Anderson@Large

LaHood: We’re Going to Step It Up

Last week, the U.S. Department of Transportation held a two-day summit to help disadvantaged business enterprises (DBEs) compete for stimulus-funded contracts.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced that DBEs have received more than $1.3 billion in Recovery funds:

We’ve made significant strides over the last year in reaching out to small businesses around the country and providing the tools they need to compete and to thrive in this tough economy. The contracts we have awarded have kept a lot of small businesses going and many jobs were saved or created.

In an interview with TV One’s Roland Martin, LaHood was asked what is being done to ensure implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is fair and equitable.

While touting the contracts awarded to date, LaHood said “we’re going to step it up”:

But – but we need to do better. We need to communicate more. I’ve – I’ve talked to the governors. The governors need to make sure that disadvantaged businesses know when they have the money and are ready to spend it. And we – we’re really going to – we’re going to step it up. Part of our job is to step it up and to get the information out to folks.

[…]

I talked to them [governors] when they were here in Washington for their annual governors meeting. I told them, “You need to get this information out,” and we’re going to continue to work 24/7 until every disadvantaged, women-owned business has the information about what money is in the states and how they can access it and how they can put people to work.

I want to give a shout-out to Roland. While so many African American leaders and advocates are scared to speak up, Roland has been a consistent voice for using “political power to advance economic power.”

BTW, Roland will moderate the National Action Network’s April 17th “Black Leadership 12-Month Action Plan Session” in New York City. The forum is free and open to the public.

To register for the event, go here.

State of Black America 2010

At a press conference at the Newseum in Washington, DC, the National Urban League released its annual report, “State of Black America 2010: Responding to the Jobs Crisis,” a fact-based analysis of the problems facing the African American community and innovative solutions to address joblessness and minority business development.

Urban League President and CEO Marc Morial said:

What is at stake for black America in 2010? We are at a time of, one, crisis. And we are at a time of crossroads … We are at a time of crisis because we cannot yield a blind eye…to the manner in which this recession has affected our community.

[…]

We’re here today because we want to send the most powerful message, the strongest message possible. That a nation that can invest trillions of dollars bailing out banks on Wall Street can and should pass a jobs bill that helps out-of-work Americans.

Morial called for targeted programs and initiatives to help the chronically unemployed.

A new report from the Joint Economic Committee found that “though African Americans make up 11.5 percent of the labor force, they account for 17.8 percent of the unemployed, 20.3 percent of those unemployed for more than six months, and 22.1 percent of the workers unemployed for a year or more.”

He debunked the notion of a “black jobs bill.” Instead, emphasis should be placed on communities where the unemployment and poverty rates are high:

If the Department of Transportation doesn’t enforce its minority business goals and the Department of Labor doesn’t fund apprenticeship programs so that people in our communities [can get jobs], than these initiatives could bypass our communities. We cannot yield on the principle that targeting is a very important part of policy.

Morial questioned how we can commit $53 billion for a reconstruction plan for Baghdad, but there’s no money to put people to work in Baltimore, Boston and Binghamton:

If you can do it for Baghdad, why not cities right here? If you can do it for the banks, why not do it for the cities … It’s time for Washington and America to focus on jobs, jobs, jobs.

He asked his members to contact their representatives and urge them to co-sponsor the “Local Jobs for America Act” (H.R. 4812), which would create or save one million jobs in the hard-hit communities:

Our voices need to be about a plan. But they also need to be about priorities. America has to be about the priority of putting people back to work.

To help move the black agenda -- jobs, jobs, jobs -- make your voices heard. Contact your representative and senators and make some noise.

A Black Agenda? Yes, We Can!

I viewed a live stream of the latest iteration of Tavis Smiley’s talkfest, “We Count! The Black Agenda is the American Agenda.”

Given the givens, I expected little more than infotainment. So, I was pleasantly surprised by the thoughtful critique of President Barack Obama and the proposed solutions to the jobless crisis in the African American community.

It’s a reflection of black folks’ confusion in the Age of Obama that African American scholars, thought leaders and political influentials have to defend answering the question: Is there a need for a black agenda?

By contrast, Latino leaders and illegal immigrant advocates show no such confusion. They criticize Obama without apology. And they have the audacity to march on Washington and demand that Obama focus on their agenda ahora.

 
Though I oppose comprehensive immigration reform amnesty, I agree with the open borders crowd: Change takes courage.

