In recognition of Black History Month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has presented a flattering economic sketch of black people in the United States. In this drawing by the numbers, we are seen as a relatively young and hearty workforce -- 17 million black people strong -- poised to weather the difficult economic times ahead.
Nearly two-thirds of us are 45 and younger, according to the bureau. And more than one in four are employed in education and health service fields -- where some of the fastest growing occupations are expected to be found through 2016.
The portrait, based on 2008 data, is relentlessly upbeat, without even a hint that 2.2 million black people were unemployed last year. It is as though they had been airbrushed from the picture altogether.
Yet, if you really want to cut black unemployment, who better to look at than those of us who have jobs? What you'll see is a strong correlation between work and education. Hard to tell that when the numbers crunchers start whittling away at school programs in a recession.
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