Topeka ? Through history, Kansas has been prominent in the fight to advance rights for African-Americans.

Anti-slavery abolitionists helped settle Kansas as a free state. In the 1950s, the landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in a lawsuit against the Topeka Board of Education to end segregation reverberated throughout the country, as did lunch-counter sit-ins in Wichita.

But a recently released “equity index” shows a wide disparity in present-day living conditions between African-Americans and whites in Kansas.

Two weeks ago, the Kansas African American Affairs Commission and Urban League of Kansas shared the preliminary findings of “The State of African Americans in Kansas.”

Mildred Edwards, who is executive director of the commission, said she wanted the report to be used in a positive way to make changes that are just and fair for all Kansans.

“The document, we hope, will help to galvanize movements at the local community and districtwide levels,” Edwards said.

Chester Daniel, president and chief executive officer of the Urban League of Kansas, said, “There is still much to do to make sure that every African-American has equal access and equality.”

The report, which will be completed soon, compares African-Americans with whites in numerous areas covering economics, education, health, social justice and civic engagement.

For example, the median household income each year for African-Americans in Kansas is $29,127, compared with $41,305 for Kansas whites. One in four African-Americans in the state are living under the poverty line, compared with one in 10 whites.

The state unemployment rate for African-Americans stands at about 13 percent, more than twice that of whites. And the life expectancy of African-Americans is 73 years while it’s 78 years for whites in Kansas.

Another alarming statistic is that the Kansas death rate for African-American infants is the worst in the nation. As a state, Kansas ranked 10th-worst overall. For every 1,000 white births in Kansas, about seven will die before their first birthday. For every 1,000 African-American births, 19.6 will die.

Once the report is finished, Edwards and Daniel said, they want it to be used as the foundation to build successful communities.