Unemployment continues to hit communities of color hardest

Last week, the Economic Policy Institute published an issue brief entitled, “Uneven pain – Unemployment by metropolitan area and race.” The brief examines the impact of the recession on employment, specifically unemployment rates by race in fifty metropolitan areas.  In each of the fifty areas studied, unemployment rates for people of color were higher than for whites.  In some areas, such as Minneapolis, educational attainment did not bridge this race-based unemployment gap.

This information is not new and merely confirms what we as legal services advocates have seen our clients experience.  Although the information simply confirms this understanding, it remains important that we stay cognizant of the lasting impact of the recession on all of our clients.  Moreover, as the policy brief states, “[h]igh rates of unemployment cause immediate harm to families and communities, and they also cause long-term social and economic damage that cannot be easily fixed even when the economy finally recovers.”  As legal aid advocates, we have an important role in assisting our unemployed clients to fight for their right to government benefits, including unemployment insurance benefits.  Our advocacy can help alleviate the adverse effects of the recession on our clients by ensuring they obtain benefits they are entitled to and can save them from financial straits that could lead to homelessness.