While many continue to be simply affected by the audacity of a white person using the racial slur in their presence the issue is much bigger than that.

African Americans continue to deal with more hardships than just being called outside of their name which need to be addressed and given more spotlight as the issues seem to have heightened since the nation decided to elect its first Black President, Barack Obama.

There seems to be heavy emphasis on issues, such as this, which might not be as crucial, while problems that need dire attention are frequently pushed to the side.

Education, employment, leadership and residence are all different aspects of the African American culture which seem to be dwindling, especially within the youth.  Having their lives being dictated and directed more by what they see on the television screen instead of a parental figure, the youth, as of late, have been traveling a destructive path.

While there are many active political figures that are more than equipped with the necessary knowledge to instill in the new day of Black America, there still seems to be a void or barricade that will not enable the message to seep through the cracks and touch the young generation.

What seems to be sticking and being embraced, unfortunately, is the negatives aspects such as violence, drugs and committing random acts of crime whether it be through peer pressure just the feeling that there is no other way to get by.

It's time to take more responsibility.  Why not speak up when it's Black on Black because if it was Black on White, it would be a completely different story.

Black History Month is a time to celebrate the achievements of Blacks within the country, but how often is it televised or spoken about within the confines of a classroom or any other outlet for higher learning?  Why is it that Hip Hop sites don't use such a vehicle to further promote knowledge as opposed to what is expect on a daily basis?

There is no need to complain on how ignorant some Black people act if another willingly accepts it as just being some ni**er sh*t as though that's the norm.  No one should ever be able to be okay with ignorance because it will only heighten with future generations as more acts aren't being seen as being an issue.  It's been going on for way too long.

For the record, being and acting stupid isn't something cool.  Babies having babies isn't just something to do nowadays.

How can we come to take a step forward if we are unwilling to be the first to just take the chance and go outside of the norm?  There will never be a solution if everyone is unwilling to face facts with the problem instead of addressing things like John Mayer saying the word “Ni@*er”.

34.5% of young Black men are unemployed.

Reported in October, unemployment for African-American men between the ages of 16 and 24 has skyrocketed.  The percent is more than three times the unemployment rate for the entire U.S. population.

This month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that unemployment for Blacks in D.C had risen from 11.4% to 11.9%, although employment was stable for other races located in Maryland and Virginia.

As the country deals with a recession, Black America is slowly crumbling into an economic depression with jobs becoming scarcer, especially for the Black community.  The hole is becoming deeper and deeper and the light for opportunity only flickers.

Issues trying to find stability in the work force for a Black man spans farther back in history than most can remember.  Some have been placed in situations where they feel they are in dead end jobs and are the last to be hired, but the first to be fired.

In regards to the present, the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that African-Americans had a higher rate of job loss in the fourth quarter of 2008 when compared to whites, Hispanics or any other ethnic group in America.

Back in March 2009, the unemployment rate for Black men was reported at 15.4% and was almost double to jobless white men.

A study was conducted by Princeton University of 1,500 employers within New York City and the results found that Black applicants that did not have criminal backgrounds did not have more of a chance at getting a job than white applicants that were fresh out of the prison system.

Discrimination has clearly played out to be the dominant factor in the downturn when compared to things such as age, income and education.  The Center of Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University reported that lower-income white teens are more likely to obtain employment than upper-income Black teens.

As the road remains tumultuous, the true nature of the country begins to rear its ugly head.  Even with so much time passed and so much accomplished within its history, America is still unable to unlock its grasp on race.

Keep in mind that with drastic times comes drastic measures, so as a person is unable to alleviate their back from being against the wall, he/she is prone to explore other means in order to get what they want when the legal, civilized way isn't working.

While African Americans have suffered greatly and 15.1 percent unemployment in
the month of August, up from 14.5 in July.

At a job fair in New York's Madison Square Garden, a large number of black men of all ages were in attendance in efforts to gain employment.

"It's humbling," said Brendan Allen an entrepreneur , who was supporting himself "maneuvering stocks" until recently.

Joseph Thompson stood outside of Madison Square Garden six hours before the fair opened.

"It's been painful to go through this instability," said Thompson, who is seeking a general accountant position. "But it's a blessing in a disguise because it's allowing me to market myself and further my skill sets while I look for work."

Some job-seeker were overwhelmed by the masses of people applying for the same jobs.

"I feel like I'm just a needle in a haystack," said Edward Amo-krah of Jersey City, N.J. "When I saw the hundreds and hundreds of people outside waiting in line, it really gets to your spirit."

Amo-krah lost his position as an internal auditor at AIG in 2007. He is know looking to pursue a a teaching career.

"I feel that teaching is just more rewarding," Amo-krah said. "I've been substituting for about a while now, and I'm thinking this is my next thing."

According to CNN, while unemployment in the city spiked to 72 percent from the first quarter of 2008 to the first quarter of 2009, it surged to more than 160 percent in the black communities specifically. The unemployment rate increased 14.7 percent, rising four times the speed than any other ethnic group.

National figures, however, did not show such a crippling difference.

Comptroller William C. Thompson said the imbalance is cause by the astronomical number of blacks in the retail and service industries, which have been seen the worst of times resulting from