Black Stats: African Americans by the Numbers in the Twenty-first Century

by Monique W. Morris

Black Stats—a comprehensive guide filled with contemporary facts and figures on African Americans—is an essential reference for anyone attempting to fathom the complex state of our nation. With fascinating and often surprising information on everything from incarceration rates, lending practices, and the arts to marriage, voting habits, and green jobs, the contextualized material in this book will better attune readers to telling trends while challenging commonly held, yet often misguided, perceptions.

A compilation that at once highlights measures of incredible progress and enumerates the disparate impacts of social policies and practices, this book is a critical tool for advocates, educators, and policy makers. Black Stats offers indispensable information that is sure to enlighten discussions and provoke debates about the quality of Black life in the United States today—and help chart the path to a better future.

• There are less than a quarter-million Black public school teachers in the U.S.—representing just 7 percent of all teachers in public schools.
• Approximately half of the Black population in the United States lives in neighborhoods that have no White residents.
• In the five years before the Great Recession, the number of Black-owned businesses in the United States increased by 61 percent.
• A 2010 study found that 41 percent of Black youth feel that rap music videos should be more political.
• There are no Black owners or presidents of an NFL franchise team.
• 78 percent of Black Americans live within 30 miles of a coal-fired power plant, compared with 56 percent of White Americans.

Genres: Nonfiction, Race, Social Justice, History, Anti Racist, African American, Sociology

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been on my "To Read" list for forever, and I have finally finished it.

What a glorious and important book. Forwarded by Khalil Gibran Muhammad and chocked full of information - I devoured this book and was left wondering if Ms. Morris can do an edition every year....or at least every 4 years...for more visit: http://www.hypelit.com/#!Black-Stats-...

[M.J.Swan]

This book is a very good research and educational tool. When going into this book, I was expecting more analysis on the data provided especially since the introduction talked about how statistics can't speak for themselves. However, I found that this book is more about showcasing and organizing statistics about Blacks in America. This book excels in that regard. The thorough and in-depth statistics given about a wide range of topics is to be highlighted and for that reason I would recommend this book. I would remind readers though that this book does not analyze or give any interpretation to the data for most of the book. My favorite sections were in the end because the author took statements and stereotypes and compared them to the actual data and wrote a response with that in mind.

[Abby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting stats, I liked how they were organized. But the wording was confusing on some of them (rates unclear, % of what?, etc.) and I wish there had been a little more analysis/discussion of the stats. In the places where there was discussion, such as the sections at the end about gender, it felt like a shallow treatment. Also, I wish there had been some charts or infographics to bring some of the most interesting stats to life. Overall, an interesting book, but I hoped for more from it.

[Rachel Bodner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think it’s a fantastic resource and a good reference book to have on hand. I agree with some other reviewers on a few points that kept it from being. 4 star for me, though I know some of these limitations are beyond the author’s control and are addressed in the afterword. The stats are not up to date, so while true, may not adequately reflect current numbers, and I suspect some of the trajectories of data have changed. Additionally, while I appreciate the authors not drawing conclusions regarding the cause of some things (IE high incarceration rates), I’m concerned that they could be misused to validate erroneous conclusions. Additionally, as the author reports, sometimes there isn’t data from additional populations by which to compare. I do intend to use this text to help support debate, however, and am hopeful for an updated edition to look at trends in the data, so we can work on areas that need attention, and also draw attention to change that shows positive growth as a nation as well.

[Chelsea Ongaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

My enjoyment was definitely closer to a 3, but 4 stars for the general content and purpose of the book. Overall, this is a pretty dry read that is mostly a compilation of stats with little commentary. But, the book is meant to inspire researchers to dig deeper and explore new questions. My favorite part was the section at the end that debunks stereotypes.

I have no idea where I got this book and I definitely should have read it sooner. It was published in 2014, so much of the data are older than that. However, I did learn some things:
- R&B is the third most popular music genre.
- More Black women die from breast cancer even though more White women are diagnosed with the disease. (I was surprised that this is true in raw numbers, not just percentages)
- As of the writing of this book, there had only been 8 African American U.S. Senators. (the current number is 14)
- African American scientists are 13% less likely than White scientists to receive NIH investigator-initiated research funding. (this just further exacerbates data inequities)

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book about stats will never sound like a “fun” read, however this was extremely interesting & I think very important for my learning (or anyone else who is learning about Black racial disparities in America).

