A recent holiday cartoon by acclaimed cartoonist Walt Handelsman featured a number of empty gift boxes that were labeled "jobs" and the character in the cartoon was looking inside one of them quite disappointed.

That view reflects the mindset of most regarding the state of American unemployment. There have been lots of promises regarding job creation wrapped in fancy program titles Von Miller Jersey , but once the pretty paper and decorative bows are removed, the reality that is the rising tide of American unemployment sets in.

While American unemployment has reached record numbers, it is dwarfed by the even higher rate of unemployment impacting African Americans who do not even have the opportunity or access to open the pretty, yet empty boxes.

According to Department of Labor figures John Elway Jersey , while the American unemployment rates were in double digits (approximately 10.2 percent in October 2009), the figure for African Americans was closer to 16 percent (approximately 15.7 percent). This has caused much concern as the issues regarding just how and when these jobs will be created and who will benefit.

According to reports in the Associated Press, the Federal Reserve does not fully expect the economic recovery will be strong enough to drive down the jobless rate quickly. Currently, many mainstream media outlets have begun efforts to attack President Obama's plans to increase job opportunities overall Cheap Broncos Hats , by infusing the discontent within the African American community. Organizational leaders including Rev. Al Sharpton of the National Action Network and Marc Morial of the National Urban League have been working aggressively to keep the main issues regarding American unemployment and the impact on African Americans in the forefront.