I got the following news release from the public relations reps over at EBONY magazine.

In the May issue of EBONY magazine, the publication partnered with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) to release the State of the Black Family Survey.  In the study, a national sample of 1,005 African-American respondents identified job loss and financial insecurity as the number one issue confronting Black families.

The survey polled African-Americans on their views on the economy, education, relationships, race relations, health care, employment, finances and media trends.

The findings from the study revealed the following:

• 84% of respondents says racial discrimination still pervades American society
• 74% think society isn’t doing enough to support young men and boys of color.
• Almost two-thirds of respondents say they are better off financially than they were five years ago, but 82% are concerned that Whites still make more than Blacks for doing the same jobs.
• 52% see the media portrayal of African-Americans as generally negative.
• 60% of respondents agree we are making progress in providing access to health care.
• 50%, however, feel that we are losing ground in reducing the gap between rich and poor.
• Almost 1/3 are concerned that their children are not getting a quality education.
• 44% of survey respondents said they know someone that has been killed or committed suicide
• 30% said “improving the creating more jobs/good paying jobs” as a top issue of concern.

Absolutely not ONE reference, NOT ONE on the horrid conditions of black girls and women in the hood. Absolutely NO REFERENCE to the CRAZY out-of-wedlock rate in the black community…WHY? Because that issue disproportionally affects–you guessed it–black women.  Our community is so deeply black-male identified that the only “studies” on the conditions of black women only serve to marginalize and demonize us even more, while every “study” on black men and boys is done to elicit pity and activism.

Listen folks and understand. The focus of concern with all these “studies” are never about the conditions of black girls and women. They simply don’t care that much. We are a community full of powerless patriarchs.

These types of studies wouldn’t bother me so much if there was some balance, but there isn’t. Black women are on their own. After all, we’re so “strong and independent,” right? RIIIIIGHT???