If Unemployment overall is on the decline, why is  Unemployment on the rise for Blacks?

By Eric M. Deadwiley

January 16, 2012

As the entire nation climbs out of the longest economic slump since the great depression, the black community is still suffering from extremely high unemployment. The unemployment numbers released last week showed a drop in the “national” unemployment rate from 8.7% in November, to 8.5% in December. Our economy gained over 200,000 private sector jobs in December alone. However, New York States unemployment rate rose from 8.9% in November 2010 to 9.1% in November 2011. The unemployment rate for blacks is much higher than the national or statewide average. Many community activist and Elected Representatives are requesting that our government take “targeted”–aggressive measures to bring economic opportunity to our neighborhoods.  Yvette D. Clark, Congresswoman from the 11^th Congressional District said this: “We cannot forget that there are still 13 million Americans unemployed. The unemployment rate for African-Americans rose from 15.5 percent to 15.8 percent–an appalling statistic that demonstrates the urgency we have in creating more jobs and addressing the equitable distribution of our nation’s resources.”

According to Elena Volovelsky, a research Analyst with the New York State Department of Labor, the New York State Department of Labor does not keep statistics on unemployment based on race, which makes it almost impossible to prove misconduct or discrimination in the hiring practices of many New York City employers. The New York State Department of Labor should be collecting unemployment data based on race and ethnic background for statistical purposes. Furthermore, data should be collected to track the migration of residents from Upstate and Downstate New York Counties to ascertain if an inordinate number of those residents are filling positions in the Bronx and Kings Counties. A New York State Department of Labor Press Release of November 2011 Area Unemployment Rates showed that Bronx County leads in unemployment rates with a whopping 12.6%, with Kings County (Brooklyn) coming in second with a 9.5% unemployment rate. We should all question why Downstate Suburban Counties, such as Putnam, Rockland, Westchester, Nassau and Suffolk Counties (that have a much smaller employer base than New York City does) have significantly lower unemployment rates than we do. This inequitable distribution of resources and jobs lead representative hakeem Jeffries, State Assembly-member from Brooklyn’s 57^th Assembly District to introduce residency requirement legislation in the New York State Assembly.

New York City allows job applicants who live as far as 3 hours away to apply and obtain employment within the city limits. Critics of this policy have–for many years, made the argument that this policy ( along with many other policies, such as the content of the exams for certain position i.e., the Firefighters exam) have been used to keep our “tax funded” Civil Service positions and other “tax funded” “emergency/first-responder” departments with a majority white staff.   What’s even more disturbing than these bad unemployment numbers is the lack of a sound safety net for struggling residents trying to keep a warm plate of food on their tables. One notable “chink” in the armor of our local safety net is the Human Resources Administration office located at 500 Dekalb Avenue in Brooklyn. I spoke to a woman named Deana (a Home Attendant for over 25 years) who told me that she had to apply for assistance from the Dekalb Ave office when the client she was attending to passed away. Deana explained the application process to me–which she described as “depressing.” She told me how she had to stand in a long line to get a ticket; and how she had to go from room-to-room and line-to-line which could last for up to 8 hours depending on how many other people are applying for assistance that day. She also told me that the building is like a “prison” with absolutely no free movement from floor-to-floor or from one room to the next without an escort. The “fingerprinting” process further solidifies the prison feeling. Deana said that “the process discourages people from applying for assistance.” I requested information from the Human Resources Administration about the “official procedure” clients must follow to receive assistance, but did not get a reply. These findings signals a troubling trend in the black community. Governor Cuomo, in his recent State of the State address suggested doing away with the fingerprinting requirement to obtain food stamps, which would be a good first step. However, more progressive measures must be utilized to stop the economic “hemorrhaging” in our communities. “Residency requirements,” and enforcement of existing Federal, State and City nondiscrimination/Civil Rights laws is also needed to bring economic prosperity to our struggling neighborhoods.

Eric M. Deadwiley