The Congressional Black Caucus
Floor Speech
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Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor and a privilege to once again have the opportunity to stand on the House floor and to anchor the Congressional Black Caucus' Special Order hour with the distinguished gentleman from New Jersey.
Today, we will discuss the many economic challenges facing so many everyday Americans; and, specifically, tonight, we want to examine some of the economic barriers, some of the policy possibilities, and the outlook on job prospects for African Americans in districts that we represent across the country.
It is worth beginning with the fact that we are now about 6 years removed from the end of what historians and economists deem the Great Recession. America's economy has rallied. We have inched our way closer and closer to full recovery. In fact, the beginning of 2015 saw the most sustained period of job creation in this century.
The fact remains that, in spite of the steady stream of progress and even in the midst of our positive job numbers, there are still too many people being left behind. Many of these people live in communities like the ones I represent in Cook County and Kankakee.
Many of these people can be found in urban, central, or rural America.
I guarantee that we all know someone out there who is still in the midst of their own personal economic recovery. The fact remains that many communities of color are struggling mightily in their recovery. In many Black and Brown neighborhoods, unemployment remains at a crisis level--this, even as our economy continues to rebound.
I am reminded of a quote by a former National Urban League president and civil rights hero that the hardest work in the world is being out of work. That is something that I personally believe.
So often, I will hear folks say that America's unemployed have made a choice to not work, that vulnerable Americans looking for work are doing so because they have made poor decisions. We hear this time and time again, especially in this Chamber, about folks need to go pull themselves up by their bootstraps.
I can tell you that I have seen people tug in vain on their bootstraps to no avail. Many families still need help in their recovery. As Representatives, we need to hear their cry and do more.
Marc Morial, who has followed in the footsteps of Whitney Young and taken the helm of the National Urban League, was recently quoted as saying: ``It is clear that for too many Blacks and Latinos, our Nation's economic recovery is only something they read or hear about.''
America's comeback is bypassing large swaths of people in Black and Brown neighborhoods, and that is dangerous not only to those communities, but to our Nation. A recovery that leaves millions of its citizens behind will ultimately threaten America's sustained growth.
Even before the Great Recession, Black unemployment has consistently been twice as high as White unemployment. I think Congressman Payne and my colleagues gathered here this evening would agree that we have to address this problem now.
To again quote Mr. Morial, of the National Urban League, ``For Blacks and Latinos in America, the economic devastation of the Great Recession is as real today as it was when it began in 2007.''
Consider these statistics on the economic reality of many Africans Americans, according to a Brandeis University study. A typical Black household has accumulated less than one-tenth of the wealth of a typical White one, and that number is getting worse.
Over the past 25 years, the wealth gap between Blacks and Whites has nearly tripled. Now, this is largely because homeownership among Blacks is so much lower. Housing is often America's greatest asset and a major component of their overall wealth.
African Americans typically have lower incomes than Whites, which also makes it harder for them to save and build wealth. The median income for Black households is less than 60 percent of that of White ones. Finally, the jobless rate for Black Americans is twice that of Whites.
Mr. Speaker, the time to act is now. The necessity in responding to this economic crisis should be an American imperative. We cannot be limited by narrowly focusing on a pre-Recession economy.
The Members of this House should be strategizing to support a bold and inclusive economy that propels us into a sustainable future. More can be done by us, and this administration has proven to have been willing to take the positive steps necessary to put us on a more prosperous path.
Regardless of where some of our colleagues are when it comes to the President, I think we are all in agreement that more Americans in the workforce and more economic stimulation benefits all of us.
The question is still relevant: How do we create a stronger economy and a more perfect union? Where do we go from here?
I am very pleased again to be joined tonight by my distinguished colleague from the Congressional Black Caucus as we discuss this important analysis of the economy and job opportunity in our communities.
The insight and policy prescriptions are critical and valuable in our continuing march toward a more perfect union. Let me first yield to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne), my dynamic coanchor.
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Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Thank you, Congresswoman Lee. Thank you for your hard work, your dedication, and all of your insight. You are so right about ZIP Codes that determine so much, unfortunately. And we have to give every young child, every family, a fair chance, and hopefully we will see the day when some of the bills that we have put forward actually are brought to the floor and voted on in a positive way. So thank you so very much.
It is now my pleasure and honor to call to the floor and introduce Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, from the great State of New York and the borough of Brooklyn. Thank you Hakeem.
