The report details some good news: a slow but steady increase in the number of Black families headed by married couples (47.9 percent in 2001 versus 46.1 percent in 1996); more than two thirds of all African American families have "stable working class to middle class" incomes, and a significant number of Black men and women support equal rights and equal pay.

But in light of the 40 years since civil rights groups led a march on the nation's capitol to promote civil rights and economic opportunity for African Americans, the report also calls into question how far African Americans have really come.

Additional findings show that 10.9 percent of single Black mothers are unemployed, compared to just 4.9 of White single mothers, and reveal a disproportionate incarceration rate for Blacks, particularly for non-violent offenders: 4, 819 per 100,000 vs. 649 per 100,000 for Whites.

According to our report, marriage among African Americans is up, and more families are earning higher incomes. However, one cannot ignore the staggering African American unemployment rate which stands at 12 percent, twice the national average of six percent.