I liked the presentation of the stats based on chapters of different topics like “Education”, “Entertainment & Sports”, “Money & Jobs”, etc. It was easy to follow and often presented several stats in a row that were connected. I also liked the stats that clearly stated Black vs White numbers for comparison.

Most importantly, this book is a great resource for confirming/dispelling preconceptions or biases. I think I will definitely refer to this book often to remind myself on the actual numbers of a certain topic, not just what I assume I know.

[Tibby]

This is an interesting collection of statistics about Black/African American folks in the US. It looks are various areas of life such as education, employment, health, military service, entertainment, and health. Some stats are surprising others you might expect. They all raise a variety of questions.

I think it's important to be note that the book is six years old at this point so some of the stats are even older. I don't think that makes this book or those stats less relevant, but I would be curious to know how some of them have changed. I would also be curious to see if some of the projections and predictions the book notes have come to pass.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's kind of hard to "read" a book of statistics, although this one was well laid-out, with chapters on different topics. Many of the statistics were really thought-provoking although they didn't really stick in my memory (maybe should have been writing them down while going through it) and a lot of them defied conventional wisdom (aka stereotypes).

I did wonder about the validity of the statistics. They came from a wide range of sources and mostly the numbers were just given as a fact without more complex explanation. I know numbers can mean a lot of different things.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is a bit overwhelming. With dense numeric data and a tight layout (small print, small pages, minimal line spacing), it feels like an anxiety attack. An interesting and edifying one, but interesting and edifying upon reflection and not during the process.

[Ariel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been reasing this throughout the month of February. Just the stats were interesting and i enjoyed reading this in small chunks. I do wish they included the native community to compare in more of the stats than they did.

[Edward Saoud · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good, to the point selection of Data. I have a few nit-picky points as to what I saw as downsides of this book, but overall it’s a very thorough listing of different statistics about Black Americans, so it lives up to its billing and is useful if you are looking for Black Stats.

[Myra Jolivet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an important work in dismantling harmful stereotypes. I'm proud of the book!

[Lydia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting compilation of information, in particular around incarceration. I would love to see new editions of this book over time to see if anything has changed or changes in the future.

[Karim · Rating 3 out of 5]

That's a lot of black stats, so many in fact that i had to parse and skim through chapters. As for the stats i was amazed at the numbers in a lot of areas. This book in incredibly in-depth. Maybe not a must-read but a must-skim.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is exactly what it says it is a book of numbers. it is full of studies, surveys with well documented sources. It doesn't really go into the why which depending on what you want out of this book could be a good or bad thing for the reader. a good choice for someone who is maybe just starting to dip their toes into the waters of racial studies.

[Mariah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good stats, but boring to read.

[Nikhil P. Freeman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting statistics, but certain numbers are questionable--along with the conclusions derived from those numbers--which will be further explorered after some more research.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

essential knowledge

[RUSA CODES]

Winner of the 2015 Outstanding Reference Sources Award.

For a complete list of winners, please visit http://www.ala.org/rusa/awards/outsta...

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wouldn't necessarily recommend reading this book cover to cover, it is a book of statistics after all, but I am glad I did. This is a book to keep out and available to refer to often.

[Patience Virtue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute must read for all white Americans. We have to know the full truth before we can help end inequality.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

An informative book I'm glad to have a copy of for future reference.

[Kara Merry · Rating 4 out of 5]

incredibly important stats. Math is an analytic tool.

[Ietrio · Rating 3 out of 5]

'By the numbers', yet not much more. Just a list of numbers, not very well referenced either.

[Courtney]

This book is a good resource and for painting the bigger picture of black life in America insofar as numbers alone can tell the story.

[Brian Elswick · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, this book is literally what its title says. It is not a book to sit and read. It is not something that you will read cover to cover. It is stats, without commentary, or very little commentary. While you can't criticize a book like this since there is no actual writing in it you also can't really commend it either. If you were working on a research project or were just interested in numbers then this would be a handy reference work but much like a dictionary, you aren't going to sit down and read it. I would like to own it ( I got it at the library) for a resource to return to when writing but not something I would readily suggest to anyone else.

[Mills College Library]

305.89607 M8772 2014