Throughout my study I will focus on poverty pertaining to African-American males between the ages of 18-25 with substance abuse. The United States recession continues to illuminate the experience of poverty in this country and the weaknesses in programs designed to protect families from the effects of poverty. The poverty rate has risen over the last four years, and is just beginning to stabilize. In 1990, Schwarz (1990) stated about one in five American families lived beneath the poverty line. According Lein (2013), it is estimated that as of the beginning of 2011, about 1.46 million U.S. households with about 2.8 million children were surviving on $2 or less in income per person per day in a given month. This constitutes almost 20 percent of all non-elderly households with children living in poverty. About 866,000 households appear to live in extreme poverty across a full calendar quarter. The prevalence of extreme poverty rose sharply between 1996 and 2011(Lein, 2013). According to NASW (2012), Social work has a long history with the war on poverty at all macro, micro, and mezzo levels. It is also one of the six ethical principles according to social workers that make poverty a primary problem. It shows that poverty is not about just money. Poverty comes from multiple factors like political, social, and economic. The purpose of this study will be to explain why male African-Americans between 18-25 are more likely to live in poverty when dealing with substance abuse. Literature Review Poverty in the United States According to Lein (2013), the poverty rate increased in the United States over the course of the recession. In 2009, the overall United States poverty rate was 14%, and then rose to 15% in 2010, the highest rate... ... middle of paper ... .... (2013). Early childhood poverty and adult achievement, employment and health. Family Matters, (93), 27-35. Green, K. M., Doherty, E. E., Reisinger, H. S., Chilcoat, H. D., & Ensminger, M. (2010). Social integration in young adulthood and the subsequent onset of substance use and disorders among a community population of urban African Americans. Addiction, 105(3), 484-493. doi:10.1111/j.1360-0443.2009.02787.x Lein, L. (2013). Poverty and welfare. Family Matters, (93), 17-26. NASW. (2012). Poverty. Retrieved from http://www.socialworkers.org/pressroom/features/issue/poverty.asp Ronald L. Taylor. Black Youth in Crisis. Humboldt Journal of Social Relations, Vol. 14, No. 1/2, BLACK AMERICA IN THE 1987 (FALL/WINTER & SPRING/SUMMER 1987), pp. 106-133 Schwarz, J. E. (1990). WELFARE LIBERALISM, SOCIAL POLICY, AND POVERTY IN AMERICA. Policy Studies Review, 10(1), 127-139.
Since the Reagan officials tried harder to stop the Drug Enforcement Administration from exposing the illegal activities that were taking place, the more violence was being caused in these inner city neighborhoods, which lead to more arrests for possession. Now, Michelle explains how the War on Drugs has the most impact on African Americans in these inner city neighborhoods. Within the past three decades, US incarceration increase has been due to drug convictions, mainly. She states that, “the US is unparalleled in the world in focusing enforcement of federal drug laws on racial and ethnic minorities.”(Alexander2016). The percentile of African American men with some sort of criminal record is about 80% in some of our major US cities(Paul Street, The Vicious Circle: Race, Prison, Jobs, and Community in Chicago, Illinois, and the Nation (Chicago Urban League, Department of Research and Planning, 2002). MIchelle referred to these becoming marginalized and calls them “ growing and permanent undercaste.” (Alexander2016, pp
Every black male's plight in America can be regarded as a provider for his family. However, society does not afford black males the benefit of feeling secure about providi...
Michelle Alexander’s book, The New Jim Crow, as well as Eugene Jarecki’s documentary, The House I Live In, both discuss the controversial issues surrounding the War on Drugs, mass incarceration, and drug laws. Ultimately, both Alexander and Jarecki concede that the court systems have systematically hindered growth and advancement in black communities by targeting young African Americans, primarily male, that have become entangled in drugs due to their socioeconomic status. There is a disturbing cycle seen in black underprivileged neighborhoods of poverty leading to drug use and distribution to make money that inevitably ends with the person in question landing in prison before likely repeating these actions upon their release. Both Jarecki and Alexander present their case, asserting that the effects of the War on Drugs acted as a catalyst for the asymmetric drug laws and
Todd Clear and Dina Rise state in their study that the high incarceration and return rates of specific communities negatively impact the community social network like worsening ties amidst neighbors, reducing income of families, and affecting family formation. Moreover, African- Americans are four times more likely than other Americans to live in poverty (DAvis 1) The Class of Poverty, states that” individuals in high poverty, highly black neighborhoods are the least likely to have access to food pantries, child care, transportation, job training, substance abuse treatment or other, similar social services.” This means that the majority of individuals effected by this are African Americans. People living in high poverty communities are offered less help than low poverty areas that are predominantly white, meaning that the intersection and combined oppression of being both a racial minority and of lower class, leads to a higher probability of falling victim to the industrial prison
Harris, Kathleen. “Work and Welfare Among Single Mothers in Poverty.” The American Journal of Sociology. Vol. 99 Sept. 1993. 317-52.
