Running the Numbers on Black Unemployment

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During the president’s State of the Union speech earlier this week, he proudly boasted about a successful economy and how his policies have reduced the black unemployment rate in particular.  

“Unemployment claims have hit a 45 year low and something I’m very proud of, African American unemployment stands at the lowest rate ever recorded,” the president said to generous applause. 

Related: Trump's State of The Union: Our New American Moment

Yet, while the unemployment rate is at an all time low, the numbers don’t really explain why African Americans are still two times more likely to be jobless than white Americans.

To help make sense of this all, The Takeaway turns to William "Sandy" Darity is the Samuel DuBois Cook professor of public policy and director of the Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity at Duke University.

This segment is hosted by Todd Zwillich