As the 2012 presidential election approaches, it is becoming painfully clear that the U.S. economy may be the topic helping voters decided which candidate to choose. Unemployment has remained relatively high across the nation, but some populations have been hit harder than others. The Obama administration has made progress in its attempts to stabilize unemployment, and job growth has been on a small but steady rise. But if stabilizing the economy is the greatest challenge for the 2012 election, then increased employment is the only solution.

While job growth has increased, the questions regarding who is gaining employment still remains. Today, the White House released a press release announcing the Summer Jobs Act to employ nearly 180,000 youth between the ages of 16-24 nationwide. The White House has been encouraging youth employment since 2009, and has worked with many private companies to ensure that young people received on-the-job training and paid internship positions. However, today they took an aggressive stance toward youth employment stating:

“America’s youth can’t wait for Congress to act.”

Obama is moving forward without Congress by proposing $1.5 billion to make sure that youth can be hired not only in the summer, but year-round.

This is an important step to ending high rates of unemployment not only for youth and disadvantaged communities, but also for the nation as a whole. With all of the political circus, we often forget that the high school and college students WILL  grow up to become the leaders of this nation. We must do everything possible to support their growth and development in every realm of society. The administration also points out that in 2011, taxpayers contributed more than $93 billion “in direct cost and lost tax revenue to support young adults disconnected from school and work.”

Many conservatives, such as Rick Santorum, repeatedly state that they want to discontinue social welfare programs, however, unemployed and uneducated youth will cost us far more in lost tax revenue than in entitlement programs alone. Translation: It will cost us far less, as a society, to educate and hire the multi-ethnic youth of America.

In the next 60 days, the administration will launch  Summer Jobs+ Bank, an online job search through its business, non-profit, and government partner organizations. They hope that these summer jobs will lead to a more informed workforce prepared for long-term employment in the private and public sector.

Check out the full press release here.

According to a recent study done by Louisiana State University, there has been a rise in college and university enrollment.  The study assumes that young people are choosing to pursue college as an alternative to lingering joblessness in our tough economy. Getting a High school diploma may not be making the grade and it looks as if America’s youth are choosing higher education.

Research from The Pew Research Center showed that there is an increase in diversity which could lead to new conversations about diversity and university admissions and selection. The Government released number s showing a 6% increase in enrollment for minority students equating to an estimated 2.6 million minority students in colleges and universities around the nation. The largest jump has been with Hispanic students. The findings show Freshman enrollment of Hispanics in higher education jumped by 15 percent in 2008, compared to 8 percent for blacks, 6 percent for Asians and 3 percent for whites.

The research further describes the increase as the highest since the Vietnam war where students could avoid the military draft. 99 problems and college could solve them all?

This past Monday, NAACP’s CEO and President Benjamin Jealous had the opportunity to host the Bev Smith Show. During the show, Mr. Jealous along with Carmen Berkeley (NAACP Region 2 Field Organizer and Barbara Lee Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus), talked about Youth Jobs in America and the plan for Youth Job creation! They even gave insight on how we can help get Youth Jobs passed. Listen to the show here!

In a meeting aides described as “frank but cordial,” members of the Congressional Black Caucus told President Barack Obama on Thursday that he has to do more to help African-Americans.

Members of the caucus have complained — both publicly and privately — that they aren’t getting enough from the nation’s first black president. Thursday’s hourlong session was their chance to make that case directly with Obama, and aides said they did just that.

CBC Chairwoman Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) said the group discussed direct job creation and work force training as well as areas where government can help “create jobs immediately.”

People close to the caucus said members pointed to the high unemployment rate in their largely majority African-American congressional districts. They encouraged Obama to push legislation in the Senate that would lead to direct jobs creation, particularly a summer youth jobs program — a proposal that failed in the Senate this week.

In a statement, the White House said that Lee had discussed “the impact of the economy in economically distressed communities and the need for additional assistance in these areas,” and that other CBC members had “presented their concerns and solutions for broadening the impact of the recovery effort.”

The White House said Obama and the CBC members agreed on “a number of things” that could be done to address the unemployment problem, both immediately and in the long run.