Chicago alderman Dorothy Tillman, an early supporter of then-candidate Barack Obama, observed:

We have a responsibility to bring the question to the President of the United States. When you look at black people today, I’ve never seen black folks so fearful and scared. Black folks are in pain. And this is the first time since we’ve been in this country that we’ve been in pain and scared to do something about it.

[…]

When Obama says a rising tide lifts all boats, he means it. But the descendants of enslaved Africans have a different experience . . . When it comes to blacks, they tell us to shut up.

Georgetown Prof. Michael Eric Dyson refuses to shut up. Dyson reminded Obama that he’s an American, too:

You are the president of everybody. That includes me. I’m from Detroit. I don’t have to be white to be part of America.

Dyson added:

Latinos asked for something, and they got something. Gays and lesbians said: “Don’t ask, don’t tell, change it.” Our Jewish brothers and sisters said, “Deal with Israel,” you deal with them.

Why is it when it comes to Negroes . . . when it comes to black folks, we are suddenly persona non grata? I tell you that every president before you has had to deal with the black agenda. How are you going to be any different?

The panelists’ criticism was cloaked “in love.” But what’s love got to do with it.

The issue is whether African Americans will remain silent and hope “a rising economic tide for all will lift African-American boats.”

Obama’s FY 2011 budget, meanwhile, provides funds to “expand opportunities” for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

The bottom line: Constituency groups, including women, Asian and Pacific Islanders and Native Americans, are not waiting. They are demanding that Obama focus on their agenda. Right now.

Obama’s Lost Weekend

President Barack Obama’s job approval is at its lowest level yet in the Gallup, Pew and Rasmussen polls.

With the events on tap this weekend, Obama may wish he had not canceled his trip to Indonesia and Australia.

On Saturday, Tavis Smiley and his posse will gather in the president’s adopted home town, Chicago, for “a conversation about a Black agenda in the era of Obama”:

As much as folk want to make this about me, it is not about me now, it has never been about me, and it never will be about me. And please know that I am okay with the long view of history on the depth and the consistency of my love to a Black agenda in the best interests of Black folk.

In an interview with the Chicago Tribune, Tavis said:

How are we going to do this dance with black leaders and the president when everybody is walking on eggshells because they are scared to hurt the president's feelings? Great presidents are not born, they have to be made. They have to be pushed.

Less than 24 hours after Tavis’ gabfest, illegal immigrants and their advocates will march on Washington to demand amnesty for the millions of illegal aliens who willfully flout the rule of law.

Sure, there will be a smattering of black faces in the crowd. There will also be a couple of black leaders who will regurgitate foundation-funded talking points and narrative:

We are all in this together and we’re stronger when we realize this. The things that unite us are stronger than our differences.

Tellingly, the cosponsors of the “March for America” do not include any black civil rights organizations. Amnesty advocates’ research found:

African Americans were receptive to the idea that corporate greed and the desire for cheap labor are to blame for the broken immigration system—though this message does not move them toward support for reform. They rejected as patronizing any message that singled out African Americans as different or separate from other Americans in their interests, and messages emphasizing the common interests of Blacks and immigrants also fell flat.

The high cost of cheap labor imposes an unsustainable burden on American taxpayers.

A recent Rasmussen poll found that 67 percent of American voters “say that illegal immigrants are a significant strain on the U.S. budget”:

Two-out-of-three (66%) voters say the availability of government money and services draw illegal immigrants to the United States. Nineteen percent (19%) think otherwise and do not believe government money and services are a magnet for illegal immigration. Another 15% are not sure.

These findings help to explain why 68% say gaining control of the border is more important than legalizing the status of undocumented workers already living in the United States. Twenty-six percent (26%) think legalizing illegal immigrants is more important. The majority support for controlling the borders has been consistent through several years of surveying.

As the march of the illegals winds down, the House is expected to vote “deem and pass” the Senate’s health care bill.

Blackout in Washington, DC

This morning, President Obama will sign the “Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act,” which will give employers a $1,000 tax credit for each new worker who stays on the payroll for at least one year.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said “this is really a good bill. It cuts taxes. Small businesses will have their taxes cut so that they can hire people to go to work now.”

But don’t get your hopes up too high.

