August 29, 2007 12:28 PM

Inequality and Happiness

Apparently, white youth are the happiest. From Alternet,

MTV and the AP recently released results of a poll they conducted on America"s youth, with one detail grabbing headlines: White youths happier than others. Shocking: the "others" are unhappy.

In the poll, youth identified that the two most important components of happiness were having a successful career and enjoying free time. But success isn't measured simply by the amount of sweat on an individual's brow; it's measured by opportunity and privilege, where the lives of people of color are defined by a lack.

These basic questions of paying rent and getting a good education are intertwined and, necessarily, come before goals of becoming an astronaut, or even an artist or a writer. The poll, then, isn't so much about how youth of color are unhappy, but about the factors in a white-privileged society that won't let them be happy.

Our country needs to change and Working Assets is proud to support organizations that fight for social justice and equality. The Ella Baker Center is one of these. They campaign for youth prison reform, a "green" economy for minority communities and an end to youth violence in the Bay Area. This is what America needs.