By Ryan Velez
It’s no secret that Black teen unemployment is a chronic issue in the U.S. At 31.2%, this rate is 6 times higher than the national average. Many are quick to point to the skill gap as a reason for this and a lack of Black graduates qualified in high demand fields like computer science and engineering. However, one professor has come to Black Enterprise, suggesting that this isn’t the reason at all. Dr. Darrick Hamilton, Professor of Economics and Urban Policy at the New School, says, “If you look at the empirical evidence, that is just not the case.” Hamilton explains that in actuality, there are plenty of Black and Latino qualified graduates out there. In fact, the market is saturated with Black graduates being twice as likely to be unemployed. Statistics also point to the fact that many of the top universities are turning out qualified Black and Latino computer science and computer engineering at twice the rate they are being hired. These skilled minorities are out there, but they aren’t getting hired.
So, if becoming skilled isn’t the solution to unemployment, what do young Black people need to do? Claud Anderson, founder of Harvest Institute, suggests that “Empowering black children is more than teaching them math and reading skills. They must know how to compete for wealth and power—rather than poverty and acceptance—to produce rather than consume and to be job producers rather than job seekers.”
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