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Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Thank you Congresswoman Beatty, and thank you for your words, and also thank you for your insight, as well as our other colleagues that have shared this evening with us tonight. We really, really appreciate it. And we hope that when we come back next year this time that we can see some improvements and not have to talk about the same things over and over and over. We have heard back from 1968 some of the same statistics, and here we are so many years later still having to talk about the same thing. So we hope to see progress toward this economic stability for the African American family.
We have heard from my colleagues some staggering statistics. The story is even more disconcerting for our Nation's youth. Workers 19 years old and younger are finding it more difficult than ever to find quality afterschool and summer employment. The unemployment rate for White youth age 16 to 19 stands at 14.5 percent--again, roughly half that of their Black teenage counterparts, who have an unemployment rate of 27.5 percent.
Over one in four Black teenagers who are looking for work are unable to find it. Over one in four. This is simply unacceptable. As a Nation, we must do more to invest in underserved communities and provide opportunities for self-empowerment and growth for our Nation's youth.
Denying African American teens a summer job could cause them to miss out on a lifetime of opportunities and experiences. Many high school students use the summer months to work and put money aside for college. But if there are no jobs to be found, Mr. Speaker, many students will be denied the opportunity to attend college and will forever be shut out from many opportunities and will forever be shut out,also from the many jobs that require a college degree.
With college graduates earning an average of $45,000 per year, compared to those only with a high school diploma earning an average of $28,000 per year, lacking a college degree can set noncollege graduates up for a lifetime of economic difficulties and frustrations. That is almost $1 million in lost wages over the course of a lifetime.
I have been working in my district to connect employers with eager young employees. In April, I hosted my second annual Youth Employment Summit, where local youth aged 15 to 24 could connect with area companies. Many were hired on the spot, and even more were scheduled interviews for jobs and internships this summer.
But job fairs alone are not the answer, Mr. Speaker. As a Nation, we need increased investment in job training, infrastructure investment, and community development. In the long run, any economic growth that doesn't allow for full participation of all Americans, including those traditionally marginalized like minorities and young people, will not be sustainable. Our economy must work for everyone, not just a select few.
Continuing to leave underserved communities behind will only perpetuate and expand the great disparities in wealth between American citizens and continue to breed a cycle of poverty, violence, and a sense of helplessness in those communities.
Reinvesting in our Nation's youth and our Nation's minority communities is not only vital to our country's economic health but to its public health as well.
Lack of economic opportunity leads to violence, and violence only perpetuates a lack of economic opportunity.
The two go hand-in-hand, and, if not addressed, it will create a downward spiral, preventing any positive growth for our Nation's youth and disadvantaged communities.
Mr. Speaker, tomorrow we will recognize the first annual National Gun Violence Awareness Day. Like many of my colleagues, I will wear orange. Orange is the color hunters wear to alert their companions of their presence, to avoid being shot. It is a warning color. Orange screams: ``Don't shoot.''
Too many of my constituents often feel like they have to wear orange while walking down their block on Chicago's South Side. In fact, tomorrow is Hadiya Pendleton's birthday. As we all know, she was shot while playing in a park or running away.
Mr. Speaker, I often say that nothing stops a bullet like a job. The surest way to decrease violence and increase economic prosperity in underserved communities is to expand access to jobs and education.
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Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Thank you, Congressman Payne.
Mr. Speaker, I, too, want to thank my colleagues for giving the Congressional Black Caucus and this Congress the opportunity to put the important economic concerns of this Nation's in the spotlight this evening. Millions of Americans are living on the brink.
These aren't merely concerns for these individuals and their families;
they are national concerns. I have always believed that what makes our Nation great is our recognition that everyone should have the ability to live and rise to their full potential. Economic parity is one of the most fundamental issues facing us as a nation right now.
I hope, in this hour, we have appropriately shed some light on some of the concerns of the Congressional Black Caucus when it comes to the economy and to job opportunities in our communities--or the lack of them.
Again, I want to thank my coanchor, the Honorable Donald Payne, Jr., who himself is a strong defender of the economic possibilities of Newark, of Orange, and of communities across New Jersey's 10th Congressional District.
I will close as I began this evening in saying that the time to act is now. The necessity in responding to the economic crises of Black employment and underemployment should be an American imperative. The time is now to support a bold and inclusive economy that propels us into a sustainable future.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
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