PEOPLE OF COLOR VOTE BLUE,
BUT STAY IN THE RED

BOSTON - January 2 - A new report finds that while people of color support Democrats in the voting booth, they are still waiting for policies and programs that close the economic gap between them and whites.

An embargoed (until 12:01 am, Tue., Jan. 9, 2007) PDF version of the report is available to working journalists from: http://www.faireconomy.org/StateOfTheDream

The report by United for a Fair Economy studied the economic proposals in the US House Democrats' first 100-hours agenda, which are designed to help those on the lower rungs of America's economic ladder. The report found that, in general, the 100-hour agenda does not address the race gap. It says that to do so would require adding affirmative action elements and other more targeted methods of reaching Blacks and Latinos to the proposed legislation.

"It's great that the new leadership in Congress is bringing renewed focus to lifting more people out of poverty, but they will have to do much more to close the racial economic divide that still exists almost 40 years after the civil rights movement," said Meizhu Lui, co-author of the report and executive director of United for a Fair Economy. "African Americans, the Democrats' most loyal supporters, should expect more in ...

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