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America during 1982. Copies of the book are available from the following source at a cost of $14. 

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

In this section of last year's "State of Black America," the National Urban League concluded:
"1981 was a difficult year inside Black America and 1982 threatens to be even more difficult particularly if the recession continues for an extended period of time, if further slashes are made in domestic programs, and if the millions of new jobs that the Administration's economic recovery program promised that the private sector would not produce do not begin to develop fairly soon." 

There is no satisfaction in reporting that the forecast proved to be all too accurate. The recession continued, the cutbacks in domestic programs proceeded apace, and the promised jobs never materialized. Black America ended 1982 in worse shape than in 1981. Two statistics are enough to tell the story. Black unemployment was 15.5% at the end of 1981. Black unemployment was 20% at the end of 1982. 

We find it disturbing that in view of the overwhelming evidence that the economic recovery plan has not worked, and shows no likelihood that it will ever work, the Administration asks the American people to "stay the course." Consistency is to be admired, but there comes a time when prudence and objective reasoning demands that when Plan A is not successful, then directions have to be changed and new approaches formulated. 

In the preceding essays, a clear case has been made that a disproportionate share of the hardships now being experienced by this nation's people falls on the shoulders of black Americans and the poor. What is inescapable is the very real danger that those new being most adversely affected may never be able to recover what they are now losing. 

In the past year, the programs that serve poor people have been cut by $10 billion. Those cuts have not lowered the national deficit but they have manifestly lowered the quality of life of the very poor. Nearly one million people have been cut from the federal welfare program. Over 600,000 children have lost medicaid coverage. Almost a million children no longer receive free or low-cost school lunches and about 150,000 poor working families have lost subsidized day care. A million people have been dropped from the food stamp program and some 200,000 pregnant women and infants have lost federal nutrition aid. Some 900 school districts have been forced to cut back special education programs. 

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