Jobless Rate for Black Youths Is Unacceptable

Forty-nine percent of black youths are unemployed, compared to 19% of white youths. This is an unacceptable and appalling statistic, and should not be tolerated by a country that declares its policy to be justice and freedom for all.

We must assume one cannot have justice unless there is continued vigilence and the willingness to fight and let everyone know your position.

Unfortunately, despite the efforts of the civil rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s, blacks are not given equal access to jobs, as the unemployment reports show, and they are not accepted as full citizens. Black youths are standing by, and with few exceptions, blindly patronizing the places that continue to deny them jobs where they are spending their money. They have not raised a whimper of protest, quite unlike the youth of the past who “sat in” and boycotted.

Older blacks seem to be complacent with the gains made, as though they are unaware of their youth being denied equal access to the job market. Aliens of all countries continue to fill jobs. The Reagan Administration and Congress continue to refuse to pass any laws to protect legal residents against the illegals who cross the borders, and most politicians are reluctant to speak out and vote sanctions against such employers.

What has happened to the white liberals who were willing to speak out against racism and inequities? Are we getting so callous and preoccupied with lesser priorities than freedom and equality? When are blacks to have full citizenship for themselves and their children?

EDWARD KUSSMAN

Pacoima

Kussman is past president of the San Fernando Valley National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People.