Bloomberg Funds Plan to Aid Minority Youth

Mayor Michael Bloomberg of the City of New York announced plans to spend nearly $130 million on improving the lives of thousands of young black and latino men who have been underprivileged by civic, educational, and economic life. The plan overhauls how government interacts with the population of about 315,000 who have traditionally been incarcerated, undereducated, and under-employed.

As the deputy mayor, Linda I. Gibbs said "the magnitude of disparities is stunning. It's tragic." Even though the populations of young white, black, and latino men in NYC are nearly the same size, 84% of those in detention facilities and almost all of those admitted to children's and family service facilities are black and latino.

But as Elijah Anderson, a professor of sociology at Yale notes, the challenge will be for New York businesses to embrace these young people and offer long term employment after the city's plan runs out. He notes "companies have to be much more receptive to these young people and meet people like Bloomberg halfway."

We shall see who is correct in the end, but in any case this is a step in the right direction for the city of New York. Providing opportunities to these young people will have lasting effects on their lives as well as the city itself. Not only does it begin to raise standards among the minority populations, it also begins to lower crime rates, costs of social services, and incarceration costs. Mayor Bloomberg has personally also stepped in to donate $30 million to the plan and will be matched by fellow billionaire George Soros, the remaining being funded by the city. This is a great example of strong leadership and the willingness to challenge the societal norms for the better of a larger population of society, and for that I applaud the efforts of Mayor Bloomberg.

NY Times: Bloomberg to Use Own Funds in Plan to Aid Minority Youth