Blog Posts Related to the African American Community
My First Job: Valerie Jarrett
Posted by on May 9, 2012 at 12:21 PM EDTSummer Jobs+ is a call to action for businesses, non-profits, and government to work together to provide pathways to employment for young people in the summer of 2012. It's about helping people find their first jobs.
Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to the President, says her first job taught her about working with people who are under enormous amounts of stress, the importance of paying attention to details and something that virtually every worker deals with each day--showing up to work on time. Check it out:
So far, employers have committed to providing more than 300,000 jobs, mentorships, and other employment opportunities this summer through Summer Jobs+.
You heard about Valerie's first job. Now go find yours.
Learn more about EconomyAdministration Officials Host African American Policy Forum In Las Vegas, Nevada
Posted by on May 4, 2012 at 11:36 AM EDTOn Monday, April 30th, the White House Office of Public Engagement hosted the first African American Policy Forum in Las Vegas, Nevada. The administration partnered with Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) to discuss a wide-range of topics including, jobs, housing and development, small business and entrepreneurship, the economy, and how each affect the African American community.
During the forum, visitors who were in attendance were welcomed by Senator Harry Reid, followed by keynote remarks from administration official, Raphael Bostic, Assistant Secretary for U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. In addition to hearing remarks, various administration and local officials held panels to discuss job training, business and the economy. Notably, Dr. Regina Benjamin, U.S. Surgeon General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services discussed health disparities and other health-related issues during her segment. The panel gave officials another opportunity to discuss the President's plan to build a stronger economy and how his plans will help strengthen the African American community.
The African American Policy Forums serve as great opportunities for the public to be engaged on how the President is addressing some of the issues that affect the community most. More information on upcoming African American Policy Forums, White House events, and additional information on President Obama and the African American community can be found here.
Learn more about Civil Rights, EconomyScreening "To Kill A Mockingbird" at the White House
Posted by on April 27, 2012 at 4:29 PM EDTArt has helped create the America that we know and love today. And at its best, film allows us a window into our own lives and get a chance to see the world through someone else's eyes. One of the heroes of American cinema, Atticus Finch, said that "you never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view, until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it."
That great line is from the classic film "To Kill A Mockingbird," a movie that has informed and entertained us for generations. I love the movies. And art gave me the chance at a young age to experience a world beyond my neighborhood in Chicago and develop skills that have lasted a lifetime.
Stories like mine are reasons President Obama is committed to recognizing the importance of the fine arts. And as a part of his constant effort to acknowledge and celebrate the arts and their impact on our country, on Thursday, April 5, President Obama commemorated the 50th Anniversary of To Kill a Mockingbird—a 1962 film adaptation of author Harper Lee’s 1960 novel about racial inequality in the deep south—by hosting a screening in the Family Theater at the White House. The invited guests included actors and family members related to the film. Among them was Mary Badham Wilt, the actress who played Scout; Veronique Peck, widow of Gregory Peck who played Atticus Finch; and students from local school in Virginia, Washington-Lee High School.
Learn more about Civil Rights1.5 Million African Americans to be Impacted if Congress Fails to Act
Posted by on April 25, 2012 at 10:46 AM EDTYesterday, the President delivered remarks at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and continued his call for Congress to stop interest rates on student loans from doubling in July.
If Congress doesn’t act, interest rates will double on July 1 for more than 7.4 million students with subsidized federal Stafford Loans. Approximately 1.5 million African American borrowers would see their loans increase. To out-educate our global competitors and make college more affordable, Congress needs to stop the interest rate on these student loans from doubling.
This announcement is one of a series of steps that the Administration has taken to make college more affordable and to make it even easier for students to repay their federal student loans. The Obama Administration’s “Pay as You Earn” plan enables 1.6 million current students to take advantage of a new option to cap student loan repayments at 10% of monthly income when they start repayment, as soon as this year. Graduates currently in repayment can cap their payments at 15% of income right away. Borrowers looking to determine whether or not income-based repayment is the right option for them should visit http://studentaid.ed.gov/ibr.
Now, President Obama is calling on Congress to put forward legislation to stop interest rates from doubling. For the estimated 1.5 million African American borrowers it would mean an estimated average savings per borrower of $1,003 over the life of the loan and an estimated total savings of $1.5 billion. Keeping interest rates on student loans low would allow more Americans to get: a fair shot at an affordable college education, the skills they need to find a good job, and a clear path to the middle class.
And, the President is asking all borrowers to help make sure Congress acts, saying:
… I’m asking everyone else who’s watching or following online -- call your member of Congress. Email them. Write on their Facebook page. Tweet them -- we’ve got a hashtag. Here’s the hashtag for you to tweet them: #dontdoublemyrate. All right? I’m going to repeat that -- the hashtag is #dontdoublemyrate.
... Your voice matters. Stand up. Be heard. Be counted. Tell them now is not the time to double the interest rate on your student loans. Now is the time to double down on smart investments that build a strong and secure middle class. Now is the time to double down on an America that’s built to last.
Read more about President Obama's proposals to keep college affordable for students and their families.
Deputy U.S. Commerce Secretary Keynotes Operation HOPE 20th Anniversary Bus Tour
Posted by on April 25, 2012 at 10:17 AM EDTEd. note: This is cross-posted from The Commerce Department Blog
Today, Deputy U.S. Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank delivered the keynote address at the Operation HOPE 20th Anniversary Bus Tour ceremony in Los Angeles, California. She emphasized the importance of economic development and opportunity in the years following the Rodney King riots.
In 1999, the U.S. Department of Commerce awarded Operation Hope $200,000 to help bring more economic opportunities to a hard-hit area of Los Angeles. Since then, Operation HOPE has helped bring more investments, more economic opportunity, and more empowerment into underserved communities in Los Angeles as well as other cities around the U.S.
Deputy Secretary Blank also highlighted how the Recovery Act that President Obama signed in 2009 allowed the Commerce Department to provide $7.5 million dollars to the City of Los Angeles to install high-speed broadband connections and to place thousands of new computers at about 150 sites. As a result, about 130,000 people are using those computers every week–from students doing homework to unemployed workers applying for job.
She also emphasized the importance of access to education and mentoring for young people throughout the U.S. In particular, she called for preventing interest rates on student loans from doubling on over seven million students on July 1.
As an economist, the Deputy Secretary’s past work had focused on how America can address economic inequalities such as promoting more education, opportunities and jobs in underserved communities.
Learn more about Civil Rights, Economy,2012 Citizens Medal: Open for Nominations
Posted by on April 17, 2012 at 1:55 PM EDTFor more than 40 years, the Presidential Citizens Medal has recognized Americans who have "performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens." Yesterday, the President invited you, the American public, to nominate everyday heroes for one of our nation’s highest civilian honors.
Who is your hero? Who has gone above and beyond, performing extraordinary deeds of service? Help us recognize the exemplary citizen from your community -- and bring them the public attention they deserve by nominating them for this year’s medal.
Here is an inspiring example of a hero honored last year:
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