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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Growing income and poverty disparity in Indy’s Black community

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There’s not only a growing income divide in Indianapolis; but the gap between haves and have nots is widening within the Indianapolis African-American community.

Last week’s release of the annual Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) documents this disturbing trend in our community.

First the 2011 Census ACS reports median Black household income in Indianapolis/Marion County was flat at $29,599 in 2011 compared to $29,551 in 2010.

But broken down geographically, the income numbers tell a tale of two sharply divided Black communities.

In five townships, Black median household income exceeds the countywide figure. Led by Pike Township’s Black median household income of $37,366, the others are Lawrence Township $34,912; Warren Township $32,677; Washington $31,427 and Perry $31,033.

In percentage terms the greatest jump in Black median household income was in Lawrence Township which rose 6.6 percent.

However Black incomes in two townships deteriorated markedly. Median Black household income in Wayne Township fell 11 percent from $26,879 in 2010 to $23,929 last year. The worst fall off was in Center Township where Black household income collapsed 23.2 percent from $22,890 to $17,581.

The depth of the income imbalance in our Black community can be seen in the poverty statistics in 2011.

Within the city/county, 3-in-10 Blacks (29.7 percent) live below the poverty level; up from 24.4 percent. But the collapsing incomes in Center and Wayne townships have made the number of Blacks in poverty there approach untenable levels.

In Center Township, nearly half the Black population (46.7 percent), live in poverty. In Wayne Township, a third of Blacks (36.2 percent) are in poverty; 2-in-7 (28 percent) in Lawrence Township.

Two other townships, Washington and Pike, have relatively low Black poverty rates. In Washington Township, a sixth (16.1 percent) of Blacks are in poverty, while in Pike just a seventh (14.9 percent) are in poverty.

The wide geographic disparity in Black incomes and Black poverty levels is starkly outlined by these sets of statistics.

While 29 percent of all Black persons in the city/county fall below the poverty line, within IPS neighborhoods 39.7 percent, 4-in-10 Black persons, are living in poverty.

But in the township areas of Indianapolis, outside the old police and IPS area, just 19.3 percent of Blacks are below the poverty line.

Looking from another angle from the Census ACS, in 2011 68,145 Blacks lived in poverty. Of that number 44,338 lived in the “old city” boundaries, the geographic area also known as the IPS school boundaries. Meaning that 65.1 percent of the city’s Blacks living in poverty live in the “old city/IPS” area.

But the Census reports that just 46.6 percent of the total Black population of Indianapolis/Marion County lives in the IPS area.

See the wide disparity?

By the same token, just 15.8 percent of Indianapolis’ total population lives in the old city/IPS neighborhoods. But of the city’s 188,102 total persons in poverty, 94,506 or 50.2 percent live in the old city/IPS areas.

Because of all the development downtown and neighborhoods adjacent to downtown, the percentage of upscale whites moving into Center Township and into some of the IPS neighborhoods is increasing. But the Census ACS reports something disturbing.

Some 73,776 non-Hispanic whites live in poverty in Indianapolis. (Yes, more whites are in poverty in Indy than Blacks).

Some 28.7 percent of whites in poverty in Indianapolis live in Center Township; 44 percent of whites in poverty live in the old city areas. But of the city/county’s total white population, just 13.7 percent live in Center and 26.5 percent live in the IPS area.

The latest Census ACS confirms that a majority of Blacks in poverty and a strong portion of whites in poverty live in Center Township and the older neighborhoods of Indianapolis.

One other dire poverty statistic: 42.3 percent of all Black children under 18 and 45.2 percent of all Black children under 5 in the entire city/county, are living in poverty.

We’re talking outrageous Black child poverty levels in Indianapolis; not Appalachia or Mississippi.

The severe poverty in what the administration of Mayor Greg Ballard calls the “urban core” is Indy’s sin! It is made worse by the refusal of the Ballard administration and Indianapolis’ civic leaders to recognize the problem.

It’s obvious the city’s job development efforts the past few years have done nothing to alleviate Indianapolis’ growing economic divide. How long will Indianapolis’ leadership ignore this cancer on Indianapolis’ future?

What I’m hearing

in the streets

New Public Safety Director-designate Troy Riggs impressed nearly all who talked with him last week. But, after the abrasive Frank Straub, Riggs’ Southern charm, soft spokeness and words of his growing up poor and being happily married was refreshing.

Riggs gets his honeymoon from me. But I’ll be watching his actions more than his words.

Interviewed on our “Afternoons with Amos” radio show, Riggs said he’d meet with anyone, anytime in the community. We’ll see what happens when the mayor’s minions and sycophants try to force Riggs to only meet and speak with Black leaders and media who only pledge allegiance to Mayor Ballard.

Columnist’s bad luck. Just after I turned in last week’s column, came word of two major departures of African-American TV anchors.

Grace Trahan left WRTV/Channel 6 last Friday. In her 18-year stellar career as a reporter and anchor, Trahan excelled in everything she did with style, professionalism and grace. For the past 14 years she anchored the station’s early morning and noon newscasts, the longest tenure of any African-American in those time slots.

Trahan left to devote more time to her family and three children.

WISH-TV/Channel 8 noon and 5 p.m. anchor Deanna Dewberry also shocked our community with her departure next month. Dewberry, who’s been at Channel 8 for eight years, is returning to her native Texas to be an investigative reporter and anchor for the NBC-owned station in Dallas.

A talented Emmy winner, writer and storyteller, Dewberry inspired us all with her bravery in her fight against breast cancer. Her dogged investigative stories helped bring about positive change.

For seven years I had the privilege of working with Deanna on the annual Circle City Classic Pageant. A joy I’ll now miss.

For both Grace Trahan and Deanna Dewberry their professionalism and devotion will be missed by their industry. Their presence on our TVs and in Deanna’s case, in our community, will be missed.

I wish both God’s blessings and good luck.

See ‘ya next week!

You can email comments to Amos Brown at acbrown@aol.com.

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