Crime, lack of fathers are taking a toll on Black men and boys under Biden
Starting July 24, the Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys will host its latest summit in Washington, D.C., sharing a status report on the progress of Black males in America (or lack thereof). I will be there myself, joining members of Congress and other U.S. policymakers to assess the current state of race relations.
Those expecting good news will be kept waiting. In President Joe Biden’s America, the status quo for Black males is untenable. Across the country, Black men and boys are falling behind because their politicians are failing them. From portraying Black males as victims to ignoring the root causes of their struggles, Democrats like Biden are only turning their backs on the very people they claim to support.
Here’s a progress report for you: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a Black male aged 10 to 43 is 13 times more likely to be murdered than a White man in the same demographic. Over Father’s Day weekend last month, 75 people were shot in Chicago, Illinois, 13 of them fatally — in a single weekend. Chicago and other Democrat-run cities have essentially turned into war zones.
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New research shows that 38% of the people in prison are Black, despite making up barely 14% of the U.S. population. The problem isn’t "systemic racism," as Democrats so quickly claim. (After all, there are significantly more White Americans in prison.) The problem is fatherlessness, and it has been that way for decades.
The Black community is suffering through a crisis of fatherlessness. (iStock)
America is suffering through an epidemic of fatherlessness. It is our nation’s top domestic problem, given the residual consequences such as crime. While a lack of fathers can afflict all American households, including White households, it is a particularly severe phenomenon in the Black community.
Nearly 70% of Black kids begin their lives in households with unmarried mothers. In 1965, the percentage of Black kids born out of wedlock was 25%, a number considered so alarming at the time that it prompted then-Assistant Secretary of Labor Daniel Patrick Moynihan to publish his now-controversial report: "The Negro Family: The Case for National Action." (Today, the percentage of White children born out of wedlock is nearly 30%.)
And where is the talk of family in modern culture? Crickets from Hollywood, Big Tech, and the liberal media.
With no role models, many Black children are growing up to become violent criminals, wreaking havoc, and ruining lives — including their own. Under Biden’s "leadership," people are losing their lives in broad daylight. Last year, my hometown of Los Angeles experienced an 11% increase in crime. In my old neighborhood, violent crime is roughly 1,700% higher than the national average.
In our nation’s capital, carjackings have risen for their fifth straight year, more than tripling between 2019 and 2022. The D.C. police encounters over one carjacking per day on average, and there aren’t enough police officers to stop it.
The common denominator is inept, ineffective leadership, primarily from Democrats who control most American cities. Of the 30 U.S. cities with the highest violent crime rates, the overwhelming majority are run by Democrats who care so much about affirmative action, reparations, and "critical race theory" that they refuse to be critical of the criminals making their streets less safe.
Get this: Because of record car thefts in Baltimore, the city’s left-wing politicians — rather than catching and holding car thieves responsible — have sued car manufacturers like Hyundai and Kia, accusing them of manufacturing cars that are too easy to steal. That’s not a joke.
In the process of making victims out of Black people and pimping them for votes, Democrats are turning their backs on those most affected by crime in Black communities: Black people themselves.
"Woke" district attorneys — funded by left-wing billionaire George Soros — only make the problem worse, emptying jail cells and keeping criminals on the streets.
Take New York City, where District Attorney Alvin Bragg — one of America’s worst Soros DAs — ordered his prosecutors to stop seeking prison sentences for violent offenders and to downgrade felony charges, even for drug dealers and armed robbers.
I’m supporting model legislation called the "Enforce the Law Act" that would allow states to remove these DAs who refuse to do their jobs.
Much to his credit, Donald Trump supported the bipartisan Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys, amplifying a much-needed conversation on U.S. race relations. He understood the power of leadership — the only viable solution to America’s top domestic problem.
Get this: Because of record car thefts in Baltimore, the city’s left-wing politicians — rather than catching and holding car thieves responsible — have sued car manufacturers like Hyundai and Kia, accusing them of manufacturing cars that are too easy to steal. That’s not a joke.
And, since its beginning, the Commission’s vision hasn’t changed: To lead "a national discussion to address the complexity and nuances of the varying conditions affecting Black males in the history of America’s cultural landscape."
Ignoring the 10,000-pound elephant in the room — fatherlessness and crime — is a betrayal of that vision. Blaming "white supremacy," as Biden so often does, does nothing to address the millions of kids — and not just Black kids — entering the world without a father in the home married to a mother.
That attitude only does a disservice to the parents and children who ultimately suffer the consequences.
On race, America’s current status report is "failure." Joe Biden receives a failing grade. Our only chance for an "A" is a change of leadership come 2024.
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Larry Elder is a bestselling author and nationally syndicated radio talk show host. To find out more, visit www.LarryElder.com or follow him on Twitter @LarryElder.
