More in the Middle is not a strategy targeted to the Black middle class for the sake of targeting the black middle class. More in the Middle is a poverty reduction strategy for African Americans given the circular nature of poverty in this country for people of color.

It is important to restate and ensure clarity about this framework. We believe that the reduction of poverty for African Americans and the accompanying wealth gaps associated with poverty can be mitigated by also focusing on closing the wealth gap for both the existing African American middle class along with poor African Americans. Sustainable successful economic conditions for low wealth African Americans are interrelated with the successful economic outcomes for African American businesses and African American middle class citizens. 

National longitudinal data reported by the Pew Charitable Trust, in their study of the Economic Mobility of Black and White Families, supports that for the first time being African American middle class does not guarantee that your children will be middle class. These children, for the first time, are in fact dropping out of an economic middle class status.

On the flip side of the equation, we also know that African-American businesses with the ability to hire workers, often hire African Americans at a greater rate than non-African American businesses.  So how do we significantly propel African American businesses to increase in size and scope to become major businesses?

Baltimore’s African American middle income households are largely women.  Yet we lament the outcomes for African American men but fail to understand the role of lifting them up economically will and can make a difference for their families’ economic health. Doesn’t a well paying job that provides opportunity and respect also provide greater options than crime for so many of our young black men?  If yes, then why do we so often fail to understand and thus invest in strategies that link them to workforce training for real career options. 

More in the Middle is an economic agenda with the intent of reducing poverty among African Americans and ensuring a sustainable reduction by closing the wealth gap for African Americans below and up to middle class.

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