President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle grace the cover of the November issue of Ebony Magazine as election day draws near and voters of all colors are eager to know where the nation’s leader stands on the issues.
Inside the issue, the Commander-in-Chief is interviewed by MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry and discusses education, health care, crime, and jobs. President Obama also makes a personal appeal to African American families for their vote.
“African-Americans were hit especially hard by the recession…but over the past 30 months, businesses have created 4.5 million new jobs,” President Obama says in the interview.
The President’s response on the recession comes shortly after a University of Missouri study found that African Americans, Latinos, Asians and women face greater levels of unemployment than white males–a finding that could discount President Obama’s stance on the unemployment issue for some African American voters.
On the issue of health care, the President said: “…the numbers of working poor who don’t have health care who are African American or Latino are higher than the general population…the 30 million people who are going to be able to get health care for the first time…are going to be African Americans.”
He also mentioned the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African-Americans which was authorized on July 26, 2012. The initiative aims to “restore the country to its role as the global leader in eduction, to strengthen the Nation by improving educational outcomes for African Americans of all ages, and to help ensure that all African Americans receive an education that properly prepares them for college, productive careers, and satisfying lives…”
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