Ohio Man With Golden Voice Tells His Tale of Jobless Crisis

Homeless man in Columbus, OH with a golden voice reminds us unemployment numbers are real for people of color.

By Jorge Rivas Jan 04, 2011

A homeless man in Columbus, OH, with a voice that’s destined for television and radio, is reminding YouTube viewers that getting a job still is hard — even when you know in your heart that you have the "God given gift of a great voice."

In the video above, uploaded to YouTube by user Ritchey from Columbus, OH, we meet a man named Ted Williams, who’s had dreams of becoming a radio announcer since he was 14.  He’s professionally trained, experienced and has a phenomenal voice that can compete agaisnt the top voice actors of today, but he’s still having trouble finding a job.

Blacks, Latinos and American Indians have always had higher unemployment rates than whites — even when the economy is thriving.

For people like Williams, who’ve come across some tough obstacles like alcohol abuse, the job search is even tougher.

But Williams isn’t alone. For a lot of people of color, finding work is tough, even when you have a college education. The Economic Policy Institute found that among the college-educated looking for work, African Americans hardest were the hardest hit by unemployment.

But even the latest numbers from 2010 made available through the Bureau of Labor Statistics, illustrate that through the recession, the unemployment rate has grown much faster for African Americans and Latinos than for whites.