Indiana Black Expo’s 88-page “State of Our Black Youth Report” was full of damning statistics. The stat that captured my attention wasn’t the titillating stat that has been played up – the high percentage of births to Black unwed mothers.
Nor was it statistics on deteriorating health, abuse and economic conditions of households with Black youth.
Instead, my attention was focused on Expo’s report documenting the deterioration of agencies providing programs to Indiana’s Black youth. Expo reported that in 2003 there were 1,838 youth-serving agencies or programs in Indiana. Two years later, there were just 829. A 54.9 percent reduction.
In Indianapolis, the state’s largest city and largest Black community, there were 191 youth-serving agencies and programs in 2003, but just 108 two years later; a 43.5 percent reduction.
Black Expo and their research partner, the Indiana Youth Institute, didn’t just conjure this data out of thin air. Anecdotally, I’ve felt for years that the number of programs and agencies serving youth had shrunk. My feeling is now fact.
I’ve been bitterly critical of the funding priorities of Indianapolis’ major foundations, including the Lilly Endowment and the Central Indiana Community Foundation. Black Expo’s report documents the stark statistics and myriad problems impacting Black youth. Problems that can be dealt with by providing funding for expanding existing youth programs and new innovative programs dealing with our youths’ challenges.
Unfortunately, Indy’s foundations would rather squander cash on a Cultural Trail, a multi-million dollar boondoggle benefiting an elite few; while thousands of youth and families need real help.
The priorities of the business community are similarly warped. Business barely meets the United Way’s fund-raising goal. But eagerly salivates at spending $25 million chasing the golden calf called the Super Bowl, while Black youth and families suffer.
Instead of preparing a Super Bowl bid package, Indy’s foundations and businesses should prepare how they’ll fund the programs necessary to turn the negative statistics in the “State of Our Black Youth Report” into positive progress.
No key officials of Mayor Greg Ballard’s administration attended the report’s unveiling. Key state officials, including Virgil Madden, top aide to Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman and James Garrett, executive director of the Indiana Commission on the Status of Black Males were present.
Maybe the mayor’s minions were absent from a discussion of problems in our Black community because they’re afraid of the repercussions among Blacks to Ballard’s plan to strip away Sheriff Frank Anderson’s control of the Metropolitan Police.
This week, a City-County Council committee is expected to endorse the mayor’s proposal. Mayor Ballard is so comfortable with his proposal, that he’s refused to speak about it with Black media and our Black community. Or is his silence because he doesn’t want to address the other shoe involved in regaining police control?
Seven months ago, the Bush inJustice Department filed suit against the city charging racial discrimination against white police officers. If the Bush administration gets their way, the number of Metro Police Black sergeants and lieutenants would be dramatically cut.
Just as Bill Hudnut before him, former Mayor Bart Peterson pledged to fight the lawsuit.
But Mayor Ballard has been silent on the subject. Given the FOP’s strong support of Ballard, I expect when Ballard gets control of the cops, he and Public Safety Director Scott Newman will cave and return to the bad old days when Black police officers would be promoted to sergeant and lieutenant once in a blue moon.
See why there can’t be an African-American at the top of the law enforcement pyramid? Is the mayor’s goal to have a police department in a 28 percent Black city with a nearly invisible number of Black sergeants and lieutenants?
I’d like to ask him that, but his growing number of press minions continues to play keep away.
What I’m hearing in the streets
We’ll know for sure next Tuesday, but it’s increasingly likely that the Democratic presidential nomination won’t be settled until the convention. Making it likely that for the first time since 1968, Indiana’s presidential primary could mean something for Democrats.
Sen. Barack Obama’s smashing South Carolina win, fueled by huge Black turnout and winning thousands of white votes, points the way for him to win at least two congressional districts in the May primary, the 7th in Indianapolis and the 1st in Northwest Indiana. Obama’s ability to do well in other districts, especially those with college students (a strong Obama base) could be imperiled by Indiana’s heinous voter ID law which restricts college students’ ability to vote.
Don’t believe the white media’s hype about graduation rates. There was good news about the percentage of African-American students who graduated from high school in four years.
Statewide, 57 percent of Black 2007 graduates made it in four years. As a system, IPS’ Black graduation rate was below the state average at 47 percent, but higher than the white graduation rate of 43.3 percent. Township and suburban schools had higher Black graduation rates.
Here’s the area’s high school Black four-year graduation rates:
Avon (84.4 percent), Hamilton Southeastern (79.6 percent), North Central (77.3 percent), Lawrence North (72.7 percent), Warren Central (72.1 percent), Southport (71.8 percent), Pike (70.7 percent), Lawrence Central (70.4 percent), Decatur Central (70.4 percent), Ben Davis (65.8 percent), Broad Ripple (57 percent), Perry Meridian (54.5 percent), Howe (53.5 percent), Manual (51 percent), Arlington (50.1 percent), Washington (45.2 percent), Northwest (42.8 percent) and Tech (41.1 percent).
The Indianapolis Business Journal reports that the Indiana Pacers have become the worst NBA team in attendance this season. Despite playing in one of the league’s best facilities, people are staying away from Pacers games by the thousands. In the past when the Pacers hit an attendance slump, the team would slink to the Black community and beg Blacks to come to the games.
But they aren’t this year, due to a myopic marketing effort that seemingly wants to ignore that Blacks like basketball too.
But the Pacers’ problems go deeper. Other than Jermaine O’Neal, Blacks don’t know this team. These Pacers aren’t heard or seen doing things benefiting our community, while Colts coach Tony Dungy and his players are seemingly involved in everything.
The Pacers are in the collective doghouse of this city. To get out will take a concerted effort by the team and management to rebuild bridges, including bridges to our African-American community.
See ‘ya next week.
Amos Brown’s opinions are not necessarily those of the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper. You can contact him at (317) 221-0915 or by e-mail at ACBROWN@AOL.COM.
