President Clinton's election touched off high expectations among black Americans that the economic woe and racial strife of 1992 will be remedied soon, the National Urban League said Tuesday.
The league, in its annual report on "The State of Black America," called upon Clinton to "complete the business of realizing racial and social justice.""Black America in 1992 turned a hopeful, expectant face to the future, even as the terrible conditions of the present led to despair and rebellion," Urban League president John E. Jacob said. "It is still remarkable how much hope has been sparked by the Clinton victory."
Jacob said this hope "was based on the election of a new administration pledged to chart a different course for the nation. That hope got a lift from the sudden popularity of reformist ideas that had been ignored for too long."
But the report said this hope was "tempered by a new realism" among blacks that recognizes government can play only a limited role in the rebirth of their communities.
"While government can be an enabling agent for black empowerment, ultimately we - the African-American community - must develop our own vision."
Among the ideas the report listed as important to black Americans were universal health insurance, a national youth service program, preschool learning programs, neighborhood-based skill training and encouragement for starting small businesses.