The situation of black people in AmericaUnit 2/ Nr. 7 The situation of black people in America
Martin Luther King à the key figure in the struggle for emancipation (Befreiung) of the blacks à about 15% are black = 30 million people
a divided black US society: black middle class (Bourgeoisie) à they are well-off à they are better paid and housed à when you climb up the social ladder you move into a better neighbourhood (e.g. the country) lots of ‘underdogs’ (poor people) remained in the inner cities forming a big underclass there à the hearts of the US cities became slums à rising crime-rates, drug-dealing underclass = 3 million people people between 18-25 are more likely to be murdered than to die in a car accident Washington D.C.: the crime-rate is steadily increasing in New York: crime-rate dropped by 65% in the last 5-10 years mayor (Bürgermeister) of N.Y.: Giuliani police had unlimited rights à became very brutal 45% of the inmates (Insassen) of prisons in the USA are black more than 50% of black families are without fathers the number of teenage pregnancies (Schwangerschaft) is more than double of white girls à it’s a vicious circle (Teufelskreis) à in cities slums developed à the cities decayed à lots of criminals, drug-dealer economic reasons: in 70ies many people lost their jobs especially in the inner cities - fringe of society - the standard on US schools fell dramatically lawlessness in the streets became the order of the slums - the value system had changed - not working had become acceptable à in the 80ies à economy recovered à people didn’t want to work any more - general chance of attitudes - new jobs would be to have created - school system should be to have reformed lots of drug-dealer roam (herumsandeln) in the cities |