Prior to the meeting, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) said the CBC would be asking Obama to help get the summer jobs program through the Senate, which has just one black member, Roland Burris of Illinois

Jacked via politico.

On Tuesday, Senate Republicans — along with some Democrats — defeated a measure to provide $1.3 billion for summer jobs for young people this year and a $1.3 billion extension of enhanced subsidies for poor families with children.

Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), who introduced the amendment along with Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), pleaded with her colleagues not to object.

“I have personally heard the stories of these young men and women whose summer jobs changed their lives across the country,” she said. “This amendment will provide $1.3 billion to create up to 500,000 temporary jobs this coming summer. It will invest in critical employment and learning programs that will help not only these young people but the businesses who hire them.”

partially jacked via

Hispanics make up nearly one-sixth of the U.S. population, but a new study shows that they’re almost nonexistent in high-level staff positions on Capitol Hill.

Out of 100 Senate chiefs of staff, only one is Hispanic: Amanda Renteria, who works for Michigan Democrat Debbie Stabenow. There are no Hispanic legislative directors or deputy chiefs of staff in the Senate, the study shows, and only one Hispanic staff director.

In the House, the study finds, Hispanics hold only 12 of the roughly 440 chief of staff jobs and only nine of about 440 legislative director slots.

The Congressional Hispanic Staff Association calls the results an “outrage.”

“For whatever reason, we’re just not getting into senior-level positions,” said the chairman of the CHSA’s Placement Committee, whose office would not allow him to give his name. “We’re really trying to avoid finger-pointing at any one individual office. The real problem is that every single office is hiring [fewer] Latinos than they should be.”

That’s not to say that lawmakers aren’t hiring Latinos to staff their offices — currently, 156 members of Congress, seven leadership offices and 27 committee offices have at least one Hispanic employee on staff, according to the Latino Leaders Network.

But when Latinos are hired, it’s most often for low-level positions that don’t offer opportunities for policy work. A 2009 House employment survey found that the greatest number of Hispanic staffers in the House work as schedulers, followed by staff assistants.

Read more:

The unemployment rates you hear on the news are misleading. The overall unemployment rate is currently at a shocking high of 9.6%–but the ethnic breakdown of this figure is still more disturbing.

According to a study released July 15 by The Economic Policy Institute, minorities are significantly more likely to be jobless than their white counterparts. Part of this can be attributed to the recession, which has taken its toll on non-white communities the worst.

Yet even this cannot account for the shocking unemployment gap that exists. African-Americans typically suffer unemployment rates that are twice as high as their white peers, while Hispanics come in at 1.5% more than Whites. For example, currently in Alabama there is a 5.8% unemployment rate for whites while for African-Americans it jumps to 15.1%! In Louisiana, African-Americans were three times more likely to be jobless. And the same is true for Hispanics, who’s unemployment rates are suspected to be higher than reported (it is thought that many illegal aliens would have feared taking part in this study).

The bad news is that the unemployment gap between whites and minorities is increasing. The good news, however, is that there are tentative plans to improve the situation by imposing a small tax on stocks to create extra resources for job creation in these hard hit communities.

Find out more about the inequalities of unemployment rates, and how you can GET INVOLVED at http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE56E83L20090716.

It’s unthinkable that a kid is killed in a drive-by while at an Anti-Violence Rally. Yet that’s precisely what happened to 13 year old Tamrah Leonard in Trenton, New Jersey last Sunday! Abomination! How is society not outraged at this heinous act?

Sadly, it was not an isolated incident.The economic recession has had an adverse affect on homicide rates, which are skyrocketing. Homicide is now the leading cause of death among young African American youth, and the number two cause of death for all other youth aged 10-24. Dire straits mean that desperate youth are becoming increasingly likely to resort to violence. At the same time, decreased funding means that many after-school programs–which have been proven to get youth off the streets and lower crime rates–are at risk of being reduced or eradicated entirely.

Thankfully, outreach programs provide hope that change is on the horizon. Find out more about these matters of life-or-death, and WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP, at http://www.campusprogress.org/fieldreport/4284/killing-the-programs-we-need-most.

My friend recently interviewed for a job at a large economic firm in New York. While researching the company, he turns to me and says, “The CEO is a woman. Isn’t that weird?”

