It's a story repeated in many minority neighborhoods from Los Angeles to Detroit. In short, experts say the Energizer Economy has become far more affirmative for blacks than affirmative action ever was. All affirmative action can do is bring it back to neutral, but not really create big gains for minorities. And the economy of late has been anything but neutral. While the robust growth has knocked down obstacles for many African-Americans, others remain.
Black unemployment remains double the rate for whites.
Recent studies suggest minorities moving into entry-level jobs will find it hard to move up. Many longtime welfare recipients have such rusty work habits that merely holding a job remains a challenge. And, with the Federal Reserve tightening interest rates, many economists see the expansion slowing or even ending - with a corresponding slowdown in job opportunities. In February, for example, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for blacks fell to 7.8 percent. Although that was still twice the 3.6 percent for whites, it still represents the lowest February since 1972.