George Floyd: How far Have African Americans Come Since The 1960s?

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- By Jake Horton, BBC Reality Check, June 14, 2020.

In the weeks following the death of George Floyd, much has been said about the long struggle by African Americans for equality in the US. ]t is 57 years this August since civil rights leader Martin Luther King led the March on Washington to demand racial justice.

So how much progress have black people in the US made since the 1960s? We've looked at six measures.

1. Family wealth:

In 2016, the latest data available, the average wealth of a white family was almost seven times more than a black family in the US.

The black-white wealth gap was larger in 2016 than it was in 1983, when black family wealth data was first collected. (SEE Graph)

In the 1960s, the data collected had non-whites all grouped together, rather than in separate groups. The disparity was at a similar level then as in the most recent data, with white families having about seven times more wealth on average than non-white families.

Researchers at the Brookings Institute say: "The wealth gap reflects a society that has not and does not afford equality of opportunity to all its citizens."

- Wealth is calculated by a family's assets - such as a house or savings - minus their debts. Inheritance accounts for roughly 4% of annual household income in the US - so generational inequalities continue to have an impact, with less money being passed down through black families.

In 2016, an average white family's wealth was over $700,000 (£550,000) more than that of an average black family.



- Protests spread across the US after the death of George Floyd.


2. Poverty:

Although the wealth disparity remains significant, African Americans have become more economically well off since the 1960s. A smaller proportion live in poverty than ever before, according to the latest data, (SEE Graph)...

> Read the Full Article & GRAPHS, *Current US Unemployment Rate, shocking.

- BBC News Link, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52992795



- Lauren Underwood became the youngest black woman elected to Congress, in 2019, aged 32.




- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led the March on Washington in 1963, to demand civic & economic equality.