Stimulus dollars will aid blacks, Latinos

By JULEYKA LANTIGUA

This summer, there’s good news for many black and Latino youth around the country. The federal government has designated $1.2 billion of the $787 billion stimulus package for the creation and support of 125,000 summer jobs for disadvantaged youth.

Nationally, unemployment for 16- to 19-year-olds is nearly 23 percent, more than double the 9.4 percent overall unemployment rate. But black and Latino youth suffer disproportionately higher unemployment rates. As of May, Latinos age 16-19 faced a 31 percent unemployment rate. Black teens have to contend with an unemployment rate of 34 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ latest report.

Though program requirements for federally funded summer jobs will vary from state to state, participants will largely come from low-income families, underserved areas and from groups that face greater challenges in accessing jobs, like the disabled, high-school dropouts and those who have no previous work experience or training.

This seasonal focus on hard-hit populations could have a lasting impact on Latinos and blacks, who tend to outpace the general population in dropout rates, youth crime and poverty. Reaching out to young people who may already have one or two strikes against them could yield immediate positive economic and social results. Providing job training, professional skills and mentorship for at-risk youth could motivate them to continue their education, offer them much- needed work experience and help them feel valued and productive.

Double-digit jobless rate

In New York City, which has large black and Latino populations, the unemployment rate among 16- to 19-year-olds doubled in the past year to 22 percent, according to state estimates. This summer, $18.5 million in stimulus funds will help add 13,378 jobs. Demand is so high that weeks before the May 15 deadline, the program had already received 81,000 applications, according to the Department of Youth and Community Development. Participants will earn $7.25 an hour, and also receive training in financial literacy and job skills.

Another large city with sizable black and Latino populations is Chicago, which received $17 million to support up to 7,000 summer youth jobs in the public and private sectors.

Stimulus dollars were distributed to all states, from about $3 million for Wyoming and South Dakota and other low-population states to $186 million for California.

Teens are avid consumers, so much of their earnings will be funneled right back into the economy as they use their earnings to buy music, go to the movies, buy used cars, new clothes and the status-defining electronics of the moment.

The combined effect will be much greater than the billion-dollar expenditure may signify, as countless teens will have transformative experiences that can take them down entirely different paths, leading to college or trade school or full-time employment after summer ends.

The positive effect of all those teens hard at work will ripple out to their families, schools, communities and the whole country, having a positive impact on millions. That’s the type of stimulus we need to make permanent.

X Juleyka Lantigua is a writer for Progressive Media Project, a source of liberal commentary on domestic and international issues; it is affiliated with The Progressive magazine. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services