Schumer on Black Unemployment
Last week, I followed Schumer around a bit as he researched the issue first hand at the East Harlem offices of STRIVE, a group that provides coaching on how to get and retain jobs.
He was in classic Schumer research mode, peppering the program's administrator's with questions ("What's the youngest age" "What's going on here" "Is it free, the food?") and hunching over during class time to quiz the course instructors about success levels, tactics and goals.
According to one of the workforce development experts who met with Schumer for over an hour after the tour, the Senator showed special interest in how emphasizing improvement in "soft skills" like attitudes, communications, and collaboration could lead to more employment, and was curious about whether STRIVE's program could be replicated on a larger scale.
This isn't exactly a sexy issue, but the fact that no one in the Senate is paying much attention to it represents that much more of an opportunity for Schumer, or someone else, to make a big mark by proposing something truly original.
I'll be curious to see whether the STRIVE model -- a sort of workforce development version of Scared Straight -- makes it into the address.
--Jason Horowitz
Soft skills? More like deference and subservience. I'm sick and tired of white people still being so afraid of us after all this time, that they can't handle every day conversations and interactions with black people.
What it said:
...the Senator showed special interest in how emphasizing improvement in "soft skills" like attitudes, communications, and collaboration could lead to more employment
What it meant
...the Senator showed special interest special interest in emphasizing to black folks how to seem less threatening to white people.
Age old maxims for dealing with white folk should always be adhered to.
Never looking white people directly in the face or keeping a proper distance show that you don't have an attitude.
Never raising your voice (even in jest), showing irritation or impatience, or just plain having a bad day or moment go a long way toward showing white folks you're willing to communicate on their terms at all times.
And most importantly always let white folks take the lead on collaborative issues. Only express your opinion when asked and only offer minimal or token opposition. Be willing to be a token! Get used to be the "only one" and don't take offense when asked to speak for the opinions of all black people. Be grateful you're there and that you have a job at all.
No matter what, always remember, it will always fall on the shoulders of black people to conform to white culture (the norm, right) and for black people to do everything they can to make sure whites don't feel threatened or fearful.
White people aren't discriminating anymore. They are always willing to give you a shot if you learn how to walk, talk, dress, and act exactly as they do.
I know one way to help the younger black males become and stay employed.
Revise the educational system. Do away with absolute tenure and get rid of the teachers who just show up to babysit and collect a salary.
Institute standardized testing at ALL grade levels and deal with those teachers whose students don't perform well - maybe retraining (and remotivating) the first time and then if there's not substantial improvement, termination.
Terminate principals whose schools don't perform well and, if it's endemic in the system, take control of the schools out of the hands of the Board of Ed.
We pay for this system. It should work for all of us - or those who can't make it work shouldn't work for us.
Our children deserve to be educationally prepared for the workplace.