The Negro Poverty and the Economic Gap

In 1965, Lyndon B. Johnson made a speech at Howard University in which he addresses the growing economic gap between black and white Americans as well as the difference between “Negro poverty and white poverty.”

Johnson discusses how many factors contributed to the economic gap. First, he discusses how inadequate freedom has broken down very big barriers but is still not enough to close the gap. “Freedom is the right to share, share fully and equally, in American society—to vote, to hold a job, to enter a public place, to go to school...But freedom is not enough.” Giving these rights to people who do not typically have them is not solving the problem. And adding racial prejudices and discriminations on top of it really doesn’t help at all. Although it is a huge step for the Negro population to have access to these rights, it still doesn’t do all it can to improve the state of the community. It’s more a case about having the opportunity to act on these rights and changing society. Opportunities need to be made for the Negro population in order to see the economic gap start to close.

Another factor Johnson points out is how the closing of the economic gap is not one simply based on poverty. Negro poverty has many causes that will have lasting effects. Negro poverty is the result of years and years of oppression and hatred. “For the Negro they are a constant reminder of oppression. For the white they are a constant reminder of guilt.” Unfortunately, Negro poverty has no real solution because history cannot be changed or forgotten for it is deeply rooted in American culture and society. However, despite this fact, there is one place that this poverty and dismay can begin to dissipate. .. the family.

According to Johnson, “the family is the cornerstone f society.” The family structure is the most influential force in any child and individual’s life. Your family shapes your values, your point of view, and futuristic goals. If we start to treat and defeat poverty in the home, than it will gradually start to narrow the economic gap. Once the Negro family structure is reinforced and fortified, than the other factors contributing to economic gap will begin to change and improve.

The cartoon by Barry Deutsch relates highly to Johnson’s concept that, “You do not take a person who, for years, has been hobbled by chains and liberate him, bring him up to the starting line of a race and then say, ‘you are free to compete with all the others,’ and still justly believe that you have been completely fair.” You can give the Negro community all the freedom in the world but if you don’t do anything to reinforce that principle than freedom will never be truly free. The concept of white America’s freedom towards the Negro community is basically that, “we’ve given you the rights now do something with them on your own.” Of course, this ideal backfires. This concept is the same thing as giving an army pilot a French cook book and say, “make a four course meal on your own.” Freedom must be reinforced with effort from all members of a society to make change for the greater good.