Half of black children in Oregon live in poverty, new census data show

[stevedeshazer]

http://impact.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/print.html?entry=/2011/11/half_of_black_children_in_oreg.html

One of every two black children in Oregon lives in poverty, among the highest rates in the nation, new U.S. Census Bureau data show.

An estimated 49.3 percent of the state's 20,000 black children were poor in 2010 -- the highest among all ethnic and racial groups -- compared with 19 percent of white children, according to the bureau's American Community Survey. That means half of the state's black children live on less than $430 a week for a family of four, under federal guidelines, less than half the state's $48,325 annual median family income.

"It's appalling, it's horrific, it's something where I don't know once people get the information how they are able to sleep at night," said Mary Li, Multnomah County community services director. "A child is going hungry, a child is cold. This is not simply an African American issue, this is a community issue that we all have to take on as if it were our child."

The Oregonian’s continuing coverage of 2010 CensusOther groups also suffer high poverty rates: About 35 percent of the state's Latino children live in poverty, as do 41 percent of children who are Native or another race other than Asian. Nationally, about 22 percent of children overall are poor.

Many think Oregon is a panacea of sorts, but this is disgraceful.

[Rhiannon12866]

1. If I recall, Oregon and Vermont have the fewest minorities of any states.

I used to work for the company that made World Almanacs and these statistics were listed. This is inexcusable. :(