Despite the massive unemployment amongst Blacks, do not be fooled by predictions that black support for The One will slip. There is, as the author states – a disconnect between support for Obama and one’s lousy economic situation and in the job market. Ironically, the one POTUS whose administration brought more blacks into the middle class then any other administration was Ronald Reagan, and of course he was repaid by base ingratitude. Had black unemployment been this high (the highest level since The Great Depression) under George W. Bush or if John McCain were president – the cries of racism (or raaaaacism as is used on LGF) would be filling the air over at MSNBC and the rest of the MSM. If one looks for jobs at (for example) wwww.monster.com you will notice that the positions listed are usually very specific and technical for their requirements, usually seven bullet points of specific and direct experience are required and you need to have all seven as five will not do.
by Caroline May
African Americans have the highest unemployment rate of any ethnic group in America, and the disparity is raising eyebrows.
According the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics report, the black unemployment rate hovers at 16.1 percent – compared with 8 percent among whites, 11.8 percent among Hispanics, and 6.4 percent among Asians. The most recent figures pin the total unemployment rate at 9 percent.
There is not a consensus, however, on the reasons behind the disparity, which Dr. Boyce Watkins has labeled “The Great Black Disconnect,” wherein blacks disassociate their plight from the president’s inaction – yet might fail to put energy into his reelection.
[…]
To Reverend Jesse Jackson the high numbers of unemployed blacks is a “cry for help,” due to systematic racism and a failure to enforce the law. Help has not, however, been as forthcoming as the civil rights leader would have liked to see. For, while the president has had numerous conferences on the economic struggles of Americans, Jackson thinks it is high time for a conference on the plight of blacks in the workforce.
“This involves the White House, the Congress, and the Department of Justice, and corporate America. All these institutions would see the value of some kind of White House conference on racial justice” Jackson told The Daily Caller.
Ward Connerly, chairman of the American Civil Rights Institute, on the other hand, told TheDC that while there might be some elements of racism in the culture, they are isolated and do not explain the disparity, it is largely an education and immigration issue.
“The more likely factors are these: for skilled positions, blacks are less educated and less skilled than whites and Asians; and for unskilled positions, I believe illegal immigrants are having a huge effect on black unemployment,” Connerly wrote in an email. “We can find this in construction-related jobs and in the food service industries, in particular. And, of course, in agriculture, Hispanics are dominant.”
[…]
Like Jackson, Dr. Watkins explained that the black plight is a cry for help, but not one which many in the black community are willing to voice as they to not want to hurt the president that they love “like a family member.”
“The real concern for the president is that the black community may simply support him from the sidelines, as they’ve been politely asked to re-embrace the same disenfranchised hopelessness that plagued us before Obama made us believe the words ‘Yes we can,’ wrote Watkins. “When black Obama supporters ask suffering African American families to remain silent for the sake of preserving the presidency, they are asking them to accept the fact that President Obama is too busy with more important issues to address the challenges of racial inequality.”
The playing field is uneven and until the scales are balanced the problem will persist, Jackson added, whether or not there is a black man in office.
“Facing unequal opportunity, access to health care, jobs, public transportation, the unevenness results in uneven results and until one can document that unevenness in the nation, and support all citizens, whether they’re black or Latino of Native American or [of a differnt] sexual orientation we must all be afforded equal protection under the law and blacks are not being afforded that,” he said.
Steele reiterated that until the black community begins to put an emphasis on personal responsibility improving their plight will be near impossible.
“As black Americans we are – I think the fact that we have a black president makes the point – we are at a very different juncture in our history, where ironically racism is no longer our number one problem, probably 18th on the list. The idea of taking our own lives in our hands and competing as other Americans do [is how to solve the problem],” Steele concluded.
