Since Obama took office, a net of 540,000 additional black Americans – Obama’s strongest supporters – have lost their jobs. 

The number of employed blacks dropped by 540,000 people from January 2009 through August 2011, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in Washington, DC. 

The percentage of unemployed blacks is disproportionately higher than that of whites, which has a larger population.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People acknowledges the high rate of unemployment for blacks, said Hilary Shelton, director of the NAACP’s Washington bureau and senior vice president for advocacy and policy.

Both Shelton and the U.S. Department of Labor noted that initiatives such as education and more training and employment services could help blacks get more jobs.

Issues critical to the black community, including jobs, has always been on Obama’s radar, according to a recent Associated Press article.