OBAMA DODGES BLACK UNEMPLOYMENT QUESTION

ATLANTA, June 23, 2009, 2:45 p.m. - President Obama today dodged a question about escalating black unemployment, while taking only one question from the black-owned press during his news conference.

The nation's first black president dodged American Urban Radio's April Ryan's question about what he will do to stop black unemployment from hitting 20 percent. The unemployment rate for blacks is at 14.9 percent, compared to 9.4 percent for all Americans.

"We know that the African American unemployment rate, the Latino unemployment rate are consistently higher than the national average," Obama said. "If the economy as a whole is doing poorly then you know that the African American community is doing poorly and they are going to be hit even harder ... The best thing that I can do for the African American community, or the Latino community, or the Asian community - whatever community - is to get the economy as a whole moving. If I don't do that then I am not going to be able to help anybody."

During his answer, Obama told her to "hold on but never came back to her.

In March, Obama also sidestepped a question about race during his second news conference, when he was asked if "race has come up" in "any of the policy debates that you've had within the White House."

"I think that the last 64 days has been dominated by me trying to figure out how we're going to fix the economy, and that affects black, brown and white," Obama said. "And, you know, obviously, at the inauguration, I think that there was justifiable pride on the part of the country that we had taken a step to move us beyond some of the searing legacies of racial discrimination in this country, but that lasted about a day."

Obama called on Ebony magazine and Univision during the March news conference. He was assailed for overlooking the black press at his first news conference.

In March, he also distanced himself from his newly appointed Attorney General Eric Holder, who said that America is "a nation of cowards" on matters of race.

I think its fair to say that if I had been advising my attorney general, we would have used different language," the Democrat said. "Im not somebody who believes that constantly talking about race somehow solves racial tensions. I think what solves racial tensions is fixing the economy, putting people to work, making sure that people have health care, ensuring that every kid is learning out there. I think if we do that, then well probably have more fruitful conversations."

What's more, his answers on the issue of race have also mirrored remarks he made to the "State of the Black Union" in April.

"These are [economic] policies that will make a big difference in the African American community," he told the group via video. "You know that tough times for America often mean tougher times for African Americans. This recession has been no exception. The unemployment rate among black Americans is a full five points higher than the rate among Americans as a whole."