THE ISSUE: The outlook for young people

OUR OPINION: College students welcome any optimism

The National Urban League is trying to help Americans. Efforts are focused on educating and assisting homeowners in trouble with mortgages. Equal emphasis is on assisting displaced workers and others unable to find jobs.

The mission is a challenging one in very difficult times, the Urban League’s William Dawson said in Orangeburg this week during a session with Claflin University Mass Communications Department students. Dawson leads the organization’s BEEP (Black Executive Exchange Program), which for 40 years has sponsored appearances by African-American business people before students at historically black colleges and universities. The concept is about modeling success stories. Claflin hosted nine BEEP speakers on Monday and Tuesday.

The Urban League does not provide direct financial assistance to homeowners. Its mission is to help through connecting those in trouble with sources of help. Dawson said the numbers of people being assisted has grown – and the number on the edge is great. “We’re seeing a lot of people. A lot of people are scared.”

As to jobs, he said, “It’s rough. It’s tough out there. ... If you have a job, you might want to keep it.”

Those most interested in Dawson’s outlook are students, many of whom will be looking for internships this summer or one of those jobs to hold onto.

For them, the Urban League official had some optimistic words. He said the number of older workers remaining in the work force, and those returning by necessity to work, are at a disadvantage to young college graduates. “I think they are going to win.”

He cited the energy and enthusiasm in young people, saying they can be paid less than veteran workers initially but have the opportunity to get where they want to be with experience.

Leadership is a key, Dawson said, underscoring the emphasis the Urban League places upon it. The organization annually holds a leadership conference aimed at building skills.

President Barack Obama, the first African-American chief executive, is an ideal model for leadership, Dawson said. “He is the greatest example,” proving to young African-Americans that achieving once-impossible goals is possible now. “Obama solidifies everything we are about.”

As much as the Urban League is not about selecting one candidate over another, Dawson said the country is in need of real change. Is it happening? Are we on the right track? “I think we are,” he said.

A lot of Americans and a host of Claflin students with professional plans and dreams will be watching and hoping he is right.

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