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``The
one thing that is certain is the need to hear and amplify
the voices of black women,'' longtime civil rights activist
Dorothy Height writes in the foreword. ``Too often,
our needs, concerns, struggles, and triumphs are diminished
and subordinated to what is believed to be the more
pressing concerns of others.''
Julianne
Malveaux, the president of Bennett College for Women
in Greensboro, N.C., contends in the report's opening
essay that the image of black women in popular culture
has barely improved in the year since the Imus incident.
White
men continue to dominate on TV's Sunday morning news
shows, she writes, while ``the gyrating, undulating
image of African-American women in rap music videos
and, by extension, on cable television is as prevalent
as ever.''
The
report delves deeply into economics, noting that black
women are more likely than white or Hispanic women to
be running a household and raising children on their
own. According to Malveaux, black women hold more jobs
nationwide than black men, yet _ despite their breadwinner
roles _ earn less on average, $566 a week compared to
$629 for black men.
In
an essay about the home loan crisis, Andrea Harris,
president of the North Carolina Institute for Minority
Economic Development, suggests that black women have
suffered disproportionately.
Assessing recent federal data on subprime loans, which
are a main culprit in the foreclosure epidemic, Harris
says black women received far more of these loans in
2006 than white men.
``It
is easy to imagine the devastation that is headed toward
African-American women and their communities,'' Harris
writes.
An
essay by Dr. Doris Browne, a public health expert, details
the above-average rates of cancer, diabetes and heart
disease among black women.
On
an upbeat note, former Labor Secretary Alexis Herman
notes in her essay that black women are making huge
strides as entrepreneurs. The number of businesses owned
by them increased by
147 percent between 1997 and 2006, compared to an overall
business growth rate of 24 percent, she wrote.
Another
of the essayists, Melanie Campbell of the National Coalition
on Black Civic Participation, said in an interview that
disparities in health care and economics are the paramount
issues for black women as the election campaign unfolds.
Exit
polling shows that black women have become a larger
force within the Democratic electorate compared to 2004,
and Campbell said their expectations for policy changes
also are rising.
``We
want to go beyond being thought about,'' she said. ``We
want action.''
The
president of the Urban League, a 98-year-old black empowerment
organization, hailed women as ``the backbone of the
black family'' _ constantly surmounting obstacles. Marc
Morial called for expansion of programs that would assist
black women in starting businesses, protect more of
them from predatory lending schemes, and provide more
of them with affordable, high-quality child care.
``When
black women hurt, the American family suffers,'' Morial
wrote. ``But by uplifting black women, especially those
struggling hardest to keep their families together and
their dreams on track, we lift up every American community.''
A
year ago, the Urban League focused its State of Black
America report on the difficulties facing many young
black men, including their high rates of crime and imprisonment.
This year's theme was welcomed by black women who believe
their particular concerns often are overlooked.
``I'm
heartened that we're delving into this issue in depth
in a way that we haven't in the past,'' said Avis Jones-DeWeever,
a public policy expert with the National Council of
Negro Women.
``For
us, it's two steps forward, one step back,'' she added.
``But we do have a lot to be proud of.''
National
Urban League:
http://www.nul.org/
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