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Discrimination based on race leads to unequal access of opportunities.

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I Have a Dream speech by Martin Luther King .Jr HD (subtitled)

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I Have a Dream speech by Martin Luther King .Jr HD (subtitled)

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Toni Morrison Beautifully Answers an "Illegitimate" Question on Race (Jan. 19, 1998) | Charlie Rose

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Toni Morrison Beautifully Answers an "Illegitimate" Question on Race (Jan. 19, 1998) | Charlie Rose

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1. The UN and its responsibility to limit racism. (Responsibility)
2. The root cause of racism and the impact it has on people. (Causation)
3. Racism affects economic opportunities. (Change)

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My understanding of racism is the discrimination against people who are unalike, including black , Indian, Asian, Hispanic/Latina, Muslim , Jewish, Buddhist , etc. This leads to those people being mistreated and not getting the opportunities that white people do.

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“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.

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https://ask.un.org/faq/306811

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https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/08/12/un-takes-global-racism

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Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University

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What could our society look like if racial disparities in health and learning outcomes didn't exist? According to extensive studies, the U.S. would save billions in health care costs alone. The value of realizing the potential contributions of so many people around the world who are impaired by-or die from-preventable chronic illnesses is enormous, and the human costs are incalculable.

Advances in science are presenting an increasingly clear picture of how significant adversity in the lives of young children can disrupt the development of the brain and other biological systems. These early disruptions can undermine young children's opportunities to achieve their full potential. And, while they may be invisible to those who do not experience them, there is no doubt that both systemic racism and interpersonal discrimination can lead to chronic stress activation that imposes significant hardships on families raising young children.

It's time to connect these dots. This infographic explains in basic terms how racism in particular gets "under the skin" and affects learning, behavior, and lifelong health. There is much more to say, but by starting with a shared understanding, we can work together toward creative strategies to address these long-standing inequities.

Sources
Panel 1
Forde, A.T., Crookes, D.M., Suglia, S.F., & Demmer, R.T. (2019). The weathering hypothesis as an explanation for racial disparities in health: a systematic review. Annals of Epidemiology, 33, 1-18.e3
Panel 2
Geronimus, A.T., Hicken, M., Keene, D., & Bound, J. (2006). "Weathering" and age patterns of allostatic load scores among blacks and whites in the United States. American Journal of Public Health, 96(5), 826-833.

McEwen, B.S. (1998.) Protective and damaging effects of stress mediators. New England Journal of Medicine, 338(3), 171-9.
Panel 3
Williams, D.R., & Wyatt, R. (2015). Racial Bias in Health Care and Health: Challenges and Opportunities. JAMA 314(6): 555-556.

Williams, D.R., Mohammed, S.A., Leavell, J., & Collins, C. (2010). Race, socioeconomic status and health: Complexities, ongoing challenges and research opportunities. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1186, 69.

Panel 4
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (2019). 2018 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report. Rockville, MD. AHRQ Pub. No. 19-0070-EF https://www.ahrq.gov/sites/default/files/wysiwyg/research/findings/nhqrdr/2018qdr-final-es.pdf

Manuel J. I. (2018). Racial/Ethnic and Gender Disparities in Health Care Use and Access. Health Services Research, 53(3), 1407-1429.
Panel 5
Heard-Garris, N.J., Cale, M., Camaj, L., Hamati, M.C., & Dominguez, T.P. (2018). Transmitting trauma: A systematic review of vicarious racism and child health. Social Science & Medicine, 199, 230-240.

Pachter, L.M., & Coll, C.G. (2009). Racism and child health: a review of the literature and future directions. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 30(3), 255-263.

Clark, R., Anderson, N.B., Clark, V.R., & Williams, D.R. (1999). Racism as a stressor for African Americans: A biopsychosocial model. American Psychologist, 54(10), 805- 816.
Panel 6
Trent, M., Dooley, D.G., & Dougé, J. (2019). The impact of racism on child and adolescent health. Pediatrics, 144(2), e20191765.

Williams, D. R., & Cooper, L. A. (2019). Reducing Racial Inequities in Health: Using What We Already Know to Take Action. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(4), 606.
Panel 7
Collins, C., Asante-Muhammed, D., Hoxie, J., & Nieves, E. (2017). The road to zero wealth: How the racial wealth divide is hollowing out America's middle class. Washington, DC: Prosperity Now and Institute for Policy Studies.

Weir, K. (2016). Policing in Black & White. Monitor on Psychology, 47(11). Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/monitor/2016/12/cover-policing
Panel 8
National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. (2020). Connecting the Brain to the Rest of the Body: Early Childhood Development and Lifelong Health Are Deeply Intertwined: Working Paper No. 15. Retrieved from www.developingchild.harvard.edu

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How Racism Can Affect Child Development - Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University

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What could our society look like if racial disparities in health and learning outcomes didn't exist? According to extensive studies, the U.S. would save billions in health care costs alone. The value of realizing the potential contributions of so many people around the world who are impaired by-or die from-preventable chronic illnesses is enormous, and [...]

