With nearly 35 percent of young black males being out of work, the Rev. Jesse Jackson has stepped forward, and joined black congressional leaders in a push to have the Obama administration send help directly to African-American and other minority communities.
Jackson talks to host Guy Raz, of NPR, about his calls for targeted economic aid, and President Obama's Nobel address last week.
I'm a little dissappointed by the interview, because it really doesn't answer ANY of my questions as to what anyone plans to do about all the young males, and everybody else for that matter, who are willing to work but can't find a job. However, it does provide some relief knowing there are people out there, at-least trying to do something about it.
Black lawmakers are still careful about criticizing Obama publicly, but they appear to be losing their patience after a year of watching him dedicate trillions of dollars to prop up banks and corporations and fight wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, while double-digit unemployment among blacks crept even higher.
“Obama has tried desperately to stay away from race, and all of us understand what he's doing,” said Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo. “But when you have such a disproportionate number of African-Americans unemployed, it would be irresponsible not to direct attention and resources to the people who are receiving the greatest level of pain.”
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