I've been black for 38 years, and a RPG gamer for 27 of those years. While I do see the occasional black guy or girl at my LGS, I can honestly say I've only gamed with a 2-3 over all those years, usually only for short periods of time.
I'm guessing that the dearth of black players has less to do with socio-economics and more to do with taste in literature. Like most of the gamers I know, I came to gaming because I was interested in epics (the Illiad, Beowulf, The Kalevala, etc.), comics, sci-fi/fantasy novels, and other entertainment forms that explored similar themes- like TV, Movies, and RPGs. RPGs gave me the outlet to act as if I were the hero in my favorite stories.
Most of the people I know who aren't gamers have almost no interest in the above forms of entertainment, and even if they do show an interest, its usually limited to video games.
Its not scientific, but it seems that if you don't read the stories, you probably don't play the RPGs, probably because the hobby, like the legends, involve the manipulation of words and engaging the imagination.
Video Games, TV and Movies simply don't engage the imagination the way the written word does, nor do they engender the patience the RPG hobby requires.
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