February 23, 2012 | 8:45 AM | By

How Large is D.C.’s Income Gap?

D.C.’s income gap between the rich and poor is one of the largest in the nation, and it’s growing. The Washington Examiner breaks down the District’s income gap by neighborhoods. Georgetown is on one end of the spectrum, where the average household brings in $155,532 a year. On the other end: Bellevue/South Capitol, where the average household earns $29,695 yearly.

The District’s income gap also breaks down along racial lines; on average, African Americans earn $1 for every $3.06 whites earn.

“In a recession the poor get poorer and the rich get richer,” said Richard Clinch, a University of Baltimore economist.

He said income gaps tend to widen during and after recessions because companies start handing out raises again but don’t resume hiring. But the District’s rising gap is also indicative of its appeal to the well-heeled.

Read more at: washingtonexaminer.com

February 22, 2012 | 2:19 PM | By

Why Retirement is Tougher for Blacks, Latinos

Mario Tama / Getty Images

Senior citizens attend a meeting with their senator about Social Security at the Isabella Geriatric Center in New York City. Black seniors, on average, rely more heavily on Social Security than whites.

Unemployment rates are higher for blacks and Latinos than for whites, but there’s another disparity at the end of the career spectrum: retirement. Black and Latino retirees have a tougher time financially than their white counterparts, according to a new University of California, Berkeley study [PDF]. Below are three reasons why:

Poverty is higher among black and Latino seniors than white seniors.

The poverty rate among all seniors is about 9 percent. For white seniors, it’s 7 percent, while for black and Latino seniors, it’s 19 percent. People of color over 60 years old are more likely to live in poverty because they rely on fewer sources of retirement income than white seniors, according to the study’s authors.

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FILED UNDER: The People, Poverty, Race and Class, Seniors, Social Security
February 22, 2012 | 11:58 AM | By

Obama at Black History Museum Ground Breaking (Photo)

The groundbreaking for a new Smithsonian black history museum took place in D.C. this morning. It will be the first national museum devoted to black life, culture and history, and it will open on the National Mall in 2015.

We’ve previously explored the debate over the need for a Black History Month and whether there’s still a need to focus on black history. President Barack Obama attended today’s ceremony, saying “this day has been a long time coming” and that the museum will remind and inspire visitors of “how ordinary Americans can do extraordinary things.”

Below is a photo of President Obama with First Lady Michelle Obama at the ceremony, standing during the national anthem, flanked by a solider in the front.

Saul Loeb / AFP/Getty Images

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama stand for the National Anthem during the groundbreaking ceremony for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture on the National Mall.

FILED UNDER: Culture, Museums, Black History, President Barack Obama
February 22, 2012 | 10:19 AM | By

Connections Between Africans and African Americans

We’ve previously explored some of the long-standing tensions between black residents and Ethiopian expatriates who have settled around U Street NW. But WAMU 88.5′s Global Perspectives takes another look into how these two communities are forging bonds. The show airs at 6:30 p.m., Thursday.

… cultural and political connections between these groups stretch back more than a hundred years. Ethiopia’s resistance to colonialism was an inspiration to many black American pan-Africanists. African-Americans sent money and fighter pilots to Ethiopia to battle Italian invaders. Later, Ethiopians looked to African-American civil rights leaders and cultural icons as heroes.

Today, some Ethiopians and African-Americans in DC are forging new alliances between their communities – and in doing so, reconciling their own personal histories and identities.

Read more at: wamu.org

February 21, 2012 | 2:28 PM | By

Black History Through D.C. Murals (Photos)

From Northwest to Southeast, D.C.’s public murals help tell the story of black history. Take a look at our gallery below, showcasing some of these public artworks.

Notable figures depicted in the murals include: Carter G. Woodson, considered “the father of black history;” activist and leader Malcolm X; abolitionist and writer Frederick Douglass; and poet Langston Hughes.

Some of the murals are funded by the District government, while others are privately-commissioned. There are also a few that are quite new, while others will soon disappear due to development. The gallery presents a snapshot of D.C. murals relating to black history, so feel free to post photos of other such murals in the comments section.

FILED UNDER: Around the City, Black History, Murals, Public Art, The Arts
February 21, 2012 | 8:58 AM | By

How to Get Better Restaurants East of the River

There are few sit-down restaurants east of the Anacostia River and few carry-outs that don’t have bullet-proof glass. The city is trying to change that by inviting business owners on tours east of the river, encouraging them to invest in a community that will experience massive redevelopment in the coming years.

Some local residents spoke to The Washington Post on why they think their community has limited culinary choices.


But the choices remain too limited for residents, some of whom suspect that restaurateurs stay away because they don’t want to open in a black community.

“My community is stigmatized,” said Yvonne Moore, a retiree who has lived in Anacostia for 35 years. “The chain restaurants won’t come here because they think we don’t have the income. They are afraid of crime. You’d think with Obama in the White House, it would’ve gotten better.”

Albert “Butch” Hopkins, president of the Anacostia Economic Development Corp., a nonprofit that has promoted investment east of the river since the 1970s, said he’s frustrated by such arguments: “It ain’t about race and class, it’s about economics. Unless we can show there’s an increase in daytime jobs with people who have disposable incomes, we will be singing the same tune for the next 40 years.”

