Seminar on Employment Remarks at a Reception for Participants in the Seminar.

If I could have your attention, we'll wind up the work part, which is listening to my speech, and we'll start on the fun part.

Today I think most of you observed at first hand how much work my wife can get out of someone in just 1 day. [Laughter] And I want you to remember that she does me that way every day. [Laughter]

It's really been an exciting thing for me to see Rosalynn work on this program and the enormous support, advice, counsel, help, sometimes constructive criticisms, that she received from people who are interested in the same thing that she and I want to see happen in this country.

There were delegates here, or representatives here from all 50 States and a very large group from the District of Columbia, including some of the top leaders in all walks of life who can help to cement the ties between the Federal Government and those who need the services of it.

One of the constructive things that came out today was the recognition of local successes. Our country did not become as great as it is today because of what goes on in Washington, even when we have had the greatest of Presidents and the most constructive action by Congress. The strength of our Nation is derived from people like you, who in a quiet, effective way—knowing your own neighbors, your own family, your own communities' needs in an unselfish and sometimes inspired way, you and your fellow workers evolve programs, sometimes quite unstructured, to help those that have been deprived in our society become part of the wonderful life that we enjoy in America.

This kind of success is often unrecognized, even in the local press or even in a women's organization or the Jaycees or the NAACP or the Lions Club or church. There are a lot of unheralded heroes in the United States, and you really, in a way, today represent them.

We've embarked on some ambitious programs. I've only been in office about 18 months. When I came into office, we had a very high unemployment rate, and the Congress, the private business sector, labor unions, my own administration, many of you began to decide shortly after the election in November of 1976 what could be done about it. We had 8 million people out of work. And this time last year, even, whenever I had a meeting with any group, the number one problem that I had to face as President was finding jobs for American people.

We now have the lowest unemployment rate since Lyndon Johnson lived in this house. And in the last year, we have added more jobs to the American society than ever before in history, 6 1/2 million jobs, and we brought the unemployment rate down to a much more acceptable figure.

We've got a long way to go. Some of this improvement has been derived from government programs, comprehensive education and training programs, local public works, and so forth. And at the beginning, because all kinds of Americans were unemployed, it had to be focused upon a broad range of people. But now that we've brought down the unemployment rate very low among heads of families who are male, either black or white, we've made good progress in improving the employment rate among adult women, both black and white. But we still have some very severe pockets of unemployment.

Our young people, in particular, who belong to minority groups, still suffer severely. And that concerns me more than any other group, because I know that in the formative stages of life, it's crucial that one realize, "I am a human being, blessed by God with life, having a certain level of intelligence and competence and potential, and I want to use my one life to my own advantage and to the advantage of those around me."

But when a young person tries to become employed and to use one's talents and is rebuffed, it creates a discouraged attitude in that person that sometimes can be almost permanent. And it not only makes one feel worthless, in a self-assessment, but it alienates that person from society, and there's a reaction against one's family, against the school system, against law enforcement officials, against local, State, Federal Government, against employers, even against the benevolent groups that work so hard to provide employment.

This is what you've come today to try to address. There is no way that any combination of Federal programs can let our people know what a wonderful opportunity exists in this country and to let them know that their lives are significant and that employment and constructive employment is possible for them.

And I hope that every one of you, certainly every group that's here, whether you come from Hawaii or Utah or Texas—I don't care which State—I hope that you will go home and try to evolve a similar meeting, maybe even larger than this one, maybe somewhat smaller, based on what you've derived here today, and let the spirit of voluntary, effective leadership be utilized to correct the deficiencies that do still exist in our country.

We've put forward an urban policy. It's been almost unanimously acclaimed by mayors and county officials and State officials. And the essence of it is a new partnership, a partnership between private citizens and government—sometimes a difficult bridge to cross—a partnership between local, State, and Federal Government, a partnership between, labor and management, a partnership between people who are hungry and those who are rich, between people that don't have families and those that have a stable family life.

And I think the spirit of partnership is what you represent here today. I'd like to thank you for being willing to come and for learning at first hand from one another what a great nation we already have and with your help and dedication, how much greater it can be.

Thank you very much.