What Came First, The Chicken Or The Egg?

Today I visited Black Expo held at the Prime Osborn Center in Jacksonville, Florida. Beyond the niche market demographic the expo catered to, it was like most others I have attended.

I was more intrigued by the average income figure of the target market listed on the ‘demographic’ section of the website promoting the expo. The average income of African-Americans living in the area, which Florida Congressional District 3 (CD-3) comprises, is slightly less than $27,000 per year or $2,250 per month and is $6,000 less the median income of all inhabitants of CD-3. I am intrigued by that income figure because of the causes and effects from such a figure.

The effects are easier to understand. I believe it is hard to live on that amount of income over an extended period of time, even more so if you are supporting more than one person. Arguably, one can only provide for current necessities and has little disposable income to purchase any kind of quality insurance (such as health, life, or property), to save for an emergency, to save for retirement, to invest in themselves by taking a course at a community college or online, and the list goes on.

There are probably multiple causes which are intertwined leading to less-than-an-average income. Without hope, persistence and a smart game plan, it would be hard to move up into a higher income level. The weak link is a lack of knowledge from an improper or poor education. But how does one know what a proper education is if they have been the beneficiary of an improper education. Hmm? It is kind of like, what came first, the chicken or the egg?