Differing Views on Differing Views

The Pew Research Study (see below) received national attention from varying viewpoints.

Forty Acres and a Gap in Wealth

New York Times Opinion article by Henry Louis Gates Jr., a professor at Harvard and the author of the forthcoming “In Search of Our Roots.”

"Perhaps Margaret Thatcher, of all people, suggested a program that might help. In the 1980s, she turned 1.5 million residents of public housing projects in Britain into homeowners. It was certainly the most liberal thing Mrs. Thatcher did, and perhaps progressives should borrow a leaf from her playbook.

The telltale fact is that the biggest gap in black prosperity isn’t in income, but in wealth. According to a study by the economist Edward N. Wolff, the median net worth of non-Hispanic black households in 2004 was only $11,800 — less than 10 percent that of non-Hispanic white households, $118,300. Perhaps a bold and innovative approach to the problem of black poverty — one floated during the Civil War but never fully put into practice — would be to look at ways to turn tenants into homeowners. Sadly, in the wake of the subprime mortgage debacle, an enormous number of houses are being repossessed. But for the black poor, real progress may come only once they have an ownership stake in American society.

People who own property feel a sense of ownership in their future and their society. They study, save, work, strive and vote. And people trapped in a culture of tenancy do not."

Others tend to make greater assumptions about attitudes and the influence of recent news stories, such as Jena 6 and Katrina, even though the poll was conducted over a span of nearly 40 years and attitude trends.

Many more bridges to cross: Opinions of black Americans

Alabama's Anniston Star opinion desk writes:

"The obvious answer — or at least the first that comes to mind — is economics. Although income in black families has risen, the increase is largely due to black women moving significantly into the workforce. Meanwhile, a decline in the income of black men has been offset by income gains by black women, a trend which, if it continues, might cause policy makers to dust off earlier research on the condition of the black male in America.

But economics is only part of the answer. Two recent events — the case of the Jena Six and the federal and state response to Hurricane Katrina — seem to weigh heavily on the minds of those polled. The arrest of six young black students for beating a white classmate, even though white students were involved in related racial incidents, made some respondents uncertain about America’s racial progress. And the nation’s response to the Katrina disaster was seen as a lack of commitment by the government to a black community in distress.

Equally unsettling is that more often than not, whites who were polled saw a much brighter picture, suggesting not only a differing opinion but a differing perspective, as well.

Despite these disturbing revelations, the Pew poll also showed that an increasing number of blacks feel that they and their white counterparts share similar values, and that even though blacks believe prejudice is pervasive they do not blame prejudice for their situation. Self-reliance and responsibility, values whites and blacks share, are seen as critical elements to making things better."