By Stephanie Meeks
Despite recent upticks in hirings, double-digit unemployment and a slumping U.S. economy have many drawing parallels to the Great Depression and calls for a new Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), part of President Roosevelt’s New Deal that provided millions of young men with conservation jobs.
While there are some similarities between now and then, the contrasts are far more glaring. Today, in addition to the prospect of a profound recession, we confront systemic racial injustice, deep societal fault lines and the ongoing risks and uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Can a nationwide youth corps really help address these urgent issues? Absolutely.
