A social science researcher at NIU is assisting the state in a survey that will bring the social and economic state of black men into focus.

NIU’s director of the Social Science Research Institute, Paul Kleppner, was appointed to a special state task force set up to survey the social and economic conditions of minority men, particularly black men, in Illinois.

Kleppner was recently appointed to the task force by Illinois House Speaker, Michael Madigan (D-Chicago). Kleppner is a recognized expert on voting patterns.

Kleppner said black men in general have higher rates of unemployment and lower rates of high school graduation than the rest of the population.

“The question is how large the problem is, where is the problem concentrated geographically in Illinois and what age group is most affected,” said Kleppner.

The idea of surveying the conditions of minority men came from a study recently done in Ohio, Kleppner said. The results of this survey will be a guide for the task force in Illinois, he said.

One serious problem marked for further study is the fact that more black men under 30 had been arrested than went to college, Kleppner said.

The task force will also investigate family circumstances to see if there is a correlation between an unstable home life and high dropout rates in high schools, Kleppner said.

This problem leaves black men with little skills or knowledge, which makes them virtually unemployable, he added.

“It has become a poverty problem that feeds the next generation of poverty,” said Kleppner.

In order to set up programs and begin solutions, first it is important to know where these solutions and programs will be most helpful, Kleppner said.

This is what the survey will achieve, he said.