BEN FELLER
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON – Prominent African-American leaders pressed President Barack Obama on Wednesday to pursue an economic agenda that includes targeted help for blacks, whose unemployment rate is much higher than the national average and nearly twice that of whites.
The three men who met privately with Obama for about an hour said they pushed for aid in urban and rural areas with large numbers of hurting minorities. It is the same message they hope to deliver to lawmakers of both parties as Congress considers new jobs legislation.
“We do not seek any special kind of edict … from the president because he’s African-American,” said the Rev. Al Sharpton, president of the National Action Network, a civil rights organization. “We expect to be included in the process.”