Senator Schumer speaks on "Crisis" of black male unemployment by Rajesh Barnabas
Thu, Mar 27, 2008  Chuck Schumer is not a stupid white man. The NY Senator's visit to Rochester was upon invitation from the Urban League and Action for a Better Community, Inc. His speech was titled "The Crisis of African-American Male Unemployment" - a serious topic for the venue, The Strong Museum of Play. But outside this haven, and across the city, one out of every four black men is unemployed.
Before introducing the Senator, hosts William Clark - Urban League of Rochester's executive director, and James Norman - president of Action for a Better Community, Inc., provided some background statistics.
Unemployment among African-American males is usually two times greater than that experienced by the general population. According to the latest census, in Rochester the rate is 29% among black men ages 20-24, 16% for ages 25-54, compared to the general population statistic of 6% unemployment.
Schumer then added to the woeful numbers. Unemployment for black men who dropped out of high school was 65% in 2000, increasing to 72% in 2004. 'It takes your breath away, that this could happen to any group of people, regardless of race,' said Schumer.
Schumer continued that this unemployment statistic "is not the complete story." The 16% and 65%, only measures those able-bodied men looking for work. 'Some have given up entirely and aren't counted in the statistics.'
Schumer said the scenario 'sounds more like what you'd see in Belfast or Beirut, than something that could happen in America,' and the crime, violence, and dysfunctional behavior witnessed among segments of the black male population in Rochester are all 'by-products' of this lack of economic opportunity, Schumer said.
'One reason why the crisis is so perplexing is that it is being played out in the midst of great advances among other segments of American society.' Schumer named a number of CEOs from around the country who are African-American, including Time Warner's Richard Parsons. He cited statistics which showed real wages for black women increasing by 10% in the 1990s, due in part to former President Bill Clinton's Earned Income Tax Credit program.
'So there are advances at the top, and even among poor black women, but none for poor, uneducated black men - so clearly the rising tide of the 1990's did not lift all boats,' said Schumer, taking a shot at the economic theories of conservative policy-makers. In sharp contrast to the laissez-faire approach of most Republicans in government, Schumer stated 'the public sector, being that of the Federal, State, or local level, has a moral obligation to intercede on this issue of unemployment.'
'I have some clout now in Washington, and I want to use it to do good.' It was upon this last statement that Schumer lowered his reading glasses and the audience may have witnessed, what looked to be, a thin layer of tears coating the congressman's eyes. With a long track record of advocating for the disadvantaged, the Rochester citizens attending the speech can only hope that the Senator's zen-like sincerity on these issues today will remain with him on his return flight to the Capitol. There is reason to believe this will be so.
During the Q&A session that followed, Sheddrick Hunley spoke first. 'I skipped breakfast to be here. I am that unemployed black man you spoke about. I came with a folder, a pad, and am prepared with pen to take down numbers and find a job.'
Schumer put the young man in contact with some agencies represented in the audience that could help him find a job. He then moved away from the podium to shake the speaker's hand.
Dr. Andrew Ray, a former Rochester schools principal, questioned why funding was always cut to programs when they were working. 'If you teach them all to read, then they remove your funding,' - the comment warmed up the crowd. He continued, 'They talk about 'No Child Left Behind' but you have to leave a child behind to get money.' He suggested that the Senator give greater efforts to 'keep a good thing going'.
Julia Day - Head of the Regional NY Division for Human Rights, spoke to the issue of discrimination in hiring against ex-cons. Apparently there are laws in place in New York State, that even Schumer, our State's top legislator admitted ignorance of. It is illegal for employers to discriminate against former felons, when hiring, if their crime is unrelated to the duties required for the work position. Furthermore, many big national corporations remain ignorant of New York State laws. 'We have cases every day, the CEOs and employers admit to discriminating against convicts, because they are unaware of the law,' said Day.
City Councilman, Dana Miller, cited the 39% graduation rate in Rochester, and reasoned that the statistic is indicative of the curriculum turning from training students in vocational skills to simply test-prep for colleges. 'College isn't for everybody.' Miller remembered nostalgically 30 years ago, when he was in high school, that Edison Tech was Rochester's premiere vocational school. He said those kinds of working skills have largely disappeared from the teaching today.
Schumer agreed, 'Given the fact that 75% of the jobs in America today do not require a college degree, it makes eminent sense to bring these kinds of vocational programs back.'
A parallel argument was made by Matt Hurlbutt, executive director of Rochester Works. While over testing has been a big turnoff for teens in education, over regulation by government and private funders is turning many of his staff members away from working in the field of job training and recruitment - he calls it 'administrivia.' "The same people who are good with reaching out to young people are not great at processing data," said Hurlbutt. 'All the paperwork stifles the creativity that our staff could be using to help actually advance our programs.'
Schumer concluded the community discussion by highlighting some bright spots. First, despite the low graduation rates, he reiterated that 75% of the jobs available did not require a college degree. Second, that the baby boomers were retiring and that meant 64 million jobs, or a 20% turnover in the job market, was about to take place. Third, and the most important for him, that there were finally some proficient job training models out there, and with a new president, funding priorities would be changing in Washington. 'Because of these trends, and the number of jobs that will be opening up, there is no reason why the large numbers of African-American men that are presently unemployed can't fill them.'
In his short visit to Rochester, the Senator proved to be an exception to author Michael Moore's sweeping indictment on Stupid White Men. Rather than throwing more obstacles in the way of minority men, Schumer shows every intention of championing progress on their behalf.
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