Race Card Alert: Al Sharpton Invokes Slavery as a Rationale to Increase Minimum Wage

February 19, 2014 By Jennifer Burke

Al Sharpton has been known to say some shocking things in his race baiting for ‘justice’. However, what he said after a meeting on Tuesday with black civil rights leaders and Barack Obama at the White House may just be the most outlandish claim that Sharpton has ever made.

Following the meeting, Sharpton stepped up to the microphone and had his moment in the spotlight. He chose that moment to make the following claim in support of an increase of the minimum wage.

“What must be weighed in any analysis, CBO and others, is that blacks suffer disproportionately from having to do work and not get the kind of wages that we need. This is a central concern in our community. It’s not just having a job; but having wages that are guaranteed to provide for our families. We had full employment in the black community during slavery. We just didn’t have wages. So we don’t want just a job, we want a job that pays, and pays so that we can take care of our families.” 

So, there you have it. Black people should not be expected to better themselves and learn a skill, trade, or in any way further their education in an effort to make a better living for themselves and their family. According to Sharpton, whatever work blacks do, they should get the wage that the need. He draws upon slavery as an example of when blacks had ‘full employment’. They simply weren’t paid, period. Now, because of slavery, blacks should have a job that pays them what they need.
It would be curious to see whether any of the black civil rights leaders brought up the increase in unemployment for blacks that has occurred since Obama took office during their meeting with the president. Under Obama, unemployment among blacks increased from 10.6% under Bush to 12.9%. For black youth, it is far worse with 38% being unemployed compared to 21% of overall youth unemployment. But, when you have the Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Emanuel Cleaver stating that they are giving Obama leeway because he is black, but would have marched on DC by now had these conditions occurred under a white president, we should expect nothing but silence and capitulation.