As the economy’s downturn continues to loom over America and employment remains to be a daily issue, the problem is almost magnified for the young males in the Black community.
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.
