An opportunity is on the horizon that could make great headway when it comes to ensuring career growth and economic prosperity for Black New Yorkers: a casino and, and with it, year-round employment possibilities in Coney Island.

It will not be a surprise to people of color, but the Black unemployment rate is double that of those who are white. Nationally, it’s about six percent for Blacks and 3.1 percent for whites, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In New York, as of the start of this year, the unemployment rate for Blacks was more than fifteen percent. Whites were at 6.4 percent.