Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 17 March 2000 — Page 2
PAGE A2
THE INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER
FRIDAY, MARCH 17, rtDO
ELECT “A New Voice”
VOTE BY PAPER BALLOT MAY 2,2000
ENDORSED BY SEVERAL ORGANIZATIONS
A Retired IPS Teacher
Milton L. Baltimore, Jr.
The School Board Indianapolis Public Schools
r* • t
Black agenda made plain with poll release
Survey first step to concrete Black agenda
By BARATO BRITT Recorder Correspondent
Several issues facing the local Black community were madeclear to the public last week, with the release of the Blackburn Group’s study of Blacks in Indianapolis for the State of Black Indianapolis. The report, which was commissioned by the State of Black Indianapolis last year, determines how African Americans, ages 12 to 70, feel about issues including education, satisfaction with city and county services, and the overall perception of downtbwn. The survey also provides a glimpse of the Black community current and pro-
ducted and funded by local Afri- though the findings did not reach can Americans for African Ameri- the desired total, the report is still cans; the Blackburn Group is also an adequate study for review, a think tank of Black researchers. “One of the cautions we got “History teaches us that if one is from many people was that the Black in America, the final distin- Black community had been studguishing identifier in business, in- ied to death,” said Blackburn Prindustry, law, criminal justice and cipal Consultant Toby Miller. “But other areas is not whether you are we need to establish a baseline and Eastside or Westside; you are identify shifts in that baseline. We Black,” said Black Indianapolis decided this was the approach we head Elder Lionel Rush. “In that needed to use, but getting to it was context, there is a say ing that needs difficult in order to effectively do to be repeated right here: None of this. Our sample was almost right us are free, respected or empow- on target from what we projected.” ered, until all of us are free, re- Currently, the Black population spected and empowered.” in Indianapolis is estimated at 21.8 To complete the survey, Group percent, with its highest concenresearchers engaged in several tration, 43 percent still living in the
nation at 42.7 percent. The report also indicates that U.S. Census projectiops are expected to show an increase in the city’s Black population, with significant increases in each sUrround-
jected growth, and indicates that methods, among them, phone calls, traditional inner city. Over 38 per-
the barriers once thought to be in existence for Blacks are actually
slowly coming down.
It is the hope of Black Indianapolis officials that this report will give the community and its leadership a tool with which to lobby and advocate communitywide social improvements. And, in keeping with the mission of this unique agenda, the poll was con-
face to face interviews and focus cent live north of 38th street in groups. According to the Groups, Lawrence, Washington and Pike contacts were made with approxi- Townships, Pike being the townmately 10 percent of the city’s ship with the most Black growth. Black population, 18,000 respon- Over 16 percent of the city’s Black dents total from each township, population live in Wayne and WarHowever, after separating the re- ren Townships. Homeownership spondents and purging unusable is also high in the local Black corninformation, 702 individual sur- munity, as African-Americans enveys were used in this report. The joy the seventh highest group further believes that, al- homeownership percentage in the
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ing township, but a flattening or decrease in Center Township growth. Black homeownership is also expected to increase up to between SO and 56 percent. County public school enrollment is also projected to be up 20 percent. Initially, the group’s poll found that over 62 percent of its respondents reported living in a home they either rent or own, and nearly half of respondents reported having school-aged children in their household. This is particularly significant because of the survey’s assessment of education, in which 76 percent of those with schoolaged children reported supporting vouchers or some other government funded education subsidy. These overwhelming support for vouchers even surpass the national percehtajge, as 60 percent of Black respondents nationally reported support in a poll conducted by tiie Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies.
“This community supporti choice in some way, shapeor form, ’ added. “These answers were shaped By the political landscape. What we have to do now is ask more questions. It’santicipated that we’ll get more specific and lay out additional plans there.” Ironically, however, among homeowner and renters there is a significant difference, as several homeowners who supported vouchers oppose an increase in property taxes to achieve this educational incentive. This, among other qualifiers came into question by several last week, including State Representative William Crawford, a staunch supporter of
vouchers.
Additionally, several respondents believe there is a difference in the quality of education between township public school, private
a^hbbls and Indianapolis, Public I Schools (IPS.)
00 ■ I"* 00 r>
' ‘1 agree with the stateitient, and I will agree as a politician that
black people in this country support it,” Crawford said. “I would love to have my position validated, but we have to continue to look at this and we need to examine the qualifiers, especially for parents with school-aged children.” . Contrary to several advocate’s perceptions, the majority of African Americans polled also expressed satisfaction with police services^ 12 percent reporting extreme satisfaction. Seventy four percent of respondents were also overwhelmingly satisfied with fire protection services. Street maintenance received the greatest level of dissatisfaction, as over 40 percent were not pleased with the service. Of the perception of downtown, a majority, 56 percent of respondents reported the downtown area was uninviting to African Americans. Sixty-five percent of those under 21 years of age, however, reported a favorable perception. With these initial findings in place, the Group reported that it would engage in additional probes and groups to break down information into more specific topics and will use findings to develop an action plan for leaders to advocate. Added Rush, these preliminary findings bring them one step closer to developing a concrete agenda for the Black community, by the
Black community.
“Whatever Black people hjive said, that’s what the State of Black Indianapolis will be supporting, that’s what we will be pushing bur leaders to do,” Rush said. !
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