President Donald Trump with first lady Melania Trump, greets invited guests during a National African American History Month reception in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Republished February 21, 2019 - 7:05 PM
Original Publication Date February 21, 2019 - 5:41 PM
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump is pledging to expand opportunity for Americans of every race, religion and creed as he commemorates Black History Month.
Speaking to hundreds Thursday at a White House reception, Trump boasted about the economy and said the unemployment rate for African-Americans is at its "lowest ever."
Black unemployment did reach a low, 5.9 per cent, in May 2018. But that figure changes monthly and had increased to 6.8 per cent by January.
Trump also touted passage of a criminal justice reform bill in December. He says the nation's sentencing laws disproportionally "harm African-American communities far, far greater than anybody else."
Catherine Toney, one of the first inmates released through the bill's passage, thanked Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner for their efforts as the crowd applauded in approval.
News from © The Associated Press, 2019