BY CARLOS MEDLEY

t's been more than 40 years since Martin Luther King, Jr., gave his "I Have a Dream" speech. Delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., in 1963, the 16-minute address has become a landmark in race relations in North America.

In vivid language, King laid out a vision for racial harmony calling for equality in jobs, housing, education, and elimination of poverty.

Over the past 40 years African Americans have made gains in the above areas. In addition, there has been exponential growth in the number of Black elected officials and Black-owned businesses. Many more African Americans are becoming CEOs and sitting on the corporate boards of Fortune 500 companies.

As one evaluates the progress of Black Americans, it is possible to think that racial harmony is flourishing in North America, that segregation is nothing more than an antiquated relic of the past, that a person can advance in their profession through pure talent, that the economic gap between the races has narrowed substantially, and that King's dream of racial equality has become a reality.

Unfortunately, a new report on the status of King's dream paints a radically different picture. The State of the Dream 2004, a report commissioned by United for a Fair Economy,* shows that while income levels for Black Americans have increased, the gap between White and Black income has widened.

The study gleans much of its material from the U.S. Census and other government statistics. According to the 27-page document, the typical Black family had 60 percent as much income as a White family in 1968 (when King was assassinated), but only 58 percent as much in 2002. Researchers noted that as the gap widens, the income differential becomes significant over a lifetime. In a typical 40-year working life, the difference ranges from $300,000 to $600,000, depending on the level of education.

While Black per capita income increased, the racial gap narrowed by only two cents between 1968 and 2001. In 1968 Blacks had 55 cents of income for every dollar of White income. By 2001 the figure had risen to only 57 cents. At this rate it will take more than 500 years for Black income to reach parity, researchers say. Regarding personal wealth, the Black-White gap has also widened over the years. "White households had an average net worth [defined by researchers as what you own minus what you owe] of $468,200 in 2001, more than six times the $75,700 of Black households. . . . In 1989, average White wealth was five-and-a-half times Black wealth."

At the other end of the economic spectrum, things are not quite as bleak. However, the gap in overall poverty has decreased only slightly since 1968. While poverty for Whites decreased from 10 percent to 8 percent between 1968 and 2002, the corresponding rates for Black Americans decreased from 34.7 to 24.1 percent for the same period. It is expected that Blacks will reach parity in about 150 years, according to the report.

Perhaps the most hopeful part of the study was in the area of education. The high school dropout rate for Blacks declined 44 percent between 1968 and 2002, from 10.1 to 5.7 percent, while the dropout rate for Whites increased slightly, from 4.5 to 4.6 percent. At this rate, Blacks could reach parity in 2009.

The number of Blacks age 25 and over who completed high school has increased sharply, from 30.1 to 79.2 percent, while the corresponding proportion of Whites increased from 54.9 to 88.7 percent. Parity could be reached in 9 years.

Researchers also note that these gains were attained even though "school districts with the most minority students have less state and local dollars than districts with the fewest minority students." According to Education Trust, the funding gap amounts to more than $1,000 per student. This report left me deeply concerned.

I'm troubled because it's so easy to be deceived by the trappings of racial progress. In the end, studies like this bring us back to the real truth--that all is not well.

_________________________
*United for a Fair Economy is a nonprofit organization that raises public awareness on issues of economic injustice.

_________________________
Carlos Medley is the news and online editor of the Adventist Review.