State of Black America in Racine & Kenosha
Historical Note
At the turn of the 20th century, America was faced with an unprecedented identity crisis. After two world wars, America represented a sanctuary for freedom with endless opportunities for millions of people around the world. To African Americans, however, decades of oppressive policies jaded the Black experience, and communities across the country began to take a stand.
Despite the unrest from reconstruction throughout the Civil Rights Movement, leadership from state capitols to the legislative and executive branches, routinely ignored the condition of Black Americans in policymaking and the Presidential State of the Union Address. In response, the National Urban League issued its first State of Black America report in 1976.
Since then, the annual report has provided advocates and community leaders with an in-depth analysis of the socioeconomic condition and outlook of Black Americans. It is the clearest view into how we can work together for a more fair and equitable future.
State of Black America Report
National Urban League: the State of Black America 2024 Report
In the 48th edition of the report, we’ve decided to reflect on a landmark piece of legislation that transformed everyday life in America and gave us a reason to create this report: the Civil Rights Act of 1964. For Black America, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was the first time that the United States government addressed the racial caste system that had been protected for centuries by unjust laws and systemic brutality of nonwhite people in this country. The law, in many ways, answered the calls for jobs and freedom in the March on Washington by banning discrimination in the workplace, in our housing system, and programs funded by the government, and marked the death of the Jim Crow South.
