, we’d put money down that Hill will perform most, if not all, of the tracks listed on the 16-song album, such as “Lost Ones,” “Every Ghetto, Every City” and “Superstar.” 

Who will be supporting the tour?

The big question: will Hill be joined onstage by Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel, members of her former group, the Fugees? The answer is yes. The group played its first show together in 15 years back in September 2021 at NYC’s Pier 17 and reunited yet again at the Roots Picnic in Philadelphia this June. The Fugees will support Hill at U.S. dates for the anniversary tour, while Jamaican singer Koffee will take up opening the Australian gigs. 

Where else is Lauryn Hill playing as part of her tour?

Here’s the full list of dates for “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” 25th-anniversary tour:

September 8 – Minneapolis, MN @ Mystic Lake
September 23 – New York, NY @ Global Citizen Festival
October 1 – Gold Coast, AUS @ Promiseland Festival
October 3 – Melbourne, AUS @ Rod Laver Arena *
October 5 – Sydney, AUS @ Kudos Banks Arena *
October 7 – Auckland, NZ @ Eden Festival
October 17 – Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center #
October 19 – Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays #
October 21 – Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena #
October 23 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Arena #
October 26 – Toronto, ON – Scotia #
October 28 – Chicago, IL @ United Center #
October 30 – Fort Worth, TX @ Dickies Arena #
November 2 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena #
November 5 – Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum #
November 7 – Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena #
November 9 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena #

* with Koffee
# with Fugees

* This article was originally published here