By Julianne Malveaux – There are more than 200,000 women who are currently incarcerated, 115,000 in federal or state prisons and 99,000 in local jails. Nearly one million women are on probation — representing 26 percent of those on probation; 98,000 are on parole. Women’s incarceration has grown by more than 800 percent in the […]
Julianne Malveaux
Manning, Malcolm, And Meaning
By Julianne Malveaux – Dr. Manning Marable made his transition a few days before his Malcolm X biography was released on April 4. The community of scholars that admired him was saddened by his death, and also anticipated the work that would be the product of his decades of research. In many ways, the product […]
Unemployment down, Black unemployment up
By Julianne Malveaux – More than 200,000 jobs were created last month, 216,000 to be exact. Coming after the February lift of more than 200,000 jobs, there are those who are saying that economic recovery is around the corner. I don’t know what corner they are standing on, but the African-American corner took a hit […]
Demographic Shifts and Black Political Power
Census data on city populations made headlines this week. Washington, DC can apparently only barely be described as “chocolate city” since the African American population is only a scant majority in the city. According to the Washington Post, even the block on which former mayor Marion Barry cut his teeth, married wife Effie, and ran […]
Gender Equity is Everybody’s Business
By Julianne Malveaux – March is Women’s History Month, and the White House Council on Women and Girls, led by Valerie Jarrett, commemorated it by releasing a report on the status of women. According to the report, we’ve come a long way sisters, but we’ve still got a long way to go. Despite the fact […]
Should We Bank on the Recovery?
By Julianne Malveaux – Good news – the unemployment rate is dropping, last month from 9 percent to 8.9 percent a scant drop. Better news – the private sector is finally generating jobs, 192,000 to be exact, last month. Best news – there is optimism about economic recovery and spin doctors are saying that we […]
Deep Enough, Far Enough or Just Too Much?
By Julianne Malveaux – President Barack Obama has proposed a 2012-2013 budget that is, at best, politically pragmatic. Responding to the Republican sway in congress, he has decided to impose a set of his own cuts, anticipating those his opponents might offer. Their response is predictable. The Obama cuts are not deep enough; they do […]
Unemployment Dropping for Everyone but Black Folks
By Julianne Malveaux – The first Friday of every month is the time when we learn what is happening with the prior month’s employment. Many are excited that in a two month period the unemployment rate dropped from 9.8 percent in November to 9.0 percent in January. Good news? Not really. Only 36,000 new jobs […]
Egypt, Economic Justice And The Rest Of Us
By Julianne Malveaux – People took it to the streets in Egypt on Tuesday, January 25, and they’ve been on the streets ever since. They’ve been demanding the removal of President Hosni Mubarak, and agitating for “freedom, democracy, and change”. Unemployment is high, economic opportunity is low, and people are so frustrated that they are […]