Read more at: www.washingtonpost.com

February 20, 2012 | 4:27 PM | By

New Dental Clinic Bolsters Access for D.C.’s Low-Income Patients

Elahe Izadi / DCentric

Dentist Steven Myles shows how he is able to access a patient's medical records during appointments in Bread for the City's new dental clinic.

It’s been more than a decade since Florence Sandridge has been to a dentist. Now, the 80-year-old needs a plate put in her mouth.

“Usually the dentist is so expensive,” she said. That’s why last week she went to the ribbon-cutting of a free dental clinic for low-income D.C. residents.

The Bread for the City single-room clinic — with its green walls, new equipment and a couple of dentist chairs — fills a big gap. There are few options for low-income D.C. residents. Those on Medicare, Medicaid or signed up with D.C. Health Alliance receive some dental coverage. There are also a few other free dental clinics in the city — such as one run by nonprofit So Others Might Eat — and a mobile dental clinic that makes stops throughout the city. “But there just aren’t enough services,” said Kristin Valentine, Bread for the City’s development director. Dental care is consistently the most requested service among the Bread for the City’s clients.

Even those with dental coverage don’t regularly see a dentist; about half of low-income adults with coverage haven’t been to the dentist in at least a year, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation report. The reasons vary. Some have problems finding dentists who accept Medicaid. Out-of-pocket costs for those under private and public plans may be too expensive for families. Other issues keep low-income adults from getting dental care, such as lack of transportation, child care and work arrangements and cultural barriers, according to the Kaiser report.

Joan Carson, 56, is a Bread for the City client who serves on the nonprofit’s advisory board. She said it’s difficult to find dentists who accept Medicare and Medicaid. Another advisory board member and client, 54-year-old Deborah Branch, said she was thankful for the clinic, which has been a long time coming.

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FILED UNDER: Around the City, Bread for the City, Dental Health, Health disparities
February 20, 2012 | 9:39 AM | By

Who is ‘Disadvantaged?’

David W. Wilmot is D.C.’s top-earning lobbyist. He is African American and has Disadvantaged Business Enterprise certification, which has helped him secure multimillion dollar contracts, The Washington Times reports. Now there’s a D.C. City Council debate going on over who should receive minority contracts.

“The system has been used to privilege the old guard to receive contracts to the exclusion of others who could use a leg up,” D.C. City Councilman David Catania (At-large) told the Times. “We need to establish time limits and income limits. It isn’t intended to be perpetual training wheels.”


Ward 8 Democrat Marion Barry, a longtime friend and client of Mr. Wilmot, says procurement preferences belong to any businessman associated with a group that has “historically been discriminated against.”

Mr. Barry says Mr. Wilmot fits into the class of historically disadvantaged businessmen because he is black. “It’s not based on income,” Mr. Barry said. “It’s easier to get a car loan than a business loan right now. Plus, the banks are run by white men, and it’s a well-known fact that we don’t have access to capital.”

Council Chairman Kwame R. Brown would not comment directly on Mr. Wilmot’s status as a disadvantaged businessman. “It’s a national debate,” he said, “and the standards are always changing. Mr. Wilmot has been around for a long time. He brings a certain level of sophistication and expertise. But I don’t know what his net worth is.”

When pressed, Mr. Brown offered: “You can’t say you are disadvantaged and not be.”

Read more at: www.washingtontimes.com

February 17, 2012 | 1:41 PM | By

Minority Youth From Around the Country Compete in Annual D.C. Swim Meet

The Annual Black History Invitational Swim Meet, or BHISM, takes place this weekend at the District’s Takoma Aquatic Center. More than 800 youth minority athletes from around the country will come to compete in the 26th annual competition. One of the original purposes of the swim meet, which also started in D.C., was to promote the sport of swimming among African American youth living in cities.

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  • Source: Dc

Hosted by [D.C.'s Department of Parks and Recreation] and the United Black Fund, Inc., the Black History Invitational Swim Meet was founded in 1987 by Dr. Calvin Rolark and Dr. William Rumsey. Their goals were to nourish self-reliance, determination, and the spirit of fair play for youth and parents. Over the years, the Black History Invitational Swim meet has provided urban youth, from across the nation, with a positive outlet and strong competition in the sport of competitive swimming.

Read more at: dpr.dc.gov

February 17, 2012 | 8:42 AM | By

Jeremy Lin, ‘Linsanity’ and Race

The buzz around New York Knicks player Jeremy Lin, the first Asian American to start in an NBA game, has grown into its own pop cultural meme: “Linsanity.” And, as The Huffington Post’s business editor Peter S. Goodman writes, it’s generated a backlash as well.

Boxer Floyd Mayweather recently wrote on Twitter that Lin is a good player “but all the hype is because he’s Asian” and “black players do what he does every night and don’t get the same praise.”

Lin has had to confront race long before recently stepping into the spotlight. During his college basketball days, fans would heckle him and poke fun at his race. It happened to him in D.C., too; a Georgetown University basketball fan yelled a racial slur at him during a 2009 game.


Silliness aside, Mayweather’s words amount to a teachable moment for a nation in which race is an omnipresent part of almost any conversation and too often employed as a means of undermining individual accomplishments. Successful people of color are frequently stripped of their achievements and stuck with an asterisk, as if their status were achieved by anything less than the merit that supposedly governs everything for white people. Even in moments of triumph, painful stereotypes are reinforced, with the settled-upon popular narrative yielding to shared (and typically simplistic) assumptions about characteristics supposedly tethered to racial identity.

Read more at: www.huffingtonpost.com