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the purposes for which they were formulated, that they are administered fairly, and that they are adequately funded. Creation of such a committee is justified by the changing nature of the American economy, the inability of states to meet the needs of their people through limited block grant funds and state resources, and the increased number of displaced, discouraged, homeless and poor persons not being caught in "the safety net"—all of which bring new dimensions to the plight of the poor and disadvantaged.

4. The nation's welfare system, which varies from state to state, should be federalized through national funding which would assure that financial assistance, including food stamps, would bring families to at least poverty level. Social service programs such as food stamps, school lunches and others that serve the poor and disadvantaged should be funded at levels adequate to meet the needs.

5. The tax system should be modified so that families earning poverty-level incomes no longer lose a significant portion of their meager earnings to income and payroll taxes.

6. There should be increased federal funding for a variety of prevention, vocational and health related initiatives that deal with teenage pregnancy. Community-based organizations, with firm roots in their communities and sensitivity for their needs, should be involved in the implementation of such initiatives.

7. The Congress, the appropriate federal agencies, and the General Accounting Office should regularly and objectively monitor the implementation of block grants. This is essential to guard against the possibility of misuse and abuse of federally appropriated funds, and to assure that the civil rights of blacks and other minorities are protected.

8. The Department of Justice should withdraw briefs opposing affirmative action in cases now before the courts since its position rests on weak legal and moral grounds and can only hearten those who resist compliance with affirmative action mandates.

9. The budgets of the various civil rights enforcement agencies and offices within the executive branch of government should be restored to levels that will allow effective and adequate enforcement.

10. Congress should amend the Fair Housing Act to provide enforcement power for the first time in its 15 year history, and to extend the act's coverage to include families with children.

11. The principles of affirmative action should continue to be applied at both the state and federal levels, and there should be no retrenchment in their enforcement. This means that qualified minority applicants should be actively sought for job openings in every sector of the economy.

12. Congress should approve a major new investment in math and science education in order to respond to the needs of a high technology society. Such legislation should make the special needs of low-income and minority students a priority.

National Urban League
July 29-Aug. 1, 1984
Cleveland, Ohio

The individual papers in "The State" are prepared by recognized authorities in their fields.

THE ECONOMIC STATE
OF BLACK AMERICA—
IS THERE A RECOVERY?
BY DENYS VAUGHN-COOKE
ECONOMIC CONSULTANT
FORMER SENIOR RESEARCH
ASSOCIATE/ECONOMIST
NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE

CONCLUSION

• There is no doubt that an overall recovery is underway from the present recession which catapulted unemployment rates to a post World War II high. Overall unemployment rates by December 1983 at 8.1% were for lower than the rate of 11.2% in the first quarter of 1983, and for any other month in between. However, the rate for blacks showed a slight rise in December over the preceeding month. When examining indiviudal age catagories it is obvious that unemployment is a continuing problem for even older black teenagers 18-19. Black workers age 20-24 have only slightly better employment experiences than black teenagers and both groups are becoming relatively worse off when compared to their white counterparts. Older black workers are also loosing ground to older white workers. Smaller and smaller percentages of blacks are finding work at any time and racial unemployment differentials not only show no sign of abating but are actually becoming greater. Black income still lags behind white income and one of every three blacks are still in poverty as compared to one out of every eight whites.

• Over the last 30 years recessions have become the norm in the American economy. What we have seen is a continuous deterioration in employment indicators for blacks. The number of black individuals in poverty has also increased. Obviously the long run trends discovered from the data represents the emergence of an increasingly inhospitable climate for any overall black economic progress. Our data shows us quite clearly that in his 'recovery period' blacks are recovering at an even slower rate than white.

• This last recession seems to be another nail in the coffin housing growing black/white employment differentials with blacks buried even deeper in this recovery period than they were before the recession started.

THE BLACK VOTE-
THE SLEEPING GIANT,
BY DR. DIANNE PINDERHUGHES
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF GOVERNMENT,
DARTMOUTH COLLEGE:

• The one certainty in the Reverend Jesse Jackson's campaign for the Democratic nomination is its unpredictability. Jackson will have the effect upon American politics of a newly discovered earthquake fault; his campaign may shake the American political system especially the Democratic party, to its foundations, while opening innumerable fissures in congressional state and local politics. The earthquake fault analogy is important, but the campaign should also increase the efficacy of black voters, even if the campaign is not entirely successful, as Mel

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