34 issues · 2020–2023
Conservative efforts to stymie equity and inclusion efforts are causing severe consequences for marginalized communities.
Study Hall answers questions from our community centered on a specific theme. This week we focus on the validity of ethical consumption.
Financial literacy education is often suggested as a remedy for poverty, ignoring how policy, not lack of knowledge, drives economic inequalities.
The Asian wealth gap is also the highest of any racial category, with some Asian nationalities among the worst-paid in the country.
May 1893 was the beginning of an economic recession with strong parallels to the present day.
“In God We Trust” is a key example of U.S. civil religion: an ideology that has often cloaked abuses of power in the trappings of religious faith.
With the current political and economic system, special measures to protect financial markets are seen as urgent over efforts to support the survival of everyday people.
In recognizing Equal Pay Day, we must center the most marginalized and affected by the wage gap in order to achieve gender pay equity.
Despite being a lifeline for millions who would otherwise not be unable to eat, SNAP benefits often keep recipients in a constant cycle of poverty.
The pandemic exposed and exacerbated existing economic inequalities in one of the wealthiest nations, with rising food costs despite insufficient food access at the forefront.
Cities and states are developing unprecedented reparations initiatives to address economic inequities and historical injustice against Black people.
The current financial system is inherently inequitable, causing marginalized communities to flock to unregulated alternatives like crypto.
Despite compounding economic troubles, there’s debate as to whether or not the United States is in an economic recession. So what is a recession? Today, we’re looking into what they are, why they occur, and what we can do about them.
Debt collection practices use loopholes, requiring many debtors to require legal representation they cannot afford.
Due to current U.S. tax policies, tax inequity is one of the driving factors in wealth inequality in America.
The United States is in the midst of the largest expansion of legal gambling in history, potentially increasing the risk of gambling addiction.
Unbanked and underbanked neighborhoods are predominately Black and Latinx. Discriminatory banking practices prevent economic mobility by charging higher banking fees and services.
Victims of domestic violence find it harder to leave their partners due to being financially manipulated and dependent on them. As a result, many are forced into poverty or debt once they can escape.
A popular time management myth argues that the key to success is discipline and utilizing one's time wisely. However, this tip ignores how wealthy people free themselves from menial tasks by hiring other people to do them, often at poverty wages.
The misconceptions about race, class, and wealth become evident after a professor's tweet about her Wharton class goes viral.
People have been forced to rely on basic needs fundraising because the U.S. government has failed to address the current public crisis.
Research about issues hurting marginalized communities has skyrocketed. But is it causing more harm than good?
In 1921, a white mob rampaged through Tulsa, Oklahoma’s Black Wall Street, burning, killing, and looting until they destroyed one of the few contemporary centers of Black wealth in the United States. This May, after a century, the Tulsa City Council finally acknowledged the horrifying massacre and announced it would investigate paying reparations to Tulsa’s Black citizens. We have five days to pressure Tulsa City Council to adopt a reparations resolution that would go beyond mere acknowledgement and begin to make right past harm, discrimination, and violence that continue to affect Black communities.
$50B was pledged by corporations to racial equity initiatives. But where's the money?
Just because we’re all affected by the pandemic doesn’t mean that we’ve all been affected equally. Women accounted for all 140,000 jobs cut last December. Black and Latina women in particular lost jobs, since employment for white women actually rose that month (CNN). The data is clear: Black and Latina women were the worst-impacted by layoffs, white men the least (Bloomberg).
On March 11th, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan into law. Among its provisions was a $1400 stimulus which most of us have already received. This check was only the third direct federal payment to Americans since the beginning of the pandemic. With four in ten households reporting lost wages due to COVID (CBS) and millions of tenants thousands of dollars behind in rent (Time), those $1400 came not a moment too soon.
From wading in the water to following the drinking gourd towards the North Star, Harriet Tubman, an abolitionist, scout and spy for union soldiers in South Carolina, and conductor of the Underground Railroad, was “Bound for the Promised Land.” She fought for her own emancipation and led many enslaved people to freedom. More than a century later, Tubman still is making her mark and is set to grace the face of the twenty dollar bill, an Obama-era initiative, as soon as 2028. But fans of the renowned political activist have differing views about the banknote’s new design. While some people are excited to see this freedom fighter acknowledged on the front of the bill, others say that it goes against the very thing she fought for—liberation from the capitalistic system that slavery was built on. The fact that Andrew Jackson, an oppressor of enslaved people, still will be placed on the back of the $20 bill—some say—is utterly disrespectful (Time). But, what would Tubman think?
“Black women saved us.” That’s a slogan of ill-advised praise that white people deliver for Black women whenever a horrorshow candidate loses an election. We heard it in 2017 when 98% of Black women helped to defeat Roy Moore’s Alabama senatorial ambitions, and it’s happening again with the most recent presidential election, during which 91% of Black women cast their votes for Joe Biden (USA Today, Yahoo News).
Each Friday for the rest of the year, we’ll be featuring Black-owned businesses to support this holiday season. Today, we’re centering books written by people of color that you can order from Black-owned bookstores from across the U.S. We always recommend supporting a local business near you before using this list, so these are just suggestions! Read why supporting Black-owned businesses is so critical, especially with the economic challenges we're experiencing. Key takeaways in today's newsletter reference some of these stats.
Conversations on student loan forgiveness sparked again Monday when President-elect Joe Biden mentioned he has plans to cancel student debt when he takes office (NYTimes). During a Q&A post-speech, Biden acknowledged how many people struggle with student loans’ burden but didn’t give specifics on his political agenda. Hopeful citizens are referencing an interview where Senator Chuck Schumer, the Democratic minority leader, stated that Biden could cancel $50,000 in student loan debt in his first 100 days (The Ink).
Throughout 2020, more of us have heard about mutual aid than ever before. After COVID-19 started affecting people’s livelihoods, mutual aid networks popped up like never before—with new networks likely in the thousands (Sustainable Economies Law Center). The uprisings after George Floyd’s death also accelerated mutual aid; groups quickly came together to feed protesters (Eater), post bail (Chicago Community Bond Fund), and provide support in many other ways. But the concept of mutual aid is much more deeply rooted than the simple act of Venmo-ing $15 to a stranger on Twitter.
On October 13th, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, announced that they were donating another $100 million to support local election offices and polling places ahead of the presidential election (Washington Post). This money followed their earlier $300 million donation towards the same cause (Vox).
The racial wealth gap is a reflection of how the United States has systematically failed Black people for years through racist practices and policies.