Black American’s Power to Influence Elections and Economically Self-Determine Our Future Continues to Decline

According to the National Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 64, No. 1 dated January 15, 2015, the Total Fertility Rate for Black American’s is 1.8, which is below the replacement level fertility rate of 2.1, the rate at which a generation can replace itself.

The Total Fertility Rate estimates the number of children that would be born if a mother were to live to the end of her childbearing years.

Total Fertility Rates are closely tied to growth rates for both countries and cultural groups and can be an excellent indicator of future population growth or decline.

Within the context of a nation, fewer children being born means that country’s political and economic power will decline with its population, based on the assumption that the military force that once could be deployed and paid for, will also decline.

Within the context of a culture, fewer children being born means that culture’s political and economic power will decline with its population, based on the assumption that the culture is politically and economically engaged.

Based on an analysis of data from the U.S. Statistical Abstract for 2013 and the National Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 64, No. 1 dated January 15, 2015 by Dennis Howard, President of the Movement for a Better America, the total current Black American population is about 42,000,000 and the current cumulative number of abortions from 1967 through June of this year is 59.4 million, of which an estimated 20,350,000 are Black American abortions.

Those 20,350,000 Black American abortions are equal to 48.45% of the total Black American population today. It’s clear, in less than 50 years, abortion alone has decimated over 48% of the potential political and economic power of Black Americans.

Not voting your values have real consequences, however, civil rights are of little help if people do not have the economic power to secure the income needed to take advantage of the right to live, work and raise a family.

At one point Black Americans could not vote, go to school or hold a job. Today we can vote, go to school and hold a job. However, if our power to influence elections and economically self-determine our future continues to decline, we can one day expect to go back to the point where we started.

Walter B. Hoye II is the founder and president of the Issues4Life Foundation, the founder of the California Civil Rights and the Frederick Douglas Foundations of California, and proponent of the California Equal Rights Amendment.