Marriage the Equalizer?

Here's an interesting article from USA Today.

Here's the opening:

As a happily married man, I have been troubled by the oft-stated myth that the institution of wedlock has never been central to the African-American heritage.

Unfortunately, this view has permeated the African-American community and society at large. Now, it may be single-handedly holding back blacks in their pursuit of social, economic and educational progress.

According to testimony given last fall to a Senate subcommittee by Ron Haskins of The Brookings Institution, from 1970 to 2001, the overall marriage rate declined 17% but 34% for blacks. The overall rate for out-of-wedlock births is 33% compared with 70% for blacks.