Black unemployment at Depression-era levels

Story from The Tavis Smiley Show. Use audio player above to listen to entire interview.

While the national unemployment rate currently hovers around 9.1%, the number of African Americans without jobs has now hit depression-era levels at 16.2%, according to a recent CBS News report. Afrian American males have a higher divide at 17.5%.

Economist Dr. Julianne Malveaux discussed the reasons behind the increasing disparities in a recent interview with Tavis Smiley. She says African Americans are less likely to have college educations, are in more vulnerable blue-collar and manufacturing jobs, and do not have easy access to transportation. In addition, she says, African Americans still face racial discrimination.

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