Melvin B. Miller
Editor & Publisher

The next generation

African American elders are deeply dismayed by the teenage lifestyle. It is common for the older generation to be critical of adolescents, but African Americans have special cause for concern, because the violence, drugs and sex in the black community are so destructive. Those who fought against segregation and racial discrimination are worried that their efforts and achievements for progress, racial equality and opportunities for the young will be squandered.

Fortunately, the U.S. government provides an annual report on the well-being of the nation’s children and youth. This report, entitled “America’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-being, 2007,” provides data necessary for an objective evaluation of the status of black youth.

There is more good news in the report than one might expect. A major problem in the black community has been the number of births to teenage mothers. The seriousness of this has been aggravated by the fact that most of the mothers have been unmarried. That problem reached its peak in 1991, when the birth rate reached 88 for every 1,000 black females ages 15-17.

In 2005, the rate had dropped to 35 per 1,000 female adolescents. That is still too high, but there is a strong downward trend. The lowest rate in this age group was among Asians, with only 8 births per 1,000. Whites were second lowest at 12, and Latinos were the highest at 48.

As might be expected given the declining birth rate, the percentage of black high school students who have reported that they have ever had sex has also decreased, from 82 percent in 1991 to 68 percent in 2005. The rate reported for white students in 2005 was 43 percent. Another factor contributing to the lower birth rate is that 63 percent of students engaging in sexual activity reported using condoms.

Another adolescent problem is the use of alcohol and illicit drugs. According to the report, white 10th and 12th graders were twice as likely as blacks to be heavy drinkers in 2006. The use of drugs by high school seniors is about the same for both blacks and whites — 22 percent.

The difficult socioeconomic experiences of their lives undoubtedly adversely affect black adolescents’ ability to perform in a variety of areas. Black children suffer neglect and physical, sexual and psychological abuse at a rate almost twice as high as white children. Only 62 percent of black children lived in families with secure parental employment in 2005, compared with 84 percent for white children. And 29 percent of black children lived in families where there was no assurance of adequate food.

Adequate housing has also been a problem for low-income families with children. The cost of housing is considered to be a burden when it requires more than 30 percent of household income. Between 1978 and 2005, the percentage of all families with this problem rose from 15 percent to 34 percent. Since a higher proportion of black families have low incomes, black children are disproportionately affected.

In addition to all of these other adversities, black youth also have to endure the grim prospect of becoming a victim of violent crime. It is twice as likely that black youth will suffer a violent crime as youth of other races. Yet despite all of these hurdles, 83 percent of black youth completed high school, compared to 92 percent for whites. In 2005, 56 percent of black high school graduates enrolled in college, compared with 73 percent for whites.

All is not lost. The trends are favorable. Black youth who can survive such adversity are to be commended. It is important for the elders to offer guidance and assistance rather than nothing more than derisive criticism.

“They still have time to grow up and amount to something.”