Two days after President Barack Obama signed the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act last month, thousands of people were convening in Cincinnati to participate and share their knowledge at the National Urban League’s 2014 conference. With the theme; One Nation Underemployed: Bridges to Jobs and Justice.
The four-day event according to Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League, the nation’s preeminent thought leaders and influencers from across the country aimed to conceive actionable plans to address the nation’s economic challenges and unemployment and underemployment crisis.
In front of an audience mixed with corporate executives, politicians, professionals, young professionals, youth leaders, college students and volunteers, Morial kicked off the conference with the State of the Urban League Address. Pointing out facts from the 2014 National Urban League State of Black America Report he indicated that there is a consistent two-to-one employment ratio for African-Americans in the main stream.
“Yes,” he said. “In 2014 Blacks are still twice as likely to be unemployed.” He indicated that four of the 10 Metro areas in the nation with some of the highest Black unemployment that over 20 percent are in Ohio. “We cannot hide and the nation cannot hide from continuous underemployment and double digit unemployment as the new norm in our urban communities across the nation. We cannot hide from our responsibility.”
About Post Author
