Hunger and Poverty among African Americans

*One in four African Americans lives below the poverty line, compared to about one in eight Americans overall.

*Thirty-four percent of African-American children live in families that struggle to put food on the table.

Bread for the World Institute’s new report, “Hunger by the Numbers among African Americans,” examines data on hunger and poverty rates among African Americans living in major metropolitan areas. The numbers are sobering, particularly for children.

“It would hardly be an overstatement to say an entire generation of African-American children is at risk of being set back due to the current recession,” Bishop Don Williams, Bread for the World's racial/ethnic outreach associate, told journalists at a press briefing today.

Check here for more analysis, including stories of groups and organizations that are making a difference. One is The Harlem Children’s Zone, which serves more than 8,000 children and their families in New York through education, social service, and community-building programs.