Economy

The New Dream

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In January and February the national unemployment rate held steady at 9.7 percent— lower than in late 2009. That was seen as a sign that the economy was rounding the corner.. But unemployment among men and blacks was little changed. About 2.5 million people—400,000 more than a year earlier—were considered marginally attached to the labor force, meaning they weren’t considered unemployed but said they wanted a job. According to the EPI, there were still 6 job seekers per available job.Even after a national recovery has started, pain might persist in New York.

Economy

Where It Hurts

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In the Far Rockaway neighborhood of Queens on a slate gray Friday in February, the food pantry at St. Gertrude the Great was devoid of clients. The woman working there, who wanted to be identified only as Marbe, explained why.”There’s nobody today because it’s the beginning of the month,” she said. People had just received their unemployment checks and food stamp benefits. “By the middle of the month, there’ll be more.”Marbe began working at the pantry in 2000 and says she saw demand spike in 2001, only to subside as more pantries opened up in the area.

Economy

In This Recession Pain Has A Color

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The day that Barack Obama became President, Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Plaza outside the state office building on 125th Street and Seventh Avenue was alive with expectant joy. The crowd packed the cold concrete space between the dark bronze statue of Powell, striding perpetually forward on the corner, and the multicolor mural honoring black women at the plaza’s east end. Black men in crisp suits watched the jumbo TV screen with grave pride, the mumbling of the news anchors inaudible and unnecessary; it was all about the visual. Black women lifted their chins and wiped tears away. Hawkers peddled T-shirts and buttons both tasteful and tacky: The best was Obama as Muhammad Ali standing triumphant over John McCain as a flat-on-the-canvas Sonny Liston.