Though there are signs that the economy is on the uptick, President Obama is keeping pressure on Congress to pass a jobs bill, traveling to Austin, Texas, this week as part of a new jobs tour to bring attention to the struggles of middle class families and build support for his economic policies. Though the [...]
As Unemployment Drops to Lowest in 4 Years, Blacks Still Lag Behind
May 4, 2013 | Posted by
In one of the best monthly economic report in years, unemployment in April dropped to 7.5 percent, a four-year low, as the U.S. economy added 165,000 jobs. But among African-Americans, the positive economic signs were almost invisible, as joblessness for them remained high, at 13.2 percent. The overall numbers were a welcome surprise since many [...]
BET Founder to Bill O’Reilly: Obama Getting a Pass From Blacks
April 4, 2013 | Posted by
Last week, Black Entertainment Television Founder Robert Johnson commented on the high black unemployment rate in the United States, remarking that the nation would never tolerate a white unemployment rate in the double digits. He sat down with Fox News host Bill O’Reilly to further elaborate, saying that President Obama is getting a pass from the [...]
Black Unemployment Nearly Doubles National Rate in February
March 8, 2013 | Posted by
America’s unemployment rate dropped to 7.7 percent in February, the lowest mark in four years. Some 236,000 jobs were created during the month, according a report from the Labor Department Friday. February’s success continues a recent trend of recovery, and was the best statistically since the early months of the depression. Part of the new [...]
Mr. President, What’s Your Plan to Reduce Black Unemployment?
January 11, 2013 | Posted by
Between now and the inauguration on Jan. 21, The Root will be taking a daily look at the president’s record on a number of policy issues, including his first-term accomplishments and what many Americans hope to see him accomplish in a second term. Today: black unemployment. See previous postings in this series here. Background: The unemployment rate of African-Americans has been an [...]
Black Businesses Hire Black People for Two Out of Every Three Jobs
December 22, 2012 | Posted by
One of the most effective strategies for reducing black unemployment is to support black-owned businesses. This is because two out of every three workers employed in those businesses are black. In fact, black businesses can achieve employment outcomes that economic growth policy cannot. This post examines hiring in African American-owned businesses as a strategy to reduce the high rate [...]
Black Unemployment Still Twice That of Whites
December 16, 2012 | Posted by
In the quarter-century that Armentha Cruise has run her Silver Spring staffing firm, the nation has made strides toward racial equality. Voters have twice elected a black president, African Americans shine among Hollywood’s brightest stars, and the number of blacks who graduate from college has tripled. But this stubborn fact remains: The African American jobless [...]
Huge Wage Gap Between Blacks and Whites Threatens to Tear South Africa Apart
September 4, 2012 | Posted by
Income inequality is threatening to tear apart the fragile democracy that South Africa has been living under for the past 18 years, as the gap between the income of blacks and whites continues to be enormous and foreboding. In South Africa, the wealthiest 10 percent of the population earn nearly 60 percent of the country’s [...]
Degree No Guarantee: As Black Unemployment Rises, So Does Black Self-Employment
August 30, 2012 | Posted by
While a degree certainly provides graduates with an edge in the job market, unemployment statistics have repeatedly shown that one’s race plays a role in securing employment. As of March 2012, African American graduates encountered a rate of 10.8 percent, according to a report by the Economic Policy Institute. White graduates appeared to stand a [...]
White Americans Have 22 Times More Wealth Than Blacks
June 21, 2012 | Posted by
White Americans have 22 times more wealth than blacks — a gap that nearly doubled during the Great Recession. The median household net worth for whites was $110,729 in 2010, versus $4,995 for blacks, according to recently released Census Bureau figures. The difference is similarly notable when it comes to Hispanics, who had a median [...]
