The nation’s economic crisis has been tough for millions of Americans, but times have been especially tough for young Black men, a BlackAmericaWeb.com report said.
Black men between 16 and 24 years old are facing a 34.5 percent unemployment rate, according to federal figures issued last month. These numbers mirror statistics from the Great Depression era and are three times higher than the general U.S. population.
Black women in the same age group are also experiencing jobless rates that top the national average, with 26.5 of African-American females out of work. Nationally, that number is 15.4 percent. Combined, the jobless rate for Black Americans is 30.5 percent.
According to several civil rights advocacy groups and economists, Black unemployment has exceeded the national average for decades, but it seems many African Americans are still struggling although the economy is experiencing an upswing.
The NAACP teamed with the National Council of La Raza and the AFL-CIO, urging the White House to create more initiatives and programs that will create jobs.
“It’s time for us to really stoke this issue up,” said Hilary O. Shelton, the NAACP’s senior vice president for advocacy and policy, in an interview with The New York Times. “We’re not so much trying to convince him to do something he doesn’t want to do, but urging him to move forward on an issue we have agreement on.”
President Obama recently announced the White House will host a job summit in December.
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