OPINION" COMMENTARY/ LEITERS/ EDITORIALS
. - ; I.
_." ..... his office, be holds
door opeD for a person
tbr<J'" the door d
nub bi -witbout thanking
. b· .
He top' by the store to gel a
loaf of bread aDd the bite
castlUl· er dropI . on the
counter.
He . for apartment
d .. told that there are DO
. .
vacaac:xs.
Blae
·W
�idml, QaiJdma's De/t!IISe
FlUId
Our youag families are the
aadle of our Dell generation.
But far too maoy of them are
sinking fast.
, . In 1973, roughly one-tho d of
aU Bladl families (those
beaded by a person yooser than
30) was poor. Today, nearly half
of s cb young Black fainilics are
poor. More aDd IDOre of our
young Black families are
beaded by JOUDI women
are . to raise cbildrca
aIooe - families that face a �ry
biP risk of poverty.
While young families of aU m
raca are bW'tiDg. young B ck
familie ' incomes ha� been
droppina faster thaD those of
yOUDg wbite or Hispanic
families Since 1913, the income
of the youngest famHie
. (beaded by a pelSOD youiager
thaD 2S) has dropped by rough-
ly 19" amOD ites and
Hispuia, a .. 47%
. .,.on Blacks. In 1913, the
� ';I!D alOO for the WU.l8st
Blac families .$11,997.
Today,· . S6,«X».
. We bow tS6,400ayear·
eaoupfor ODe hu bei
to live indec:eDcy, let e a
family. ADd yet yof
B . are tryiDg
to urme today OIl far than .• adequate to suppo t a fami-
th· ADd statistics Iywitbin the reach of
Voter articipation e con­
tiD· 0 mobilize the tioo's
20.4 lion Black v ter . If
receDllflell CODtin B cks
could cbe the wter . . pa-
tion gap between the lves
aod · es and cveD take the
lead· some aitical cas. If
this happen, B cb wiD
bePt tel get so real respect
&om bbth political �rtie ,
regard ss of bo WID the
presideacy.
Mr. iIIiams· Pr ·dent of
The joi t Center For Political
Studies, a Bia hingto
DC .
YOUDg ill will ·1
raise tb mmnaum wage to
$4.55 aD our over the n", three
. � It uId help up for
years of lion in which the
value of the minimum � -
which at:fects the wag of so
1
qualifi of vice presidea­
tial candiaates, and the �ficit.
As a B perso I want to
know they're goi to do
for me. ou also want to �
about th· that are closer to
home,· said. I
"They ha e talked bout
drugs an cdUcatioa, in general
terms, b t you want t� hear
Blacks a d Hoi panic people
refered to Their pir� are
imPOrtanl1 And, they are a . -
nific:ant _ � ·of the electorate,"
asserted r;,: en, the author
of "Black idential Po .. in·
A.merica, " • book pub . this
year. The t debate did noth-
. to enhance to of .
either Candidate, ob e
said.
. .