Something has been pushing me for awhile to do this, but at first I ignored that inner voice speaking to me. According to the White House's website, tens of thousands of letters are sent to the White House everyday in addition to thousands more emails sent. Each day President Barack Obama reads 10 letters.
So I often asked myself. How would my letter make the cut? What's the point of writing it, if he won't read it?
I decided to write it anyways and post it here. I still plan to mail my letter the old-fashioned way but maybe some cyber eyes will get it to him even faster. I can only hope.
Dear Mr. President:
I hope that this letter finds you well and in good spirits. I am writing to you in response to your American Jobs Act. I want to first congratulate you on the job you’ve been doing for the country and unlike what pundits say, there are still many that still support you. I am one of those people.
While reading through your Jobs Act, there were a number of initiatives I was pleased to see, especially how the measure would affect the black community. I agree with the need for low-income schools to be modernized and updated with newer technology to allow our children to be on the same level as others. The Bridge to Work programs also sound like good ideas.
But there was one thing noticeably missing from your job plans. And it is a problem I feel is plaguing the black community—that is to blame for the disappointingly large unemployment numbers. It’s criminal records.
There’s no secret that the majority of prisoners are black men and whether it be for petty crimes or more serious offenses once these people are released from jail, finding a job is nearly impossible. I have seen this first hand. There are a number of black men that have made mistakes years ago, as young adults but are still unable to find jobs because of their records.
We claim people deserve second chances but employers are not giving them.If you were to glance at today’s job listings, many of them clearly state NO FELONIES.
This is often a huge deterrent to someone actively seeking employment but knowing that nearly every employer will not give them that second chance they so desperately need.
In the end it results in a person, giving up on a search for honest work and turning back to illegal activities and thus the cycle begins. The Jobs Act is missing something that could address this. Construction jobs are great, but they’re not the jobs many in the black community could even qualify for.
