The power of ‘now’ can only be realized now. It requires no time and effort. Effort means you’re trying hard to get somewhere, and so you are not present, welcoming this moment as it is. Eckhart Tolle
Last month, Nexus Community Partners was selected by the Bush Foundation to establish a Community Trust Fund that will directly invest in Black communities across the region through grants to individuals. The $50 million Bush Foundation grant will target Black residents in Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Nebraska. The launch is scheduled in early 2023 following extensive community engagement.
In a statement announcing the grant, Nexus said it supports “strong, equitable, and just communities in which all residents are engaged, are recognized as leaders, and have pathways to opportunities. The key to building more engaged and powerful communities of color lies in the connections between authorship, leadership, and ownership.”
That notwithstanding, “More support is needed for policies, resources, and an urgency with an exclusive focus on African Americans,” said Shawn Lewis, who monitors and comments on philanthropy. “One of many questions that needs to be answered is how much federal spending is truly benefiting African Americans and their communities.”
“According to the Census Bureau, even years prior to the pandemic, the Twin Cities had one of the highest percentages of people of color below the poverty level of the 25 largest cities in the US. And the Twin City metropolitan region had the third highest percentage behind Pittsburg and Milwaukee,” said Yusef Mgeni, journalist and retired executive who is a regular commentator on Conversations with Al McFarlane Thursday webcasts.
Before the housing market bubble burst in 2008, Minnesota had one of the lowest Black homeownership rates in the country and after all the foreclosures and evictions, that rate has fallen to a low of 21-22% according to the NAACP Economic Inclusion Plan (EIP) Report on the Twin Cities.
“Add to that reality the fact that Black life expectancy in the US has fallen 2.5 years since the COVID19 pandemic began. We are over-represented in the service industry and are most often among the first lower tier workers to be let go,” Mgeni said.
The Black poverty rate in the Twin Cities prior to the pandemic was five times higher than whites (25.5%), and the Black child poverty rate (under 18) was 8.5 times greater (33.1%) than for white children (3.9%) according to the EIP Report.
“These combined realities have contributed to a perfect and on-going economic storm in our community,” he said.
A recent News One article headline said, “Despite economic recovery, Black Workers continue to experience financial difficulty.”
According to Black to the Future Action Fund’s socioanalytic research data collection survey, which seeks to engage Black people in conversations about critical community issues, interests, and resources, intergenerational connections can positively impact families and their communities, but the current status of Black America had not changed much up to this point.
42% of Black adults called their financial situation ‘bad’. One-third of respondents reported their income potential had stayed the same or worsened since most Americans finally became believers of the COVID19 pandemic.
While approximately 800,000 Americans have perished and hospitals around the country have reached capacity owing to the pandemic, interestingly, 52% of Black adults polled were satisfied with the direction of the country, but 54% were dissatisfied with the current state of the economy.
Since July, parents/guardians have received the federal child tax credit. Chalk Beat, an innovative model of local journalism, reported that as inflation soars, parents who received the much-needed financial boost are spending money on regular household expenses with food being at the top of their list, and not making payments on a new car. This extra cash has led to a decrease in child hunger and poverty.
Since President Biden’s Build-Back-Better-Act did not pass in the Senate by last week, Child Tax Credit payments will not be made in January or be extended for another year.
Provisions for career training and workforce development provide a major pathway for poverty reduction. The Joint Center to Political Economic Studies says Congress should, lower age of eligibility to 18 so these individuals could be eligible for benefits, and those without children might be assisted in some way.
According to www.inequality.org, the U.S. and most global populations underestimate the impact and extent of systemic inequality, not realizing just how wide the gaps between the have and have nots have grown. Inequalities negatively impact Black Americans especially in the treatment of COVID and other health care issues.
