2007 - Black Baltimore Year End Review on BmoreBlack.Com

Black Baltimore 2007 Year End Review

The following eleven categories are related to the health and well being of African Americans in Baltimore City. Prior to the Civil Rights / Black Power Movements of the 1960's there was a state of crisis for African Americans in each category, it is in comparison to that state of crisis that our contemporary (2007) assessment is made.

Area of Concern	Pre-Civil Rights / Black Power Movement Conditions	2007 - Post-Civil Rights / Black Power Movement Conditions	Objectives Achieved: Yes or No?
Housing	Housing discrimination was pervasive; Blacks were steered and relegated to living in sub-standard and dilapidated housing for which they paid exorbitant rents and mortgages	A disproportionate number of Blacks are relegated to sub-standard housing; are preyed upon by predatory lenders; are steered towards segregated 'communities' (i.e. away from Whites)	No
Employment	Blacks were relegated to menial, demeaning and low wage jobs controlled by White's	Black currently disproportionately occupy menial, demeaning, low wage jobs controlled by Whites and Asians	No
Business Ownership	For the most part Blacks owned what were considered 'race-based' businesses (as defined by customer base and geography) - barber and beauty shops, funeral and insurance businesses, restaurants and carryouts, music and entertainment business, tailoring and sewing businesses, cleaning and laundry services; most of their income was generated from African American customers; however in the cleaning and laundry there was greater White patronage. However, Black businesses were largely relegated to Black communities, whereas White businesses were situated in both White communities and in Black communities. In fact, Whites owned more businesses in Black communities than did Blacks.	Blacks, for the most part, are still in predominately 'race-based' businesses relegated to Black communities; whereas Whites, and now Asians, own more businesses in Black communities than do Blacks.	No
Political Power	Elected and Appointed leadership was solidly in the hands of Whites whose practices indicated that they did not see or respect Black people as constituents but as menials, servants and, in general, subordinates. All meaningful positions of power - Governor, Mayor, City Council, Commissioners, Judges, Superintendents, and others, were held by Whites. In general, Black communities were governed by White leaders who did not represent them. For the most part Black Leaders - political, religious, and otherwise - operated within the confines and dictates of White domination and control.	In spite of several Black Mayors, a predominately Black City Council, and a host of Elected and Appointed Officials, Black Leaders, continue to operate within the dictates and oversight of Whites - even more-so today. Significantly, these leaders have failed to improve a single condition relative to the health and welfare of African Americans in Baltimore City; instead they have successfully managed the improvement projects of Whites for Whites - e.g. Stadium, Inner Harbor, Johns Hopkins Biotech Development, Development of Inner-Harbor East with housing and businesses as segregated as before the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements.	No
Economic Power	Economic Power in some respects is defined, and, or indicated by the amount of wealth and resource a business generates, by the impact it has on the labor force - i.e. its capacity to hire and sustain the income of many employees; the ability to fund and sustain projects and institutions, and of its impact on the delivery of goods and services to sectors of the society. Using these indicators Whites dominated the Economic sector with Blacks excluded. In all areas vital to health and wellbeing, and development - technological and otherwise Whites dominated in an Apartheid-like manor.	Of the many billions of dollars spent by Baltimore's African Americans they lack the ability and will to impact the areas vital to their health and wellbeing. Instead Baltimore's African Americans have significantly impacted White 'Economic Power' as they have and continue to pour their wealth and resource into the coffers of Whites. Black 'Economic Leaders' have failed as well, except, maybe, for those that have invested in White interest. to	No
Segregation	Baltimore, like the other southern cities was segregated by power, community, and institutions. There were Black communities and there were White communities, and White people controlled both. The disparity in every measure was apparent when traveling between one to the other; you knew where you were in an instant - either among the impoverished, among the enriched, or occasionally on the border. There were 'White Only', 'Colored Only', 'Negro Only' and 'No Blacks Allowed' signs as daily reminder to the races of who was in and who was out; and their was physical enforcement in the way of police and the courts to ensure that everyone stayed in his / her place	Today, there remains segregation by power, community and institutions - with even less of each (power, communities, and institutions) for Blacks; there are Black Communities and there are White communities, and you know in an instant if your are among the impoverished or among the enriched. The signs of separation now read: 'Starting in the Low $500K'; and there is physical enforcement in the way of police and the courts to ensure that everyone stays in his/her place.	No
Racism	Racism is defined as: 'the total domination of one race (namely the White race) over another race (namely the Black race) for the purposes of domination and exploitation'. By definition this domination and exploitation exist in every segment of society. This is the relationship that characterized Black - White relationships in Baltimore before the Civil Rights / Black Power movements.	Throughout 2007 charges of racism were levied against Whites from every corner of Black life. Perpetrators were identifies among the elected and appointed political leaders and officials; among the business and economic community; among the sports and spiritual communities; against the education and entertainment communities; again the communications and transportation community; in short, there were racist and charges of racism identified throughout every segment of the White communities.	No
