52% of Black Men in Chicago Are Not Working - Quality of Life Very Low for Black Men in Chicago
Black community demands $100 Million Chicago Plan for Black Men and Boys Similar to New York City's $127 Million Plan to Improve Outcomes for Black Men and Boys
WHAT:
Chicago cannot achieve its full potential as a great, world-class city when 52% of its Black men are not in the labor force. Only 48.3% of available Black men in Chicago between the ages of 16 and 64 are employed, (according to a recent report, Race and Male Employment in the Wake of the Great Recession by Marc Levine of the Center for Economic Development at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee). A similar study by Andrew Sum with the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University in Boston shows that 90% of young Black men 16 to 19 years old did not work in Chicago last summer.
New York City is investing $127 million over three years in Black and Latino men and boys to improve the city. The Black Star Project is calling for a similar Chicago Plan for Black Men and Boys that would invest $100 million to improve societal outcomes for Black men and boys in Chicago.
Massive unemployment among Black men and youth drives violence and murders, contributes to broken family structures, indirectly discourages educational achievement, and causes chaos and disfunctionality in Chicago communities. The Chicago Plan for Black Men and Boys would include mentoring, educational support, job training, job connection, entrepreneurship, fathering support, strengthening families, spiritual development and community building.
WHY:
Chicago has become a tale of two cities: One city wealthy with good schools and safe communities for Asian and White citizens and the other city poor with horrible schools and dangerous neighborhoods for Black citizens. The Chicago Plan for Black Men and Boys will help to make Chicago a high-quality city for all citizens.
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Please call the Mayor's Office of Chicago at 773.744.3300 and ask him to support the Chicago Plan for Black Men and Boys.
