March Against Gloom

REGARDLESS of the attendance at the Million Man March in Washington, it has succeeded in focusing some needed attention on the plight of black men in America today. The picture is a sobering one. The following statistics, compiled by the Associated Press, speak for themselves:

*In 1993, 499,000 black men were enrolled in undergraduate college classes, compared with 789,400 black women. (Source: US Department of Education.)

*In 1994, 30.2 percent of black men ages 20-29 were in prison or jail or on probation or parole, compared with 4.8 percent of black women; 6.7 percent of white men; and 1.4 percent of white women. (Source: The Sentencing Project.)

*The rate of homicide victims per 100,000 black men is 72.0; black women, 14.2; white men, 9.3; white women, 3.0. (Source: Census Bureau.)

*The average annual unemployment for black males is 12.0 percent; black females, 11.0 percent; white males, 5.4 percent; white females, 5.2 percent. (Source: Census Bureau.)

*The percentage of black men ages 18-64 living below the poverty level is 20 percent; black women, 32 percent; white men, 7 percent; white women, 10 percent. (Source: Census Bureau.)