The African American woman has commanded widespread public attention, but popular misconceptions of her socioeconomic role and status differ sharply from her actual situation. The following basic characteristics of the contemporary African American woman, drawn from census figures, are outlined: (1) demographically, females comprise a majority of the African American population and they are a relatively young subgroup; (2) the fertility rate of African American women is decreasing, and while the fertility rate for African Americans in the 10-19 years old age range is triple that of their White counterparts, the White fertility rate is higher in the 25-34 years old age range; (3) almost two-thirds of African American women are presently married or have been married, almost 77 percent of married African American women have their husbands present, and about half of all African American families are female-headed; (4) although African American females have achieved significant advancement over the years, educational attainment remains disproportionately low compared to White females; and (5) high unemployment rates and employment in low-paying jobs continue to limit the well-being of African American women. As a group, African American females present a wide variation in socioeconomic status. While highly educated African American women earn higher wages than their White counterparts, the larger segment of African American women constitutes the poorest racial gender group in the nation. All African American women, regardless of socioeconomic status, must help develop a strong African American community. (FMW)