Finally. Creating a Sustainable, Year-Round Economy for Coney Island
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.
More than fifteen percent.
How is it acceptable that our city – the greatest city in the world as they like to say – has such exorbitant unemployment in the Black community? It is not only ridiculous but unconscionable. What do we hear from politicians when it comes to policies and endeavors that benefit the Black community? A necessary, but what seems like singular, focus on criminal justice reform. We do not hear what they are doing to create jobs, to improve the quality of education, to put more Black New Yorkers on a path toward home ownership, or to make our quality of life better.
The lack of these initiatives only further marginalizes us as a people. The minimal conversation about policies more broadly also sends a message to too many young Black people that we are viewed with one lens. It sends a message that we are not expected to care about education or about bettering our neighborhoods for our young people. It sends a message that we will not demand more of those in public office when it comes to the betterment of our community overall.
Well, that is about to change. We stood by and did nothing when shorelines across New York and New Jersey were rebuilt after Hurricane Sandy. Contrast that with what was done (pardon me, not done) in Coney Island. Our boardwalk is in disrepair. Bureaucracy has stymied much needed improvements. In summation, promises made were not kept. As usual, the message was: it’s fine, they won’t demand more…it’s okay to let it go.
For a generation, we have been seeking year-round career opportunities so we can improve our quality of life. Such job creation would help cut into New York’s abysmal unemployment rate in the Black community. It would make it so that there was greater investment in the local Coney Island community. It would also make us more economically powerful – meaning that throwing us a bone on policies that affect the Black community won’t be enough anymore.
Why am I saying all this? Because an opportunity lies before New York that would drastically improve the lives of the Black community, especially in Coney Island and its surrounding neighborhoods.
In the coming months, New York State will be awarding casino licenses Downstate. This follows New York voters approving casino gaming nearly a decade ago and Albany officials determining that three casinos will be established locally.
Coney Island is in the running for one of these casinos and all of the benefits that come with it. This includes a chance to address unemployment and to put members of our community on a track to economic prosperity. It is a rare moment that should not slip away, and it is long past due for our officials to make right when it comes to the economic inequality we have faced for far too long.
Right now, employment in Coney Island is mostly seasonal. It is mostly low paying. And it is not employment that one would consider a “career.” No one should reasonably expect an adult to be able to pursue long-term growth making funnel cakes and hamburgers. While such businesses may be lucrative for the owners, they are not creating positions that help generate wealth.
Awarding a casino to Coney Island would infuse our community with capital. More importantly, it would make us awash in actual full-time career opportunities ranging from hospitality to entertainment to operations and more. It would send a clear and confident message to the Black community that the state plans to make a meaningful, life changing investment in our socioeconomic power and advancement. We need to give our local young people a place to educate, recreate and gather year-round. An opportunity to be at the table to benefit from this economic development, to develop, grow, and expand their skills and start successful businesses.
This change would be transformational. We have waited too long and stood by idly as promises were allowed to remain hollow without any of us saying a word.
There is no community vying for a casino that would benefit more than Coney Island. Furthermore, there is no casino proposal that would do more for the advance of the Black community than that of Coney Island.
It’s a no brainer. We must send a message that it is our time and that we are demanding the long-term jobs and infusion of capital to improve Coney Island for which our community has been waiting.