Unemployment for Blacks hits
10.6 percent in November
From the Globe National Desk
The 19-year-old black man was looking for a job in downtown Oakland.
“I just moved here from Ohio,” he said. “It’s tough out here. I live in Vallejo with my mother and her boyfriend, and I want my own place.”
He was heading for the East Bay Employment Center at 1212 Broadway.
In Oakland, black community leaders are asking city officials to declare a state of emergency because of the high rate of joblessness among blacks.
According to a recently released government report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the jobless rate for blacks in November was 10.6 percent, up from 9.1 percent in October. The national unemployment rate last month was 5 percent.
The unemployment rate is much higher for black teens - as high as 60 percent, according to the National Urban League. Community leaders fear that some black youths will turn to shoplifting or selling drugs during the holiday season because they have no steady income.
“It’s like the summer when school is out,” said Harold Logan, a youth counselor. “But at least in the summer, employers are looking to hire young people. That is not happening in the Christmas season.”
“Today’s dismal African American unemployment numbers are yet another example of how President Bush and the Republican Congress are out of touch with the plight of hardworking American families,” House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said.
“Last month, Republicans passed a budget that will hurt countless African American families. With that immoral budget, the Bush Administration and House Republicans will make it harder and harder for African Americans as they strive to feed and educate their families. Republicans are taking food out of the mouths of children to give tax cuts to America's wealthiest. This is not a statement of America’s values,” said Pelosi.
“The possibility of obtaining a job and developing economic security remains out of reach for too many African Americans and this negatively impacts every aspect of life. Unemployment makes it impossible to have access to health care, widens the opportunity gap in education and makes it impossible for individuals to achieve their full potential,” Congressional Black Caucus Chair Representative Mel Watt (D-NC) said.
“We call on the President, once again, to show his personal commitment to closing these disparities and call on him to rally the country behind the persistent and unfinished business of eliminating these disparities. Only then can our country realize its full potential and honor its commitment to provide equal opportunity for all,” Watt added.
