Black Equity Alliance President Joyce S. Johnson Honors Dr. King, Calls on Bush Administration and Presidential Candidates to Address Black Unemployme

New York, NY (PRWEB) April 4, 2008 -- In recognition of the fortieth anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination, Black Equity Alliance (http://www.blackequityalliance.org) President and Chief Executive Officer Joyce S. Johnson, today called on the Bush administration and the presidential candidates to address the disproportionately high rate of joblessness and unemployment affecting Black and Latino communities across the nation. Johnson cited the organization's recent findings in it's The State of Black New York City 2007 report that showed the unemployment rate among Black New Yorkers at more than twice that of their white counterparts, and the Latino rate at nearly twice the white rate. Johnson added that it is likely that Dr. King would be disappointed to learn that four decades after his death the old saying 'When White America catches a cold, Black and Latino communities catch pneumonia,' still holds. Racist, petty criminal James Earl Ray shot and killed Dr. King on April 4th, 1968 at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. Dr. King was thirty-nine years old.

Johnson said that although Blacks and other minorities have made significant progress in areas previously denied them, the current economic (http://blackequityalliance.org/Accomplishments/initiatives.html) downturn's severe impact on these groups shows they are still a long way from being fully integrated into the American dream.

"The anniversary of Dr. King's death is a sad day for all Americans," said Johnson. "It is a day that prompts many of us to do some soul searching about the state of our communities and our nation. We honor Dr. King for his leadership and sacrifice in working to forge a more equitable nation for Americans of every race, ethnicity, gender, religious background and sexual orientation.

"But even as we mourn Dr. King and celebrate his legacy," Johnson added, "the economic crisis confronting our nation has laid bare the fact that we continue to live in two Americas. An America for the wealthy and the privileged, and a separate America for the poor and the working class."

Johnson said that the worsening mortgage crisis, combined with the high incarceration and low graduation rates of Black males, signals a state of emergency in Black communities across the nation.

According to The State of Black New York City 2007 (http://www.blackequityalliance.org/Publications/publication.html) (done in partnership with the New York Urban League)

-- In New York State in 2006, 50.4% of the state prison population was Black (28.4% Latino) and over 91% of the NYC jail population was Black or Latino, while Blacks account for only 15.9% of the state's general population.

-- By 2004 72% of Black male high school dropouts were jobless, compared with 34% of white and 19% of Latino dropouts.

In addition to The State of Black New York City 2007 findings, in January The Center for American Progress cited the Black unemployment rate at 9.2% nationally versus 4.4% for whites, noting that 'the unemployment rate for African Americans grew by an astonishing 15 percent between January 2006 and January 2007, from 8.0% to 9.2%. In the same period the unemployment rate for whites dropped from 4.6% to 4.4%."

The State of Black New York City 2007 (http://www.blackequityalliance.org/Publications/recommendations.html) further notes that according to the Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Project (NEDAP), "African American borrowers were 12 times as likely to receive a higher cost home purchase than their white counterparts nationally" and in New York City were five times more likely to receive a higher cost loan.'

Johnson said these factors have severely weakened the already vulnerable economic infrastructure of Black and minority communities.

Asked if she thought the nation had failed Black America, Johnson stated that it was not a question of failure but that systemic barriers continue to separate the nation's lower-income and minority communities from other Americans.

"It was no accident that Dr. King had refocused his attention on the poor people's campaign before the tragedy of his assassination," Johnson said, "forty years later, jobs and the economy remain the true frontier in the struggle for full integration."

Black Equity Alliance is a federation comprised of stakeholders across the human service, political, faith, business, cultural and philanthropic communities engaged in collaboration to foster solutions that lead to economic and social sustainability for blacks in New York. The Alliance is the only institution engaging in policy analysis, research, and advocacy on cross-systems issues on behalf of the black community. To schedule an interview with Joyce S. Johnson call 347-365-3844. Visit www.blackequityalliance.org to view Black Equity Alliance/NY Urban League publication, "The State of Black New York City 2007."