The National Urban League, a group that has championed African-American employment and economic issues for 100 years, says in their 2010 annual "State of Black America" report that the landmark health legislation won't be enough to reduce racial gaps in unemployment and health care.

The study features a foreword from then-Senator Barack Obama (pictured on left with Marc Morial, the National Urban League chief executive officer) that was written in 2007, bemoaning the problems facing black men.

Obama wrote:

"According to the 2007 National Urban League Equality Index, although many black men are doing well, glaring gaps continue to exist between black men and their white counterparts...this underperformance of the black male is the most serious economic and civil rights challenge we face today."

Obama goes on to say that the report gives a variety of reasons why this is occurring with a "fresh and in-depth look at the current conditions affecting the black male."

Like black leaders have argued recently, most notably in the ideological war between Al Sharpton and Tavis Smiley, the Urban League says that President Obama needs to promote a "jobs surge" that targets hard-hit communities.

Obama has said he cannot adopt employment strategies that are designed to solely help blacks. He supports targeting regions that are the most in need, which in turn, he says, would lift the African-American community.

The "State of Black America" report noted that blacks lagged in homeownership rates and were almost twice as likely to be unemployed and lack health insurance.

Nearly 20 percent of blacks do not have health coverage, compared to about 11 percent for whites. The unemployment rate was 15.8 percent for blacks and 12.4 percent for Hispanics in February, compared to 9.7 percent overall and 8.8 percent for whites.

The 151-page study makes clear that it appreciates President Obama's efforts so far but "much, much more must be done."
Seeking to broaden its appeal, the report also addresses inequality for Hispanics, the nation's fastest growing demographic group, for the first time. It noted that Latinos faced many problems similar to blacks, and in some areas, such as voter participation, insurance coverage and college enrollment, they may even lag further behind.

Here are some of the Urban League's recommendations:

_Provide $150 billion for direct job creation in local communities by offering grants to cities, states, universities and nonprofit groups. Eligibility will be based on local unemployment rates with a goal of creating 3-million jobs.

_Adopt the proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency, hire housing counselors nationwide and strengthen enforcement of fair lending laws to crack down on predatory lending, since blacks and other minorities were disproportionately hurt by the foreclosure crisis.

_Spend $5 billion to $7 billion to hire up to 5-million teens as part of an expanded Youth Summer Jobs Program that would improve opportunities for urban youth, who have higher rates of unemployment.

_Create an "alternative public option" that would eliminate racial disparities in health coverage caused by an employer-based system. A new federal agency would guarantee a job for every person seeking work to improve public works projects, and provide workers' health benefits already available to federal employees.

Do you think that Obama should target some initiatives specifically toward our and other minority communities or will his broad-based approach eventually trickle down?