During the Congressional Black Caucus’ public hearing on the chronically unemployed, House Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel cautioned that just because a piece of legislation is called a “jobs bill” doesn’t mean it will put Americans back to work:

Tax credits when you’re not making a profit really don’t work…It’s going to take a broad-based effort.

Similarly, Rep. Elijah Cummings told MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell:

The problem in the African-American community I don’t think will be helped a lot by that bill.

Cummings is a member of the Joint Economic Committee, whose new report, “Understanding the Economy: Long-Term Unemployment in the African American Community,” quantifies the disparate impact of the economic recession.

CBC Chairwoman Barbara Lee outlined the report’s key findings:

• African American men have been especially hit during this recession, with nearly 1 in 5 facing unemployment.

• African American women have seen their unemployment rate jump from 7.1 percent in February 2007 to 13.1 percent in February 2010. And African American female heads of household, who bear the sole financial responsibility for their families, have an even higher unemployment rate of 15.0 percent.

• African American workers of all ages are experiencing higher unemployment rates than the overall population, but younger workers have been especially hard hit during this recession. More than 2 out of 5 African American teenagers are unemployed, compared to an overall teen unemployment rate of slightly over 25 percent.

• While having at least a college degree has usually been an effective shield against unemployment, African Americans with a 4 year college degree have an unemployment rate of 8.2 percent, almost double the unemployment rate for white workers (4.5 percent) with a similar level of education.

• African Americans have experienced longer stretches of unemployment than the general population. Although African American workers make up only 11.5 percent of the labor force, they account for more than 20 percent of the long-term unemployed, and make up 22 percent of workers who have been unemployed for over a year. The median duration of unemployment for African American workers has risen from less than 3 months before the recession began to almost six months.

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II noted the challenge the CBC faces:

One of the problems we’re having is no one wants to concentrate on anything black. The word has been outlawed.

Cleaver speculated there may be a $200 fine for mentioning “black.”
Remember, many a truth is told in jest.

CBC Members on their J-O-B

The Congressional Black Caucus continues to speak truth to ensure the economic recovery is fair, equitable and sustainable.

Members took to the House Floor last night for a Special Order Hour to discuss the CBC’s jobs agenda and efforts to address chronic unemployment.

Some CBC members are co-sponsors of the“Local Jobs for America Act,” introduced by Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller. The Act would create or save one million jobs.

CBC Chairwoman Barbara Lee said in a statement:

While state and local governments are laying people off in order to balance their budgets it is essential for Congress to create public and private sector jobs in communities across America.

Chairman Miller’s Local Jobs for America Act is a critically important piece of legislation that directly addresses the needs of working men and women struggling to meet the needs of their families.

While the national unemployment rate is now below 10 percent, unemployment among African Americans is at 15.8 percent and Latinos at 12.4 percent. These figures illustrate that our economic recovery has been uneven and many communities continue to suffer disproportionately.

The Local Jobs for America Act is one piece of a multifaceted approach to stimulate the economy, create jobs and respond to the needs of the chronically unemployed and underemployed, as well as populations who are living below the poverty line.

The CBC will hold a public hearing, “Out of Work but Not Out of Hope: Addressing the Crisis of the Chronically Unemployed.” The hearing will examine policy solutions that address the needs of the chronically unemployed and minority-owned business empowerment.

The hearing will be held on Wednesday, March 17, from 9:00am to 11:00am in Room 2237, Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill.

Let the Sunshine In

This is Sunshine Week, a national initiative to promote open government and freedom of information.

More than a year ago, I founded Tracking Change Wiki to track the impact of stimulus spending on reducing black unemployment and increasing opportunities for minority business enterprises. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has transparency and accountability requirements, but states are not required to track demographic data on jobs and contracts awarded.

The Kirwan Institute reports:

One of the greatest challenges in understanding the impact of the Recovery act has been finding adequate and accurate data on its impact for high need areas. As important as targeted efforts may be, we will never know their impact without more effective data collection. Tracking the expenditure impact of investments and programs by race, gender, and geography is necessary for two reasons. First, tracking these data is necessary to comply with applicable civil rights laws. Second, because the current economic crisis disparately impacts marginalized communities, tracking these data ensures accountability in targeting job creation and retention by those who have been most impacted by the crisis. The jobs bill should require that all recipients of federal awards, tax credits or grants report employee‐level data on who was hired, and subcontractors must also report this information.

Indeed, let the sunshine in.