“Today’s report is a sober reminder of the disproportionate impact of the current recession, which has hit some communities harder than others.

“While there is no question that all Americans are hurting, today’s report clearly illustrates that racial disparities existed before the recession and those gaps have only grown. Although recent economic data has shown signs of improvement, this study indicates the pace of the recovery has been uneven, with African Americans lagging behind.

“From African American unemployment hovering six points higher than the general population to African Americans experiencing longer stretches of being out of work than others, the figures paint a stark reality and can not be ignored.

“As we work to strengthen and stimulate our economy, we must be committed to erasing these gaps or risk exacerbating them and relegating millions more Americans to lives of poverty and chronic unemployment.

“I applaud Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, Chairwoman of the Joint Economic Committee, and her staff for their excellent research. This work is an important reminder of the need for Congress to enact a comprehensive agenda that directly creates jobs and addresses chronic unemployment.

“Today, the Congressional Black Caucus held a hearing to examine the scope and depth of chronic unemployment, and to develop policy solutions to address this growing problem.  We remain committed to working with President Obama, Congressional leaders, our colleagues, coalition partners and others to develop an agenda that leaves no American behind.

For more information about the CBC’s jobs agenda, please emailcongressionalblackcaucus@mail.house.gov.

To view the JEC report, please click here.

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 Ricci Graham

Office of Congresswoman Barbara Lee

Oakland, CA 94612

Office: 510-763-0370

Fax 510-763-6538

http://lee.house.gov/