FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Shannon Moriarty, [email protected], 617-824-0069
STATEMENT: Government Shut-Down Will Disproportionately Harm Black Americans
The “State of the Dream” report can be downloaded at http://http://www.faireconomy.org/dream.
Boston, MA (April 8, 2010) – The impending government shutdown will disproportionately harm Black Americans, according to the “State of the Dream” report by United for a Fair Economy. The study—released in January of this year—found that Black Americans are 70 percent more likely to work for the federal government than the general workforce.
“A government shutdown will have a devastating impact on Black Americans,” said Mazher Ali, of United for a Fair Economy and co-author of the report. “Countless government workers will not receive their paychecks and millions more will not be able to utilize the public services they rely on to meet basic human needs.”
According to the report, the public sector has offered better opportunities for Blacks to advance professionally and to achieve greater economic parity with their White counterparts. This is partially due to higher levels of union representation in the public workforce and other civil service protections.
“If Congress fails to prevent a shutdown, the impact will negatively impact all people regardless of race, but Black communities will be hit the hardest,” said Ali.
United for a Fair Economy is a national, independent, nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located in Boston, MA, which works to rein in extreme inequalities and promote a more broadly shared prosperity. More at http://www.faireconomy.org.
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