If you are working, count your blessings! You obviously missed a few classes in high school. Just for the record, the national unemployment statistics reported today stated that the African American unemployment rate was nearly 14%!! In Chicago, where I live, it is nearly double the state statistic! What's even more horrific; African American teen unemployment, on a national level, is reported to be 40%! I repeat, 40%! If a certain ethnic group of people are denied employment opportunities to support their families, their hopes and "American" dream, how long do you think it will take before everyone else is paying for their unjust treatment? Federal, state and local government will be forced to provide resouces that will support their disenfranchised reisidents. Fellow citizens will be forced to support and pay for those resources through higher taxes and strained public services (police, fire, hospitals). When will we start looking at one another with compassion? What I have observed is that the theory of " an epidemic" runs wide and deep: when a plight or circumstance "spreads" from the African American community into the "main stream" it is no longer "their" problem, it becomes a "national issue." Well folks, I witnessed a true "we are the world" moment yesterday; black, white, yellow, brown, pink...were all standing in the unemployment office waiting to file their claims. Unemployment is officially an "epidemic."
Nov 7th 2009 @ 8:26PM Frau" Gunter
Michael,
If you are working, count your blessings! You obviously missed a few classes in high school. Just for the record, the national unemployment statistics reported today stated that the African American unemployment rate was nearly 14%!! In Chicago, where I live, it is nearly double the state statistic! What's even more horrific; African American teen unemployment, on a national level, is reported to be 40%! I repeat, 40%! If a certain ethnic group of people are denied employment opportunities to support their families, their hopes and "American" dream, how long do you think it will take before everyone else is paying for their unjust treatment? Federal, state and local government will be forced to provide resouces that will support their disenfranchised reisidents. Fellow citizens will be forced to support and pay for those resources through higher taxes and strained public services (police, fire, hospitals). When will we start looking at one another with compassion? What I have observed is that the theory of " an epidemic" runs wide and deep: when a plight or circumstance "spreads" from the African American community into the "main stream" it is no longer "their" problem, it becomes a "national issue." Well folks, I witnessed a true "we are the world" moment yesterday; black, white, yellow, brown, pink...were all standing in the unemployment office waiting to file their claims. Unemployment is officially an "epidemic."
Reply