Page 43 of the National Urban League’s 151-page report entitled “The State of Black America 2010: Responding to Crisis” is particularly important for the Memphis area.

On that page is the League’s recommendation that 100 new urban jobs academies be created as a tool for putting Americans back to work. Memphis Urban League President and CEO Tomeka Hart said a proposal is pending to launch one of those in the Memphis area.

Tomeka Hart

The recommendation is part of a six-point plan detailed in 2010 State of Black America. The report – published in book form – was released in March, with Hart and the local chapter now aggressively extending it to the Memphis area in conjunction with its annual meeting, which was held Wednesday.

Hart said a $300,000 proposal to launch an Urban Jobs Academy is pending with the local Workforce Investment Network board. The academy – modeled after several already operating in other cities with Urban League affiliates – would anchor an Urban Youth Empowerment program to employ and train the chronically unemployed.

“We’ve got an early indication that they will support it,” said Hart.

The proposal targets 16- to 21-year-old youth offenders, youth in foster care, and homeless youth and would take them through a comprehensive education, workforce development, year-round programming.

“We suspect that a good majority of them may not have a high school diploma. If they don’t, part of it is getting them ready and paying for a GED. If they come in with a GED or diploma, (then) what’s the next step,” said Hart.

It would not be a one-size-fits-all program, with elements included to tailor support efforts to individual participants.

Other parts of the National Urban League six-point plan speak to the need to fund direct job creation, expand and expedite the Small Business Administration’s Community Express Loan Program, create green Empowerment Zones and expand the hiring of housing counselors nationwide.

 “So goes the state of black America so goes the state of black Memphis,” said Hart during a conversation with members of the Tri-State Defender Editorial Board.

The latest data for Memphis proper shows a 26 percent poverty rate – that reflects 34 percent for African Americans, 30 percent for Hispanics and nine percent for white, she said.

“That should be just scary to us…when you know your highest demographic is also your highest number in poverty…”

African-American businesses nationwide and particularly in Memphis need support, said Hart, with moves needed to make sure they can get a bigger piece of the government contracts.

In Memphis, there must be a goal of generating an increased number of African-American millionaires within a defined period, she said or “we are not going to get anywhere. And there is a business case for it.”

Several years ago, the National Urban League created the Equality Index as a way to have a statistical measure of how African Americans – and for the first time in this SOBA report, Hispanics – fair against whites.

Hispanics were included because of the growing Hispanic population nationwide and the fact that several NUL affiliates are serving more Hispanics than African Americans.

Hart said locally she is exploring an expanded working relationship with Latino Memphis because it makes sense. “It’s time our communities realize we have far more in common than we do divisive. We need to be working more together,” she said.

According to the Equality Index, Hispanics are faring slightly better on the national scale than African Americans compared to whites.

The index shows – for the first time in four years – a slight uptick in the index in measuring African Americans to whites.

Why is this the case in light of the deep economic challenges African Americans face in the wake of the recession?

Hart says it is two things:

“There is an uptick but it doesn’t mean we are necessarily fairing better. The economic index did not change a whole lot, but that is because unemployment for whites grew. While the gap closed a little, it was not because African Americans were better employed. Unemployment among whites grew…It’s like the education gap. You don’t want to close it by bringing the white students down…”

Hart said the election of President Obama also affected the Equality Index because it also measures civic engagement. More African Americans were stirred to register to vote – and more actually got out and voted – because of the presence of Obama, she said.

“When you look at social justice, the numbers did not change. They are still pretty low. Social injustice measures arrests, incarceration rate of African Americans as compared to whites. The economic index did not change at all. The health index changed slightly. The education index changed slightly.”

While the report looks at African Americans and Hispanics relative to whites, Hart said it should not be interpreted as saying that where whites are is the end-all goal.