[ti:Two Nations- Black America and White America] [ar:Marsha James] [al:This is America] [by:WWW.51VOA.COM] [00:00.00]A new report says black and white Americans [00:05.49]continue to be divided [00:07.90]in areas of economic opportunity, [00:11.11]education, health and social justice. [00:15.58]The National Urban League recently released its yearly report, [00:21.15]called "The State of Black America." [00:25.16]The league works to help black Americans. [00:28.92]Its report tells a familiar story [00:33.40]of racial disparities in American life. [00:37.56]It says blacks are much more likely to be unemployed than whites. [00:45.39]It notes that as many as 20 percent of blacks [00:49.70]in seven of the country's largest cities do not have a job. [00:55.83]The study links education and joblessness. [01:00.49]Mark Morial is the president of the National Urban League. [01:06.95]He notes there is a large difference in the proficiency [01:11.41]of blacks and whites in mathematics and reading. [01:15.78]He says that means the inequality [01:19.84]between blacks and whites will continue. [01:23.44]"The United States must close the gaps, [01:27.35]must close the achievement gap, [01:29.96]must close the jobs gap. [01:31.53]It is essential to America's economic competitiveness [01:35.99]in the 21st century." [01:37.85]Mr. Morial says the group's report showed that even when [01:44.82]blacks and whites have the same educational level, [01:48.05]black unemployment is higher. [01:52.11]"People ask me why and I think it is the presence [01:56.67]of still exclusion and discrimination [01:59.03]in the workforce to some extent." [02:00.38]Rudy Crew is president of Medgar Evers College [02:04.65]in Brooklyn, New York. [02:06.41]About 90 percent of the students there are black. [02:11.92]He says the school is taking steps [02:15.33]to make sure they are ready for the workplace. [02:19.19]"More and more we're having everything from career days [02:22.46]to a real focus on the networking, [02:25.56]if you will, that it takes to basically [02:27.37]not just to enter your chosen career [02:30.08]but to really get the job that you want." [02:32.95]Shemroy Primo is in his final year at the college. [02:37.91]He says he was disappointed but not surprised by the report. [02:44.73]"But I mean as a black man, [02:46.94]you know it's really hard out there in the job market. [02:50.14]And I went to high school in Brooklyn, East New York, [02:53.50]so I have a lot of friends that are really looking up to me [02:57.27]and they're really proud of me [02:59.63]because you know I've taken a different route. [03:02.54]I went to college. I'm a senior. I'm a rising senior. [03:06.21]This is my last semester and I plan to go to Law school" [03:09.31]Mr. Primo believes he must work twice [03:13.61]as hard as a young white man to get a job. [03:17.88]I'm Marsha James. [03:20.80]¸ü¶àÌýÁ¦Çë·ÃÎÊ51VOA.COM.