Magic Johnson: Now is the time to invest in black communities (VIDEO)

Magic Johnson: Now is the time to invest in black communities (VIDEO)

NBA Hall of Famer Earvin "Magic" Johnson is still dishing out assists, even if he's not in command of the Los Angeles Lakers' "Showtime" offense. Johnson, whose "Magic Brand":http://www.magicjohnson.com/index.php?/themagicbrand/aboutthemagicbrand/ has a presence in more than 80 U.S. cities, is trying to get more jobs in urban areas where he says African-Americans need work most. In a conversation with "theGrio":http://thegrio.com, Johnson called the African-American unemployment rate "devastating." "We have to now have a plan of action to put African-Americans back to work," Johnson said. "You can have a general plan which we need because [President Barack Obama] has to turn this whole recession and the economy around. But then you can have an initiative where it's just geared towards black males and females..." The 12-time All-Star said targeted partnerships between prominent organizations such as the "National Urban League":http://www.nul.org/ and "NAACP":http://www.naacp.org and the federal government could be a start. Johnson's most recent partnership with food giant Sodexo has helped provide both jobs and food services for many African-Americans across the country. **Follow theGrio's "Todd Johnson":http://www.thegrio.com/author/todd-johnson on Twitter at** "@rantoddj":http://www.twitter.com/rantoddj