Filed under: News, The Economy, Credit Report
The unemployment rate for black men in Milwaukee is substantially higher than it was the year before, rising 13.4 percent in just one year. Since 1970, the rate of joblessness for black men has more than doubled. Mark Levine, the author of the study, presents a series of reasonable recommendations for dealing with the unemployment problem, including the strengthening of re-entry programs for felons, government funding of green jobs and finding more effective ways to deal with the wave of mass incarceration that has taken place since the 1970s.
I wrote an open letter to President Obama on AOL Black Voices regarding the problem with black unemployment. Some construed the letter to imply that I do not support the president, but that would be incorrect. At worst, my support for any political figure is conditional upon him/her addressing the needs and issues that affect African Americans. Thus far, the Obama Administration does not appear to have made black unemployment and mass incarceration serious priorities, and this is disappointing.
The fact that none of the Washington politicians have put massive black unemployment on their radar screens presents sufficient cause for many African Americans to be unenthusiastic about the upcoming mid-term elections. Sure, the Republicans would be worse than the Democrats, but neither group appears capable of significantly impacting the lives of African Americans. This doesn't mean that African Americans shouldn't vote, but it does mean that millions of black folks will presume that the state of their own existence won't be changed if they take time out of their day to visit the voting booth.
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Overall, the solutions to the massive black unemployment problem are going to have to start at home. Individual community organizers should demand that their elected officials deal with the unemployment issue. Additionally, it is imperative that we teach our children about the systems that are designed to destroy them. The prison system, educational system and economic system are not structured to favor the African American male. Therefore, you must prepare your black boys to be focused, strong and disciplined.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.