The dearth of opportunities available for blacks to accrue reasonable incomes through socially sanctioned employment, to live in dignity and selfrespect, and to realize the same benefits and pleasures as whites inevitably produces discontent and aggression among blacks. Young black males as a group are more likely to be unemployed, have the least likelihood of attaining postsecondary education, and have the greatest chance of being imprisoned than any other subgroup in America. Absent any evidence that such circumstances are genetically determined, the problem must be rooted in socioeconomic factors. Inner city blacks do not have the resources of education and social conditioning to compete with advantaged whites for high paying jobs and so are relegated to low-skill, low-paying jobs or no jobs. Crime offers an alternative income source, and violence becomes the last manifestation of power and an expression of hopelessness and exasperation. These circumstances are similar for both male and female young black adults. 2 tables and a 33-item bibliography.