African Americans at risk

African Americans have been hit hard by the recession, particularly in the automotive sector. A shutdown in this sector would further devastate this segment of the population, the Economic Policy Institute reports.

EPI, a nonpartisan Washington-based think tank, says the share of African-American workers -- 14.2 percent -- in automotive industries is much higher than their overall share of the labor force (11.2 percent). About 118,000 African Americans worked in the auto industry in November, down from 137,000 in December 2007 when the recession began.