( CNN ) -- Congress ' inaction to extend unemployment benefits to millions of struggling Americans is not only irresponsible policy , it is morally wrong . The economy is getting better for some , but the tragic effects of reckless public policy and deregulation spurred by the disproportionate political influence of big money still linger for far too many ordinary Americans . Congress , the elected representatives of the people , must find its moral compass , push through this unending nightmare of political gridlock and do right by the people . Contrary to the silly and obsessive partisan gamesmanship that currently paralyzes our politics , much more is at stake than the next election or some empty ideological argument . On the line are the lives of decent hardworking Americans , trying to cross over into the dignity of work but still caught in the barbwire of a historic global recession . Opinion : For women , equal pay and economic justice are civil rights issues . Some argue that unemployment benefits are a disincentive to people finding employment . But the sheer number of our unemployed neighbors and family members speaks volumes about the fallibility of such a claim . According to The Washington Post , the long-term unemployment rate has not been as high as it is now since World War II . A jaw-dropping 4 million Americans have been out of work for 27 weeks or longer . The problems we face are systemic and structural , and the vast majority of the unemployed are crippled not by a lack of interest or drive , but of opportunity and access . That 's why long-term solutions for economic growth are needed . But in the meantime , we will actually do further damage to a struggling economy if our elected officials shape public policy by the very same stereotypes and faulty assumptions that keep some unemployed in the first place . For a major reason that the unemployed can not find work is because they are unemployed . The data show that they face bias and discrimination . If anyone has the ability to provide some relief from this vicious cycle , it is Congress , and its members should feel obligated to do so . Moreover , those of us who are faith leaders , particularly we pastors in the African-American churches , should speak up too . Because black unemployment is twice that of whites and has been for as long as the Bureau of Labor Statistics has been keeping track by race , we have an obligation to honor our historic reason for being -- defending those on the margins of the margins . Lessons with MLK : Eight students recall a special class . As we celebrate the life of the most famous black pastor , Martin Luther King Jr. , we should remember that the black church mission connects faith with justice and personal salvation with social transformation , and addresses personal piety and public policy for the well-being of the whole person and the whole community . It fights for the weak and sees the Gospel as `` good news to the poor . '' More than 50 years after Dr. King and others marched on Washington for jobs and freedom , African-Americans remain disproportionately unemployed and impoverished . The unemployment rate for African-Americans was at 12.5 % when the Bureau of Labor Statistics released the most recent numbers last month . Yet the fact is the black unemployment rate will undoubtedly increase if extended unemployment insurance is cut off now , adding to the devastating impact that rampant unemployment has already had on the black community for decades . And given our nation 's shifting demographics , that 's bad for everybody . The greatest MLK speeches you never heard . Playing politics with the very unemployment insurance afforded to American workers who are now unemployed is both immoral and economically destructive . That 's why now , more than ever , we need to hear the voices of people of faith and people of good will raising the moral and practical questions about who we are to one another . And the black church -- that American church built by those who worked without wages or benefits , born fighting for freedom and thus the source of America 's greatest freedom fighter -- ought to lead the way . If we really want to honor Dr. King and protect the American promise , we must demand that Congress do the right thing for American workers and the right thing for the American economy . Do not shrink a struggling economy , putting us all at risk . Rather , extend the safety net of unemployment insurance to those who can not help but stimulate the economy by spending it immediately on the basics of food , gas and medicine , even as we debate the best prescription for long term economic health . It 's just the right thing to do . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Raphael G. Warnock .
The Rev . Raphael Warnock says restoring unemployment aid is the right thing to do . Comment: Warnock wants black churches to reclaim their mission of engaging in social justice issues .