Seven out of every 10 African-American children are born out of wedlock, according to testimony given by a leading social policy researcher during a Joint Economic Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. In what is being called "the nation's worst crisis in the history of the Black family," hearing participants attributed the degenerating situation to the particularly disturbing plight of young African-American men, half of whom are now unemployed, and have 30 percent chance of serving time in prison before age 30.

And among Black men who drop out of high school-which is estimated at 40 percent--the situation is worse. Of those, 72 percent are jobless, and the likelihood of being incarcerated jumps to 60 percent.

In fact, a Black male in his late 20s without a high school diploma is more likely to be in jail than to be working, even in light of a relative strong economy and advances of the Black middle and upper class, said Ronald Mincy, a professor of social policy at Columbia University who conducted one of the most comprehensive studies of Black men.

"The findings from my research project, which are reported in 'Black Males Left Behind,' show that during two of the longest periods of sustained economic growth in our nation's history, between 1979 and 2000, the employment and labor force participation rates of young less-educated Black men consistently fell and this particular group of men was even more likely to be incarcerated," he testified.

Mincy, citing other studies, said that single parenthood, lack of education, and incarceration are a vicious cycle in the Black community. "Living with a single mother increases the likelihood of dropping out of school," he said. "The effects of single parenting on dropping out of school are larger, the longer a child is in a single parent home, and larger for boys than girls."

"These numbers take your breath away," committee chairman Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), said. "These numbers should cause national alarm and demand a national solution."

Schumer points to failing schools, racism, and the decimation of manufacturing jobs as the culprits that continue to suck the life out of the American dream for Blacks.

The solutions discussed at the hearing included the expansion of work training programs and the modernization of the Earned Income Tax Credit to make working more attractive.

Mincy recommended, among other things, increased funding on programs aimed at less-educated Black males. "Reversing the employment crises among young less-educated males will require money, patience, a multigenerational perspective, and policies that are responsible and reasonable," Mincy said. "My thinking on how to move forward relies heavily upon the experience of welfare reform.... The employment crisis among less-educated Black makes is no less serious a problem."