Rare? Perhaps. Weird? Absolutely not.

In fact, studies have shown that having more women in senior positions isn’t simply “fair,”  it is more profitable. According to studies conducted by Ernst & Young, Columbia University, McKinsey & Co, Goldman Sachs, and Pepperdine University, companies with more female senior members yield higher profits.  In fact, Pepperdine University found that Fortune 500 firms with women in charge profited 18 to 69 percent more than other companies.  In examining the top European companies, McKinsey found that more gender diversity led to higher stock performance. Similarly, “Catalyst, a research firm focused on women and business, found that Fortune 500 companies with three or more women in senior management positions score higher on top measures of organizational excellence. In addition, companies with three or more women on their boards outperformed the competition on all measures by at least 40 percent.”

Still not convinced? Let us put the numbers aside and be a little politically incorrect. Research has also found that women tend to be more cautious and collaborative while men are more likely to take risks. In a 30 year study conducted by the National Council for Research on Women, female investors had more consistent results than male investors. In being riskier, men’s results varied more. After all, winning big can also mean losing big.

You probably don’t need me to tell you that diversity is a good thing. Economists, however, can prove the benefits of variety. Scott Page, economist of the University of Michigan, used mathematical models to show how a more diverse group can solve business problems more effectively than one that is homogeneous.

Basically, a bunch of white, Ivy League males may not necessarily be the solution to our problems. Hiring people of diverse backgrounds isn’t simply “nice.” It’s just smart.

For years eating disorders have been considered a “white girl” problem. However, it has become more and more obvious that illnesses such as anorexia and bulimia do not discriminate, affecting males and females of all races.

According to Doctor Noelle Kerr-Price, eating disorder specialist, “One thing to keep in mind that we don’t even really know the full extent of how many people have eating disorders because many cases aren’t reported out of shame or people are misdiagnosed– if they are diagnosed at all. And those are the fortunate ones with access to health care and other recovery resources.” Kerr-Price, along with many other eating disorder specialists, argues that shame from other community members may prevent many minorities to fessing up about their EDs. Not to mention the problem of cost. The high cost of treatment can make it unrealistic for people with low-incomes. Even for those with health insurance, many policies have limits regarding care for mental illnesses. Some treatments can cost up to $10,000 a week, even forcing families to take out second mortgages. EDs may not be only for rich kids but the treatment sure is! If people of low-income backgrounds are ashamed to seek help or simply can’t afford it, they will not be accounted for statistically.

If black women feel pressure to conform to the prevalent body type of the “dominant culture”, they are more likely to develop eating disorders. Those with more education, for instance, are more at risk. Though EDs aren’t just a white girl problem, they do tend to plague a certain “type” of person. “People who are upwardly mobile and trying to assume power within the dominant culture are most likely to be subject to its norms,” states clinical psychologist, Deb Burgard. Though anyone can certainly struggle with forms of anorexia and bulimia, the more one assimilates to the “dominant culture”—the more that one tries to fit into size zero outfits that white designers created, and into (unfortunately) white-dominated offices—the more one equates thinness with beauty.

Think the lack of jobs and toned down Independence Day Celebrations are bad enough? Think again. Not only are we getting sparklers instead of fireworks this year, but the recession will probably increase our waistlines in the process.

Here’s how it works. The recession means most of us have less money, which means we are buying cheaper food: processed, packaged, and ready-to-eat, rather than healthier but more expensive options such as fresh veggies and fruits. Furthermore, many people are being forced to go out and work two jobs, or to work longer hours, just to make ends meet. So instead of having one parent at home or being able to work part-time and devote time to cooking, we are grabbing a cheap bagel oozing with transfats, carbs, and grease rather than making a healthy meal at home. Less money and more hours spent at work also mean less time and funds to work all those extra calories off at the gym.

But don’t you dare worry about all this—because if you do, your stress and depression levels will just increase your chances of becoming obese even more. And more obesity—the national rate is between 25% and 30%—leads to lower productivity and higher healthcare costs. In the year 2000, obesity cost us $117 billion in hospital bills and lost work days, and this number has risen since then. In the last year alone, another 5.5 million Americans joined the ranks of the obese.

