Recent study outlines grim reality for African-Americans in Milwaukee

In a recent study – The State of Black Milwaukee in National Perspective: Racial Inequality in the Nation’s 50 Largest Metropolitan Areas in 65 Charts and Tables – published by the Center for Economic Development at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, professor Marc Levine outlines a reality that many Milwaukee residents know all too well.

The study states, “On virtually all key measures of Black community well-being, Milwaukee ranks at or near the bottom when ranked against other large metropolitan areas. Moreover, when we examine historical trends in some key areas, the results are equally grim: Black Milwaukee is generally worse off today than it was 40 or 50 years ago.”

7^th District Alderman Khalif J. Rainey believes the study hits home for many Milwaukeeans. “The findings of this study are devastating as it relates to Milwaukee’s Black community, and both the city and state need to continue prioritizing support for Black communities so we can work to eliminate disparities,” said Alderman Rainey. “I plan to introduce a communication file regarding this study and will extend an invite to Dr. Levine with the hopes he will discuss this report in greater detail with the Common Council.”

Some of the study’s key findings include: Milwaukee has the second-lowest Black homeownership rate among the nation’s largest metropolitan areas at 27.2%; In Milwaukee, Black infant mortality rates, teen pregnancy rates, and low birthweight babies rates rank among the worst for Black communities in the nation’s 50 largest metropolitan areas; and Milwaukee registers the third-highest rate of Black incarceration in state prisons among the 50 largest metro areas in the US (measured by Black incarceration rates in the central county of the metro area).

The full study can be accessed at https://dc.uwm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1055&context=ced_pubs

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.