Al Jazeera’s Fault Lines presenter Avi Lewis hosts a debate about race & the US recession with Jesse Jackson of the Rainbow Coalition; Rosa Clemente, an activist and former Green Party Vice Presidential candidate; Linda Chávez, director of the conservative Center for Equal Opportunity and the Reverend Greylan Hagler of the United Church of Christ.
If we are living through a Great Recession, for people of color it is a quiet depression. Among whites with a college degree, the unemployment rate as of September 2009 is 4.0 percent. For blacks with a college degree, the unemployment rate is nearly twice as high at 7.2 percent. Hispanics fare slightly better. The unemployment rate for Hispanics with a college degree 5.6 percent.
The unemployment rate is higher among men than among women. For black men, 25 and over and at all education levels, the unemployment rate is 16.1 percent while for black women, 25 and over and at all education levels, the unemployment rate is 11.0 percent. For black men and women ages 15 to 24 without a high school degree the unemployment rate is a staggering 42.7 percent. The New York Times has an interactive feature where you can find the unemployment rate by various demographics.
Below the fold is a breakout of unemployment data (U3) by demographic groups.
| Demographic Group | Unemployment Rate |
| Overall National | 10.2% |
| Whites | 9.5% |
| Blacks | 15.7% |
| Hispanics | 13.1% |
| Asians | 7.5% |
| Black Men, 20 and over | 17.1% |
| Black Women, 20 and over | 12.4% |
| Black Teenagers | 24.0% |
| White Men, 20 and over | 9.9% |
| White Women, 20 and over | 7.4% |
| White Teenagers | 25.3% |
| Hispanic Men, All Ages | 11.7% |
| Hispanic Men, 25 and over | 10.2% |
| Hispanic Women, All Ages | 10.8% |
| Hispanic Women, 25 and over | 9.7% |
| Hispanics, 24 and under | 18.8% |
| Hispanic Teenagers | 35.6% |
| Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics |
Note: Data for Hispanic Men, Women and Teenagers are from September 2009. All over data are from October 2009.