[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 5993]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   ECONOMIC CLIMATE IN BLACK AMERICA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. Butterfield) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BUTTERFIELD. Mr. Speaker, the Congressional Black Caucus will 
present eight or nine speakers on the Democratic side in just a few 
minutes. I am the first of many who will be speaking.
  We come to the floor today to express our deepest sympathy and 
support to the family of Freddie Gray and to the citizens of Baltimore, 
Maryland.

                              {time}  1030

  Mr. Speaker, the events in Baltimore are not just about police 
misconduct. It is about pervasive poverty. It is about unemployment, 
lack of opportunity, hopelessness, and despair.
  Since the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson nearly 9 months ago, 
more than 25 bills have been introduced by members of the CBC that 
address the need for law enforcement accountability. Today, I call on 
my House and Senate colleagues to put aside partisanship and take up 
some or all of these bills. This issue has an impact on all of us.
  We must address economic disparities that face Black communities all 
across the Nation. Baltimore, Mr. Speaker, is not unique.
  The economic climate in Black America and the divide that has 
persisted for generations is due largely to our country's history of 
disparate treatment of African Americans and lack of opportunity.
  While much of the country has experienced an economic recovery over 
the last 6 years, it has not reached the African American community.
  Recently, the CBC and the Joint Economic Committee released a report 
on the economic challenges facing African Americans. African Americans 
are struggling and continue to face high rates of persistent poverty, 
unemployment, long-term unemployment, as well as significantly lower 
incomes and slower wealth accumulation.
  More than 400 counties in the United States suffer poverty rates 
greater than 20 percent. These rates have persisted now for more than 
30 years. The median income of African American households is $34,000, 
$24,000 less than the median income of households. The median net worth 
of White households is 13 times the level for Black households. Black 
Americans are almost three times more likely to live in poverty.
  At 10.1 percent, the current unemployment rate for Black Americans is 
double the rate for White Americans. Black Americans currently face an 
unemployment rate higher than the national unemployment rate reached 
during the recession.
  African Americans are less likely to obtain education beyond high 
school than White students. They are less likely to earn a college 
degree. Even among college graduates, Blacks face worse job prospects 
than Whites. The unemployment rate for Black workers with at least a 
bachelor's degree is 5.2 percent, compared to 2.9 percent for White 
workers.
  Forty-four percent of Black Americans own a home, compared to 74 
percent of Whites.
  In my home State of North Carolina, the unemployment rate for African 
Americans is 9.9 percent, based on an unemployment rate of 3.2 percent 
for Whites. The poverty rate for African Americans is 27.5 percent, 
while for Whites it is 12.6.
  Right here, Mr. Speaker, in the District of Columbia, the median 
household income for African Americans is $38,300 for Blacks and 
$115,900 for Whites, a gap of $77,000. The D.C. poverty rate is 27.4 
percent for African Americans, compared to 7.6 percent for Whites.
  Colleagues, these statistics tell the story. These numbers are 
staggering, troubling, and problematic. It is time for a renewed focus 
on Blacks in America and a need for real solutions on issues that have 
persistently plagued our communities.
  I will end, Mr. Speaker, by quoting some excerpts from President 
Johnson's 1964 State of the Union Speech. And he said: ``Unfortunately, 
many Americans live on the outskirts of hope--some because of their 
poverty, and some because of their color, all too many because of both. 
Our task is to help replace their despair with opportunity.
  ``This administration today,'' he said, ``here and now, declares 
unconditional war on poverty in America. I urge this Congress and all 
Americans to join with me in that effort,'' he said.
  ``It will not be a short or easy struggle, no single weapon or 
strategy will suffice, but we shall not rest until that war is won.''
  President Johnson said: ``The richest Nation on Earth can afford to 
win it. We cannot afford to lose it. One thousand dollars invested in 
salvaging an unemployable youth today can return $40,000 or more in his 
lifetime.''
  President Johnson said: ``Poverty is a national problem, requiring 
improved national organization and support. But this attack, to be 
effective, must also be organized at the State and local level and must 
be supported and directed by State and local efforts.''
  He said: ``For the war against poverty will not be won here in 
Washington. It must be won in the field, in every private home, in 
every public office, from the courthouse to the White House.
  ``The program I shall propose,'' he said, ``will emphasize this 
cooperative approach to help that one-fifth of all American families 
with incomes too small to even meet their basic needs.''
  President Lyndon Baines Johnson, January 8, 1964, from this Chamber.

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