Congresswoman Corrine Brown, who represents Florida’s third congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives, played host to a job and resource fair at Orlando’s Amway Center today.
Over 90 employers were on hand that included the Orlando Police Department, McDonalds, Walmart, Suntrust Bank, FedEx, and Humana, Inc. just to name a few. There were also workshops held, from resume writing to foreclosure assistance.
In an effort to aid those who have been disenfranchised there were clinics on how to regain voting rights as well as training sessions provided by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
The unemployment rate in Florida is a healthy 10.8 percent and in Orlando 9.9 percent. Particularly for African-Americans the jobless rate skyrockets to 16 percent state wide.
Many of those participating in the Congresswoman’s job fair have been jobless for quite sometime.
Justin and Johnny, two young black men seeking job opportunities at today’s fair, left the resource exhibition feeling down about their employment prospects.
“Basically we were given brochures and told to go online,” said Justin. “We were looking for any employer willing to take two individuals trying to better themselves,” Justin continued.
While Justin and Johnny had a hard time finding work, new Florida resident T.J. held grand optimism about his chances of landing a job.
“They gave me a lot more information than I knew. Being new to Florida I didn’t know a lot of things. So I’m more prepared to take the steps that I need to”, said T.J.
Attempts to speak with Representative Brown were unsuccessful as the Congresswoman spent the day assisting job fair attendees.
Local radio personality Monica May of Star 94.5 FM was also on hand to assist city residents seeking employment.
-JH