Education	There was separate and un-equal education institutions, leadership, curriculum, tool and instruments, salaries, funding, policy, and general practices, with Blacks on the bottom and on the short end in every instance. Though laws banning the teaching of Blacks to read and write were no longer publicly posted, the sentiment and spirit of the law was enforced in application. "Just don't teach them, or afford them the resources to teach themselves" was the going mantra. Additionally, Blacks were banned and restricted from trade-schools and unions that otherwise provided Whites with knowledge, skills and resources to apply themselves to trades. The objective of maintaining 'White Supremacy', whether real or imagined, was maintained by way of collusion and tacit-agreement.	One Baltimore newspaper ran a story contrasting the disparity between the Public School System (predominately African American) and a Private School (Predominately White) from which one could easily deduce the inferior quality of education and resources perpetrated against the Black students versus the nurtured, lavished and pampered conditions applied toward the Whites. 'Separate and un-equal' and 'superior versus inferior' are but a few of the concepts and realities that came to mind. The objective of inferiorizing African Americans to cripple them that they may serve the interest of Whites and come up short in competing with them in any give sector for which education is responsible has certainly paid off for Whites, especially in the year 2007. Whereas, in regards to curriculum, Whites are taught to own and control, that of the Blacks can be summed up in the slogan-like indoctrination of "follow the rules and get a good job".	No
Legal Justice	Whereas lynchings was a mainstay of the deep south, rail-roading was that of the upper-south, including Baltimore. If Black, one could expect not to get a fair hearing or outcome in the courts no matter the circumstance or evidence of support. It was perceived and understood by Blacks that they were considered criminals and guilty before a hearing or verdict. Hence, Blacks were disproportionately arrested, tried and sentenced far more than were Whites. In cases of Black versus White the adage of one Supreme Court Justice that: "Blacks have no rights that a White is bound to respect", was the standard in Baltimore courts.	In 2007 the outgoing Mayor became Governor, during his tenure as Mayor he was accused by segments of the Black community for allegedly authorizing illegal arrest of thousands of Blacks - i.e. Blacks of both gender and of all ages were arrested simply for being in public. In 2007 even Black Police Officers had filed a civil suit alleging racial discrimination, including that harsher penalties were accessed against them than against White officers for the same offenses. In 2007 Blacks - youth and adults - are disproportionately imprisoned and receive longer sentences for the same offenses where Whites may be released and or receive shorter sentences. Making matters worse, the cities Black prosecutors appears to have aligned themselves with Whites as protectors and as adversaries against Blacks.	No
Full Citizenship	Before the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements Blacks were not considered citizens and as such were denied the right to vote, to be elected or to be represented by elected officials. In spite of the U.S. Constitution that supposedly granted citizenship to Blacks the state of defacto colonization bordering on enslavement existed. Due to the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements Blacks were granted the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (passed in 1965) - i.e. 'temporary, conditional-voting rights' to be ratified every twenty five years. To obfuscate its intentions many states and cities - including Baltimore - devised and implemented strategies to limit the effectiveness of the Black vote, as a result for many years thereafter Black Baltimore existed without Black representation.	In 2007 many Black Baltimorean's, like Blacks across the U.S. held panic-stricken debates as to whether the tyrannical-racist George Bush would ratify the act as it was due for a decision. What Baltimore White Congressman / Congresswoman and Senators failed to address publicly is the idea that such a condition imposed upon Blacks existed at all rather than to grant Blacks full and unconditional citizenship and rights, as is the case with White Americans and Immigrants of other races. Instead, Black Baltimorean's were forced to consider and endure the thoughts that the nation would engage in such an immoral act as to ask Blacks to fight and die in a war being fought at the very moment that one would have to consider whether they would be disenfranchised - as they had been a few generations before during the 19th century 'Reconstruction Period'.	No
Health Care	Blacks were forced to live in the worst conditions in housing situated near chemical plants, and other polluting sources; relegated to health debilitating jobs resulting in lung disease and heart disease and often injuries; were subject to overt and covert racism resulting in stress, depression and heart attacks for which there was no treatment applied since Whites had not defined White-racism as a disease, and Blacks lacked the power to eliminate or neutralize it. Blacks were restricted and limited in the medical services they could expect from White doctors and White medical establishments; all reports indicated that Blacks received substandard medical treatment, in part due to racism and due to affordabilty.	2007 Medical Reports indicate that Blacks Baltimorean's are health challenged in general, suffering from diabetes, heart disease, cancer, aids, racism-related-stress, lead-poisoning, environmental pollution, internecine-discord, increased depression, and increases in mental illness - e.g. bipolar disease and schizophrenia. The majority of Black Baltimorean's are without health care insurance or resources to pay for health care or medications, consequently most suffer with ailments longer than those who can afford to pay for treatment. Reports for all areas of Black related illnesses indicate racism as a persistent factor in the substandard treatment of Blacks. Additionally, reports indicate profit (greed) before care as a persistent factor as well.	No
If one were to read the forgoing with the objective of being assured that the Racist-Segregationist, White dominant, Pre-Civil Rights / Black Power status quo was sustained, then one could not help but be satisfied. However from a Black point of view it is apparent that Black Baltimoreans are in racism-based-crisis and must create the will and means to empower themselves and neutralize racist and racism in so far as it impacts Black life.