Posted on 07/26/2013 8:21:04 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
PHILADELPHIABlack America is largely unemployed, in debt and in prison, civil rights activist Rev. Jesse Jackson told hundreds gathered at the annual National Urban League conference Friday, before asking them what they were going to do about it.
"If you're someone with credit card debt, stand," said Jackson. A segment of the audience stood. "If you're someone with student loans, stand," he said. Nearly everyone in the audience stood. "And if you're someone looking for a job, stand," he said. Many more people tentatively raised their hands.
"That's the state of black America," he said. "We are free but not equal. Free to be unemployed."
A host of big name civil rights leaders joined Jackson Friday in warning of the unemployment and incarceration crisis for black Americans, citing statistics including that more than half of male African-American high school dropouts are unemployed, according to an analysis from the left-leaning site Remapping Debate, and that of the over 2 million Americans in prison, half are black.
In June, the Labor Department's job numbers also showed that the African-American unemployment rate had risen from 13.5 to 13.7 percent, while the national employment rate had stayed even, at 7.6 percent.
Barbara Arnwine, president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said Friday that the unemployment problem was driven in part by employers who used credit checks in their hiring decisions.
"Credit checks have nothing to do with your ability to work," she argued. "Your credit is bad because you don't have a job."
MSNBC commentator and civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton argued that black Americans were facing higher unemployment rates because of where they work.
"Every since Obama has been in, there's been an increase in jobs in the private sector but black unemployment has increased. Why? Because we work in the public sector," he said.
In November, the National Urban League warned that the fiscal cliff would disproportionately affect African Americans because they make up a disproportionately large share of the public sector workforce.
A report from the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute added to the Urban League's fears, finding that the greater number of African Americans in the public sector had also meant higher rates of job loss during the economic recession.
But the Urban League said here it is determine to stem the tide of job losses. A jobs expo at the conference included hundreds of employers, including Target, CVS and UPS. The conference, which has the theme "jobs rebuild America," also hosted a career and networking fair, with sessions on how to pitch a personal brand or the art of the interview. And the majority of conference-goers showed up in business dress, a detail not lost on Vanesse Lloyd-Sgambati, a Philadelphia-based literary consultant attending the conference.
"If you notice how people are dressed, it's 8 a.m. in the morning and yet they're suited up, suited down, and ready for business," she said. "There are a lot of African American conferences around the country. But the National Urban League has said: 'This is what we are all about.'"
lol
If true, they have only themselves to blame for voting in Democrats like Obama so many times over the years
I used to see that too. Guys in scuff slippers (’Romeos’ and fuzzies) and the ladies in housecoats and PJs.
I’m guessing they just need more time to ‘assimilate.’ Maybe in another 400 years they’ll figure things like this out.
The community just needs more organizin’ n agitatin’ n stuff. Forget about being upstanding citizens, speaking English, behaving, getting an education, being punctual, not carrying a chip on your shoulder, and leading a moral and straight life.
but bashing someone's head on the sidewalk makes them feel better, especially if they can blame the bashee.
How can this be when Obama is in the White House, making things better for everyone especially his black brothers and sisters?
Seriously, if you go up to most inner city blacks, and ask them what they want to do with their lives, what would they say, I suspect most of them would say, “Get High, Get Money...” But they really don’t have much ambition at all.
And just why do "we work in the public sector"? Hmmm?
Talk about the bigotry of low expectations. And by Mr. Sharpton himself, no less.
Mr. Sharpton, please explain where to find these increased jobs in the private sector. Almost 10 million people have left the labor force since your Lord was immaculated. Almost every job in the private sector is a part time job at low wages in the service industry.
Dream Defenders want to replace “stand your ground” with “Trayvon’s Law,” which will require law enforcement to create policies that prevent racial profiling and end what they call the school-to-prison pipeline the funneling of young people from public schools into the juvenile justice system or jail with “zero-tolerance” rules.
They want Trayvon’s Law — immunity from prosecution for the crimes they commit.
And that idiot Scott is going to make it happen.
I guess an one time even the Flock of Seagulls were relevant.
if yall cant read CURSIVE ..Stand
if you think white people are creepy ass crackers STAND
if you refer to attorneys you may encounter in a court of Law..as “That Bald Dude’ please STAND.
if you DONT KNOW who your daddy is Please Stand!
isnt that the original Carlos Danger??
I agree with the credit check to get a job. It doesn’t make sense. When I was in management back in the 80s I hired a woman as a salesperson. She was damn good. Two weeks after I hired her I got a call from my boss that I had to fire her because she had bad credit. I couldn’t believe it. I told him they might as well fire me, too, ‘cause my credit sucked at the time. Why? Because I had been unemployed for six months. It’s stupid.
A young black man was interviewed in East Cleveland and said they want out but don’t have the money to get out. I guess I’ll ask this question until the day I die: What is the solution?
Hey JJ, if blacks want to get out of that they jut need to get off the liberal plantation
Agreed. I hear ya.
We do have opportunity here. Don’t get me wrong. There are places where it’s hard to make things work though. Inner cities can be a hard place to move on up. Certain areas of large cities where poor Blacks live, have few jobs in the area.
Look, I’m not dumping on our nation, but I think we have to acknowledge that there are some places where it isn’t easy to climb out. That’s all.
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