The economic status of blacks has improved during this current period of growth. Poverty among blacks is at the lowest level since the government began tracking the figures in 1959, and over the latest year the average household income of blacks increased by 3.6 percent while the income of whites increased by 2.2 percent. But these improvements bring to mind the metaphor of the halffilled glass-that is, the glass may be interpreted as being half-full or half-empty. Consider this: even though average household income among blacks has improved, it is still only 63 percent of that of whites, while 30 percent of black families still live below the poverty line. Finally, while the rate of unemployment among whites is 3.7 percent, it is 9.2 percent for blacks.