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Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
National
Alden Loury

Black employment in Cook County is sandwiched between hope and reality

Alden Loury Cook County Chicago Unemployment
A young man is among those demonstrating in the Loop in June 2015 for higher wages in the fast food industry. Job opportunities are scarce for young Black people in Cook County, Alden Loury writes. (Getty)

Last month, I walked into a sandwich shop on the campus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

A young woman behind the counter greeted me with a wide smile. We exchanged pleasantries, after which I looked over the menu. She asked what I’d ordered in the past and encouraged me to try something new. So I went with her recommendation: the chicken club, her favorite.

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