Equality within black communities

The gap between rich and poor blacks is smaller in Maryland than in almost any other state, click here for the full story. Black households in Maryland scored a Gini coefficient of .430, only in Alaska is within-black inequality lower, counting only the states with a black population of three percent or higher. Most of the middle class black communities are concentrated around Washington D.C., much of the black poverty in Maryland comes from Baltimore.

David Dishneau notes the following: “The numbers reflect a relatively large black middle class, supported by good-paying, stable jobs in government, biotechnology and related industries, social scientists say.” In other words, the government as employer has done more for black communities than the government as purveyor of affirmative action. Yes our government has played a heroic role in helping stamp out unjust racial inequalities, but let us assign the credit to the policies that deserve it. When it comes to Alaska, seventeen percent of adults are veterans, the highest percentage of any state. Once again government employment, in this case mostly through the military, may play a significant role in reducing inequality and helping to create a black middle class.