In The News: President Obama Meets with Black Leaders

Horrible weather did not prevent President Obama from meeting with some of America's most prominent Black leaders today.  Rev. Al Sharpton, president of the National Action Network, Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League, and Benjamin Jealous, president of the NAACP met with the President to advocate for new job legislation aimed at Black Americans.

Though the recession has rocked America as a whole, statistic show that Blacks are feeling the sting slightly more than the general population - especially in the area of unemployment.  Currently the unemployment rate nationwide is at 9.7 percent.  However, the unemployment rate among Blacks has reached 16.5 percent, way ahead of White rates that fall around 8.7 percent.

President Obama has consistently maintained that he would not support any economic/employment initiative that granted aid solely based on race.  Instead, the President would like to offer aid to those cities most in need, which, he feels, would ultimately help lift Black communities.

At the conclusion of the meeting the White House offered little detail on what was discussed.   However, participants seem cautiously optimistic about having had their case heard.

Obama, America's first Black President, is mindful of how implications of racial favoritism could negatively affect his image.  In walking the thin line of colorblindness, Obama can't be as philanthropic to minorities as some of his White predecessors have been.  Clearly freeing the slaves would have been a much more difficult task if Lincon's father had been a Black man and everyone seems to understand that.

Sources and More Info:

Obama, black leaders focus on economic hard times By Ben Feller (Associated Press)