If whites scored 100 per cent on such measures, blacks scored just 56.8 per cent, a figure unchanged from last year.

On a broader index covering such issues as education, health, social justice and civic engagement, blacks stood at 73 per cent, an increase of just 0.41 percentage points over last year.

Three times as many US blacks as whites live below the poverty line, defined as an income of $US20,000 ($21,400) for a family of four.

The disparity between the races on unemployment narrowed slightly, but blacks were still twice as likely to be jobless.

"The disparities between black and white Americans remain consistent, nagging and substantial," League president Marc Morial said,

"The next (US) president has to take the bull by the horns and change the nation's priorities and focus on domestic initiatives."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/03/06/2181875.htm