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National Urban League's Morial Advances War on Unemployment During Conference
Warns against “recovery-killing” program cuts as part of debt ceiling debate
BOSTON (July 27, 2011) –As the debt-ceiling debate in Washington threatens vital, family-sustaining programs, National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial called for direct federal action on job creation as part of the War on Unemployment that advances during the National Urban League Conference opening today in Boston.
“The stark fact is, nearly all the economic gains that blacks have made in the last 30 years have been lost in the great recession,” Morial said, citing a report released today by the National Urban League Policy Institute, “At Risk: The State of the Black Middle Class.”
“The very incentives which helped build the African American middle class are the same incentives that built the middle class for all Americans, and they are under attack from the manufactured debt ceiling crisis,” Morial said. “Children sent to college with Pell Grants, family homes purchased with FHA and VA loans, Medicaid and Medicare to protect families from financial ruin brought on by illness -- without these, not only the black middle class, but the very foundations of our communities are threatened.”
The full report can be found here.
Morial called on congressional leaders to act immediately to raise the debt-ceiling and return their focus to economic recovery.
"We urge congressional leaders to work with the President to raise the debt-ceiling and partner with organizations like the NUL to put Americans back to work. Initiatives like the safe streets program and urban entrepreneurship forums are important steps toward meeting this goal, but they are not enough. We will not and cannot be satisfied until our leaders make the tough choices to invest in job creation, particularly for hardest hit communities."
The theme of the Conference, “Jobs Rebuild America,” reflects the National Urban League’s intense focus on advocating for targeted job-creation policies during the economic recovery.
“Our mission has taken on intensity as the debt ceiling deadline draws near,” Morial said. “The debate that rages on in Washington even as we speak is a manufactured crisis designed to further a political agenda – a relentless, short-sighted zealotry that threatens the national economy and the 14 million unemployed who are hanging by the barest thread of home.”
Joblessness, Morial said, has been one of the single greatest contributors to the increase in the federal deficit over the last several years; putting Urban America back to work is the most sensible deficit-reduction plan.
As part of the League’s commitment to get Americans back to work, Morial announced the launch of the Urban League JobsNetwork, a one-stop source and central location for employers and job seekers nationwide.
“The JobsNetwork attracts thousands of highly-educated urban professionals and should be an integral part of the strategy for companies committed to diversity,” Morial said. The JobsNetwork can be found online at www.urbanleaguejobsnetwork.com
The National Urban League Conference continues through Saturday. For a full schedule of events, visit www.nul.org/conference
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The National Urban League is a historic civil rights organization dedicated to economic empowerment in order to elevate the standard of living in historically underserved urban communities. Founded in 1910 and headquartered in New York City, the National Urban League spearheads the efforts of its local affiliates through the development of programs, public policy research and advocacy. Today, there are more than 100 local affiliates in 36 states and the District of Columbia, providing direct services that impact and improve the lives of more than 2 million people nationwide.
