"Mr. President, the status quo is not working for Americans,” Rep. Michele Bachmann (R.-Minn.) said on Friday. I's not working for the African-American community, with 16 percent unemployment, or the Hispanic community, with nearly 12 percent unemployment. It's even worse for the youth: For Hispanic youth right now, 26 percent unemployment; for African-American youth, 40 percent unemployment. “This president has failed the Hispanic community,” said Bachmann. “He has failed the African-American community. He has failed us all when it comes to jobs. After all Obama himself preached: “As president of the United States, my goal will be job creation in the Hispanic community, job creation in the African-American community, job creation for all Americans, and turning this economy around.”Remember when he used the phrase "shovel ready jobs"? This should jog your memory:
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bachmann’s statement on unemployment in the African American and Hispanic communities is accurate. Overall seasonally-adjusted unemployment was 12. 7 percent in the African American community when President Obama was inaugurated in January 2009, according to the BLS.
In the Hispanic community, the overall unemployment rate was 9. 9 percent in January 2009, when President Obama was inaugurated. By May 2011, it had risen to 11. 9 percent. Among African Americans 16 to 19 years old, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 36. 3 percent in January 2009 and had risen to 40. 7 percent by May 2011.
