Congresswoman Alma Adams Joins JEC & CBC Members To Announce Report On Economic Challenges In The African American Community

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Alma Adams (NC-12) a member of the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) and the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) today joined the CBC and JEC in announcing a new report on the economic challenges in African American communities. Below are the Congresswoman's remarks as prepared for delivery:

"As a member of both the Congressional Black Caucus and the Joint Economic Committee, I am pleased the Committee has published this report on economic challenges within the Black community.

"For far too long, blacks have struggled to gain economic equality, housing equality, and education equality. No longer can we stand by and let economic disparity in these areas continue to leave our communities of color behind.

"So I am glad we are addressing this issue here today. My District's unemployment rate is 13.8 percent which is more than double the state and national averages. And for the African Americans in my District, the unemployment rate is more than three times the national and state averages - at more than 18 percent!

"This report dives deep into the issue of unemployment in the African American community and addresses the underlying factors that aid the economic divide in this country for communities of color. This report shows that at the peak of the recession in 2010; nearly 17 percent of blacks were unemployed. Additionally, one-in-ten black homeowners who took out mortgages - eventually lost their homes to foreclosure.

"The report also addresses issues like incarceration, education, poverty and how they also correlate to economic disparities in communities of color. This report found that Black men were over six times as likely as white men to be incarcerated – which leads to difficulty in integrating back into the workforce. In education, 21 percent of blacks between ages 25 to 29 – have completed at least four years of college compared to 41 percent of whites which also aids in widening the economic gap.

"These are hard facts that are difficult to ignore. I look forward to working with my colleagues in Congress to foster creative solutions to address these profound problems."