1982
During the 1981–1982 recession, Black unemployment peaks at 20.4% in December 1982, more than double the white rate of 8.7%. Youth unemployment among Black teenagers reaches nearly 50%. The recession, worsened by the Federal Reserve's tight money policy and Reagan's budget cuts, erases economic gains Black workers had made during the 1970s.
At its annual convention in Boston, the NAACP passes a resolution declaring Reagan's policies a dangerous, regressive, and reactionary threat to the civil rights of Black Americans. Executive Director Benjamin Hooks leads the criticism of budget cuts, voting rights enforcement rollbacks, and the administration's opposition to school busing remedies. Reagan becomes the first sitting president to decline NAACP convention invitation.
Zoom in — months
Key events
- December 1982Black Unemployment Reaches 20.4% During Reagan Recession
During the 1981–1982 recession, Black unemployment peaks at 20.4% in December 1982, more than double the white rate of 8.7%. Youth unemployment among Black teenagers reaches nearly 50%. The recession, worsened by the Federal Reserve's tight money policy and Reagan's budget cuts, erases economic gains Black workers had made during the 1970s.
- February 27, 1982Wayne Williams Convicted in Atlanta Child Murders
Wayne Williams, a 23-year-old Black man, is convicted of the murders of two adult men and linked to at least 23 of the 29 murdered Black children in Atlanta between 1979 and 1981. The case, which had consumed Atlanta's Black community for two years, closes with his life sentence. Families of some victims continue to dispute whether Williams committed all the murders.
- July 1982NAACP Passes Resolution Calling Reagan Administration Threatening to Black Progress
At its annual convention in Boston, the NAACP passes a resolution declaring Reagan's policies a dangerous, regressive, and reactionary threat to the civil rights of Black Americans. Executive Director Benjamin Hooks leads the criticism of budget cuts, voting rights enforcement rollbacks, and the administration's opposition to school busing remedies. Reagan becomes the first sitting president to decline NAACP convention invitation.