Spotlighting on drug abuse by specific ethnic group was a good start to research, as it shed some light on the actual drug problems by minority group. The study showed that African American teenagers have a lower rate of drug use compared to Whites, however they suffer from more drug-related health problems than any other ethnic group. It was also suggested that drug use is believed to cause criminal behavior in African American communities. Asians and Pacific Islanders may be less likely to pursue treatment services because they are not culturally appropriate. Higher rates of alcohol abuse are more likely in their native countries than in the United States because treatment options are more actively utilized. Hispanics drug use is one of the highest amongst US population, due in part...
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2014 African Americans held the highest poverty rate of 26%, with Hispanics holding the second highest rate at 24% (DeNavas-Walt & Proctor, 2015). When comparing this to the poverty rates of Whites at 10% and Asians at 12% in 2014, we see that in America, racial and ethnic minorities are more vulnerable to experiencing poverty (DeNavas-Walt & Proctor, 2015). In addition, discrimination is seen between genders among those living in poverty. Family households of a single adult are more likely to be headed by women and are also at a greater risk for poverty (DeNavas-Walt & Proctor, 2015). In 2014, 30.6% of households headed by a single woman were living below the poverty line compared to 15.7% for households headed by a single male (DeNavas-Walt & Proctor, 2015). Many factors such as poor wages for women, pregnancy associations, and the increase of single-woman parented families have impacted the increase of women in poverty. Children are most harshly affected by poverty because for them the risks are compounded, as they lack the defenses and supports needed to combat the toxicity surrounding them. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 21% of all U.S. children (73.6 million children) under 18 years old lived in poverty in 2014 (DeNavas-Walt & Proctor,
One of the most critical observations about the state of our sociological health is observed by MacGillis of the Atlantic’s article entitled “The Original Underclass”. That is that the social breakdown of low-income whites began to reflect trends that African American’s were primary subjects of decades ago such as unemployment, and drug addiction.
Poverty in America is a very complex issue that can be looked at from many directions. There are a plethora of statistics and theories about poverty in America that can be confusing and at times contradicting. It is important to objectively view statistics to gain a better understanding of poverty and to wade through the stereotypes and the haze of cultural views that can misrepresent the situation.The official poverty line in America begins with a person making at or below $12,060. To calculate the poverty line for a family, an additional $4,180 is added to the base of $12,060 for each additional member(“Federal Poverty Level Guidelines”). According to the last U.S. census, over 45 million or 14.5% of Americans are at or below the poverty line(Worstall). At this level, the U.S. poverty level has not changed much from the 1970s when the government began a “War on Poverty.” However,
One of the most prevalent social problems in America, which also carries the most social stigma, is poverty. The documentary “The Line”, which was produced by Linda Midgett, discusses this issue and reveals that many people who live in poverty work incredibly hard to escape the vicious cycle. The fact of the matter is that no one chooses to live in poverty. Some people work two or three jobs to try and support their family, but still struggle paycheck to paycheck. Approximately “46 million Americans live in poverty” (The Line). This is a staggering statistic which should force people to open their eyes, and realize that people in poverty are not all addicts. They are not all people who have made bad choices. Many of them are hardworking people, who want
Undisputedly poverty has been one of the major persistent social problems in the United States for hundreds of years. Poverty does not discriminate against Caucasians, African-Americans, Hispanics, Jews, homosexuals, heterosexuals, age, gender, or persons with disabilities. Poverty can strike any population, community, ethnic group, and family. According to the U.S Census Bureau, 43.6 million people were in poverty in 2009 which was an increase from 2008. (Insert citation for website). There are multiple causes of why a family or individual can fall into poverty, which includes but not limited to, disability, unemployment, age, and recessions, as for which we have seen through the 2008 recession and the Great Depression. Throughout this paper I will address poverty as a social problem and its causes. I will also focus on how children and family households headed by single mothers are effected by poverty, and how Temporary Assistance for Needy Families came about to help children and families in poverty.
Sandoval, A.D., Rank, R.M., & Hirschl, A.T. (2009). The Increasing Risk of Poverty Across the
Poverty in America is not indicated by a specific income level, as most people think, but instead by a comparison of 48 possible poverty thresholds taking into account family size and composition without regard to geographic locations (Macartney, 2011). For example, the poverty threshold for a family of 5 with two children under the age of 18 would be $27,517 (census.gov 2013); an amount that would be difficult to live off of in major cities where the cost of living is much higher. According to the Current Population Survey, 2013 Annual Social and Economic Supplement for the year 2012, there are 46.5 million people in America who are living in poverty, including 21.8 percent of children under the age of 18; the highest percentage since 2001 (census.gov 2013).
Poverty is “the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions” (Merriam-Webster dictionary, 2015); in other words, struggling to provide a comfortable living style. It is the cause of family stress and many other problems, especially for the children. Millions of people around the world are struggling with poverty; families suffering to provide enough food seem to be growing in numbers. According to the United States Census Bureau, the poverty rate was highest in the 1960s and decreased greatly in the 1970s. However, it is now slowly starting to increase again. Recently released census data by the Bureau showed that one in five people are living in poverty (Census Bureau, 2014). Poverty is even
Poverty is an undeniable problem in America. In 2014, 14.8 percent of the United States was in poverty (“Hunger and Poverty Fact Sheet”). There are more people in the United States than it seems that do not have their basic necessities. In an