National Urban League Statement on Newt Gingrich

NEW YORK (January 5, 2012) -- Marc H. Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League, today issued the following statement regarding Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich:

"According to a Tweet from a journalist covering Newt Gingrich's town hall meeting in New Hampshire today, Gingrich has decided to compete with Rick Santorum for the votes of the extreme right-wing faction of the Republican electorate. Sadly that means dredging up the discredited racial stereotypes of the past.

"Gingrich's suggestionthat the African American community would prefer food stamps to jobs is beyond insulting. The vast majority of food stamps recipients - 70 percent - are white.

"The African American community certainly doesn’t need Newt Gingrich’s encouragement to demand jobs – The National Urban League has advanced a 12-Point Jobs Plan that would create jobs through a combination of tax incentives and investments.  If Speaker Gingrich is sincere about  job creation and economic opportunity, we invite him to endorse our plan."
 

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The National Urban League is a historic civil rights organization dedicated to economic empowerment in order to elevate the standard of living in historically underserved urban communities. Founded in 1910 and headquartered in New York City, the National Urban League spearheads the efforts of its local affiliates through the development of programs, public policy research and advocacy. Today, there are nearly 100 local affiliates in 36 states and the District of Columbia, providing direct services that impact and improve the lives of more than 2 million people nationwide.

CONTACT: Teresa Candori
(646) 319-0891