You didn't think the Rev. Al Sharpton was spending all of his time anchoring a show on MSNBC now, did you? Sharpton is reminding many that while he may be a nightly TV host five days a week, he's a civil rights activist first.
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Sharpton and his organization, the National Action Network, along with partners such as AFSCME (the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees), held a 25-city rally on Friday to expose the issues affecting African Americans and other minority groups in this country. The main topic of conversation at these rallies: unemployment.
The 2010 census showed that one in nine African Americans lives in a neighborhood where the poverty rate is more than 40 percent. The National Action Network released a statement about the rallies and the growing issues affecting minority communities:
In recent years, too many American families have lost economic ground … With African-American unemployment at an unacceptable 15%, this is a clear sign that we need action — inaction is not an option. Black layoffs have only skyrocketed as the public sector — heavily comprised of a Black workforce — continues to slash jobs. And as a result, not only has Black wealth diminished, but so too has the existence of much of this nation’s Black middle class itself. Black, White or Brown — that is a startling reality that should have all of us deeply concerned.
Read more at BET.
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