Black History Month is a time to honor the rich heritage and remarkable contributions of African-Americans in Wisconsin and across our nation. And, one year after the inauguration of our country's first African-American president, our nation can reflect on how far we have come, and the civil rights we have successfully fought for, in just one generation.
But it is also a time to rededicate ourselves to the fight for justice and equality for all Americans. While our nation faces serious challenges at home and abroad, people across Wisconsin and the nation are hurting, and the pain of this recession has been felt by so many African-American families. While unemployment remains high across the state, that doesn't tell the whole story. The joblessness rate--which includes the unemployed still looking for work and those who have given up looking for work entirely--is staggering among African-American men, approaching 50 percent in 2008 in places like Milwaukee, for example.
Recently, I introduced legislation to create more jobs in Wisconsin. My bill would offer a tax credit to businesses that hire new employees, boost employee pay, or expand working hours. While a jobs tax credit wouldn't fix all the challenges we face, it would help some businesses hire more workers, and provide a much-needed boost to our economy.
But solving the employment problem is going to require a comprehensive approach, which means improving educational opportunities for young people and adult learners, and boosting job training opportunities for the under- and unemployed.
Much more needs to be done to improve the quality of our public schools from pre-K through high school. Last year, I introduced legislation designed to improve high-need high schools and address the high school dropout rate in our nation. In an age when more and more jobs are requiring some level of college, finishing high school is an absolute necessity in order to find a good job. My legislation would bring area high schools, businesses, colleges, and workforce groups together to re-examine high school programs and work with students to make these programs more relevant and engaging.
I am also working to boost job training opportunities for unemployed adult workers, specifically in the health care field, one of the fastest growing employment sectors. My bill, the Community-Based Health Care Retraining Act, would help unemployed workers by providing new grant funding to workforce groups and colleges to set up new job training programs. Some of these job training funds can be used to expand course offerings, provide child care to workers, and provide tuition assistance for workers so that they can improve their job skills.
I'm proud to fight for the hardworking people of Wisconsin in Congress. And I know that this recession has been very tough on African-American communities. That just underscores how important it is that every American has access to the same opportunities for employment, education, health care, and more. I will keep fighting in the Senate to create equal access to those opportunities, to rebuild our economy and put people in Wisconsin back to work.