Sharpton's Jobs March Hits 25 Cities on Same Day

By: Claudio E. Cabrera | Posted: December 9, 2011 at 6:06 PM

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.

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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