“A Dichotomy of Epic Proportion”

Not only is Philadelphia ranked as the 16th most corrupt city in the Republic, it ranks 8th in the nation with the highest unemployment among African Americans. In 2010, unemployment among African Americans living in Philadelphia was 14.6% compared to 7% in 2007. The unemployment rate for African American families is also a major dichotomy. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, African American adults had the highest unemployment rate in 2009 at 14.9% while Philadelphia’s overall unemployment rate was 6.7%.

From a national perspective, African American unemployment is at a staggering 16.7% compared to 9.1% nationally. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the unemployment rate for African Americans is projected to reach 17.2 % before 2012. So why is African American unemployment consistently high in the Republic year after year and decade after decade? According to a study conducted by the U.C. Berkeley Department of Labor, it’s because there is a lack of public sector jobs available to African Americans. The study concluded that “the public sector is the most important source of employment for African Americans and a key source of high-paying jobs, specifically for African American women.”

From 2008-2010, 21.2% of African Americans workers were employed in the public sector, compared to just 16.3% of non-African American workers. Some financial experts say some of the other factors of consistently high African American unemployment include:

1. A younger workforce.
2. A smaller proportion of college-educated job candidates.
3. A higher population of citizens living in areas that have been most affected by the recession.

What is also deeply troubling is that African American unemployment has always been high in the Republic. For example, in 1933 during the Great Depression, while the general unemployment rate was 25%, unemployment among African Americans was 50%. Further, unemployment among African Americans has been in the double digits under the previous four United States Presidents:


President Reagan: 17.0%

President Bush (I): 12.0%

President Clinton: 10.0%

President Bush (II): 12.6%


Fact is, President Obama inherited a high African American unemployment rate. Thus, under his presidency, “unemployment among African Americans increased by roughly 4.1%".

The past and current presidential hopefuls have all given the same weak, flat dish-watery response that their focus is to create jobs for “every” American. However, from Carter-to-Reagan, Reagan-to-Bush I, Bush I-to-Clinton, Clinton-to-Bush II, and Bush II-to-Obama, judging solely on the high unemployment rate, African Americans appear to not fall into the category of “every” American. Instead of partisan politics and political pandering, perhaps a significant and effective amount of time should be spent on initiatives in reducing African American unemployment that stubbornly hovers year after year in the double-digits. Until then, rhetoric about creating employments opportunities for "every" American rings hollow.



"Progressive will bring balance to the Republic"
Anthony P. Johnson