It all makes sense in a tragic sort of way. The recession increases obesity which decreases our productivity which in turn leads to more stress about money, and more obesity—a seemingly inescapable cycle of depression and donuts, moonlighting and late night pizza slices.

Fear not, the solution is in our hands (or rather, in our fridge). Strapped for cash? Buy food in Chinatown or at a market instead of some expensive grocer. Can’t spare money for the gym? How about we hit the park instead?

Go on. We’ll be doing our wastelines, and the economy, a favor.

Mark June 30, 2009 down in your calendars people. It was a landmark day. The day that the Queen of England ordered an official swan census. The day that it was announced that daily sex improved your sperm count. Oh yeah, and it was the day that Wal-Mart announced that it supported employer-mandated health insurance.

Wait, what? Yup, you heard (or rather, read) right. Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, the country’s biggest private employer, and possibly also the most controversial business in America, has announced its support for the overhaul of the health care system. Furthermore, Wal-Mart has announced that it would like this coverage to extend to both full and part time employees, and that policies should be put in place that reduce health care costs.

Reactions to this news have been mixed. Some laud the announcement as a milestone move towards better health care and worker benefits, while others question the motivations behind the decision—seemingly so out of character for a corporation that has been criticized for its’ stance on worker benefits.

Wal-Mart has been condemned in the past for offering just 43% of their employees health insurance. In addition, employees there faced higher costs for health insurance (up to 25% of their total income) and longer wait times to become eligible (only after a year could part-timers apply for insurance) than other workplaces. Nor could spouses of Wal-Mart part-time employees apply for family coverage. And the list just goes on: Wal-Mart invested just a half of a percentage point of their total profits in employee healthcare, Wal-Mart spends as much on health-care as it does on advertising, Wal-Mart pays for just 52% of premium costs while other retailers such as Sears pay 80%.

And while these critics might have some justification—a spokesperson for Wal-Mart let slip that an employer-mandated health insurance policy “would ultimately save companies money,”—it still does not change the fact that the 1.4 million Americans employed by Wal-Mart will be receiving health insurance in the near future.

Let’s hope that other companies follow their example.

When Isaac started his voter registration campaign, he quickly came to realize there were many more issues to tackle in Colorado. Like the struggle of single mothers to hold jobs and raise their kids. Or ex cons who can’t find a job, anywhere.

What is it that sometimes turns us against the needs of our neighbors? We must look past the superficial, past our varied histories or roads taken, and see that we need each other to get where we want to go: a healthier community, with equal rights, and neighbors who help you get what you need.

We’re serious about this. The Youth PROMISE Act is the biggest step we can take right now to keep the kids of America out of prison.

Please get involved; speak up for all the youth who’ve been given the right to remain silent.

Stand up for the leaders of tomorrow.

Send a letter to the editor of your local newspaper to start the discussion in your community.

Write your Congressional Representative to let them know you support the Youth PROMISE Act!

President Obama is tackling our nation’s economic troubles from the top, but we have to work from the ground up, empowering our communities and shouldering the burden of recovery together.

The Green Jobs movement is founded upon the notion that the health of our nation, the health of our economy, depends upon the health of our planet. Urban revitalization and industrial efficiency go hand in hand. As Taili Thompson says, the Green Jobs movement is a holistic approach that will give back as much as we put into it.

How naive or corrupt would one have to be to protest against immigration reform while ignoring the thousands of American business owners who exploit their “illegal immigrant” workers, paying them next to nothing and denying them any of the fundamental rights of employment or citizenship?

Human rights transcend continental or national boundaries. Immigration reform is a pressing issue for our country, and whatever side you come down on, one thing is clear: we need an ethical solution.

Call the White House: 202-456-1111

Call your congress-person: 202-224-3121

The history of unions in America is a turbulent one. These organizations, formed to ensure the vitality of the working class, have faced abuse, brutality, and intimidation since their earliest inception.

The balance of power in our country is incredibly off kilter. If corporations can use their vast resources to lobby, pressure, and coerce our legislatures into passing favorable measures, then every man should have the power to band with his fellow workers to ensure the rights of the common man are upheld.

Join the Employee Free Choice Act campaign at www.employeefreechoiceact.org and call your Congressional member today and ask them to support this legislation.