Urban League shares State of Black America

WASHINGTON, March 24 (UPI) -- U.S. economic equality won't be achieved without getting jobs to minorities impacted the hardest by the recession, the National Urban League said.

In its annual State of Black America report released Wednesday, the Urban League also encouraged government leaders to act quickly and support a $168 billion plan it has to generate jobs.

The report's release coincides with the National Urban League's Centennial initiative, "I am Empowered," that includes a goal of access by all Americans to a quality job with a living wage and benefits by 2025.

The State of Black America report measures disparities between blacks and whites in economics, education, health, civic engagement and social justice. This year it includes a Hispanic index, which indicated Hispanics have an overall equity index of 75.5 percent, while blacks have an overall equality index of 71.8 percent.

The report indicated unemployment among blacks was 14.8 percent in 2009, compared to 8.5 percent for whites and 12.1 percent for Hispanics.

Among its findings, the report indicated a huge difference in 2009 real median household income between whites and minorities. The real median income was $34,218 for blacks, $37,913 for Hispanics and $55,530 for whites.

To address the unemployment crisis in urban communities, the National Urban League proposed a "Plan for Creating Jobs," which would invest $168 billion over two years in direct job creation, job training for the chronically unemployed, greater access to credit for small businesses and additional counseling relief for homeowners caught in the backlog of the foreclosure process. The plan also suggests tax incentives for clean energy equipment manufacturers who employ people in the targeted communities.