We Are Not All Guilty, But We Are All Responsible (Rabbi Heschel)

It is a rare treat to see a variety of reporters, commentators and bloggers talking about the important issues of social and economic disparities and the underlying racial implications facing our country in the 21st century. It is a shame that this conversation comes but once a year, on the anniversary of MLK Jr's assassination, as judgments are made about how far America has come and whether or not his 'dream' has come to fruition.

There is a general consensus that though much has changed in the 40 years since King's assassination, his dreams have not been fully realized and honest conversations about the relevance of race in America are still needed. The last point has been emphasized with Obama's recent Philadelphia speech on race.

'Senator Barack Obama’s recent speech that touched on race has led many commentators to hope that we are on the verge of open and honest discussion on the role race places in American society, not just politics. I believe that America is in desperate need of such a discussion and hope that the facts presented in this report lie at the forefront of the conversation. For those who are serious about moving the country onto higher ground, the continuing significance of racial disparities, despite all of the great changes that have taken place in the nation, should drive any discussion.' (Michael Fauntroy)

But the discussion thus far has been largely theoretical and more policy recommendations are desperately needed to address the disparities and tensions that still exist. The numbers released in the Institute of Policy Studies' recent report '40 Years Later: The Unrealized American Dream' articulate the changes in our society, both good and bad.

-The purchasing power of African Americans is estimated at $800 billion, making them the 15th or 16th richest 'country' in the world. But it will take more than 537 years for Blacks to reach income equality with whites if progress continues at the rate it has since King's assassination.

-The African American college graduation rate has increased by almost 400% since 1968. Yet, at this rate inequality in college graduation between Blacks and whites will linger till 2087.

-In 1968 over 40% of blacks lived below the poverty line, with an additional 20% hovering right above it. Today that number is down to 25%, but a third of all black children live in poverty.

Eugene Robinson sums it up these dichotomies nicely in his piece 'Two Black Americas.'

It's misleading, then, to make any general statement about the condition of black Americans without recognizing black America's diversity. Economically speaking, there is one group of black Americans that has achieved success and one that hasn't -- and the distance between those groups is growing.

It is clear that economic justice policies should be of the greatest priority to this nation and our leaders, though in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and in the midst of the war in Iraq the current administrations policies often appear to be misguided.

King's legacy should be carried on in a continued fight for economic justice. As he said...

Our only hope . . . lies in our ability to recapture the revolutionary spirit [of America] and go out into a sometimes hostile world declaring eternal hostility to poverty, racism, and militarism.

The dispossessed of our nation – the poor, both white and Negro – live in a cruelly unjust society. They must organize a revolution against that injustice, not against the lives of their fellow citizens, but against the structures through which the society is refusing to take means to lift the load of poverty.