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Jay Shambaugh, Ryan Nunn, and Stacy A. Anderson

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How racial and regional inequality affect economic opportunity

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The modern distribution of black Americans closely relates to the historical patterns of the black population. Jay Shambaugh, Ryan Nunn and Stacy A. Anderson reflect on how U.S. policies have shaped where people live and the

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What is racial discrimination? What are the social and economic Impact of Racism culturally, socially, economically, and politically

There is absolutely no legitimate scientific basis for racial classification. Race is a social construct. Race is constructed through racialization. There are negative consequences due to racism, today, we are goin to take a look at the Social and Economic Impacts racism in our society.

Racism can occur at three levels. First, the individual or interpersonal level, which includes everyday racism that happens with speech, glances. or actions. Second, the institutional or systemic level, which involves organizations like governments and the education or justice system. Systemic racism can be unintentional. It is often caused by hidden biases in policies, practices and procedures that result in unequal opportunities and outcomes for people based on race. For example, a government adopts economic or public housing policies that relocate and concentrate racialized or Indigenous People away from the city's economic center and into areas with fewer resources, transportation and job opportunities. As a result, neighborhood schools become increasingly racially segregated. Third is the societal level, which involves all of the societies, institutions, political, economic, social as well as a society's dominant culture or ideology. Societal racism is often popularly expressed and ingrained through widely held everyday stereotypes or prejudices. We see a lot of this in the media.

Racialized people have faced major disadvantages culturally, socially, economically and even politically because of discrimination. This history of racial discrimination and disadvantage continues to affect racialized people today.

Racial discrimination is a legally prohibited act. It happens when any distinction, conduct or action, whether intentional or not - is based on a person's race and has the effect of imposing burdens not imposed upon others. Racial discrimination could happen when someone acts on racist beliefs and attitudes in areas covered by the Code such as employment services and housing.

Economic Impact of Racism

Subtle and systemic racial discrimination is still deeply embedded in many institutional cultures policies, practices and procedures. This becomes more apparent when we look at employment trends. Youth aged 15 to 24 who are not racialized have an unemployment rate of 16 percent. Youth who are racialized have a much tougher time finding jobs with an unemployment rate of 23 percent. On top of that, racialized people are disproportionately likely to be working in low wage jobs. Amongst people living in poverty who are aged 25 to 64, racialized people are much more likely to have a university certificate or degree. In fact, 32 percent of racialized people living in poverty have a high level of education compared to 13 percent for non racialized people. Couple this with the fact that 22 percent of racialized people live in poverty (twice the rate of non racialized people), it becomes apparent that the impacts of racial discrimination are still being felt today.

Social Impact of Racism

The modern social impacts of racial discrimination are readily evident when you examine Japanese Canadians after World War II. After having their homes and businesses confiscated, the formerly strong Japanese Canadian communities struggled. The generation known as the Sansei or the third generation, grew up in mostly white communities and many never learned to speak Japanese. Many never learned about their culture and values. Families were forced to relocate from their homes on the west coast and were scattered across the country.

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What is racial discrimination? What are the social and economic Impact of Racism culturally, socially, economically, and politically There is absolutely no legitimate scientific basis for racial classification. Race is a social construct. Race is constructed through racialization.

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Sending emails to more than 1 company for backup

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Going down to younger kids classes and explaining it them in a friendly matter

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Putting posters around the school/outside of school. Spreading awareness

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Making a 15-20 minute documentary on racism

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https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)01609-3/fulltext

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Pyp Exhibition Discrimination and racism

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“Today we are better than we were yesterday and tomorrow even better” PRIMARY YEARS PROGRAMME – IB LORD BYRON SCHOOL Discrimination - Racism Members and mentors : Members Members MEMBERS: ValeNTINA SÁNCHEZ SILVA FRANCESCA VENEGAS RUIZ MARIA VICTORIA FIGUEROA Valentina Luza Mentors:

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Article 1(3) of the UN Charter states that one of the purposes of the United Nations is

"To achieve international co-operation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character, and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion"

Throughout its history, the United Nations has worked for human rights and for the eradication of racism and racial discrimination around the world.

Following the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination was the first of the major international agreements on human rights adopted by the UN General Assembly: it was adopted in 1965 and entered into force in 1969. Its implementation is monitored by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

In addition to the ongoing work of CERD, Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council also monitor this topic, including in particular:

Over time, the UN has also held conferences dedicated to the topic:

1978: World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, held in Geneva, 14-25 August 1978, report: A/CONF.92/40 (79.XIV.2)

1983: World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, held in Geneva, 1-12 Aug. 1983, report: A/CONF.119/26 (83.XIV.4)

2001: 3rd World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, held in Durban, 31 Aug.-8 Sept. 2001, report: A/CONF.189/12

In addition to conferences, certain observances have been named, including:

Days

Week: resolution establishing week
21-27 March: Week of Solidarity with the Peoples Struggling against Racism and Racial Discrimination A/RES/34/24

Years: resolution establishing year

Decades: resolution establishing decade

Racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance are complex topics that intersect with many other issues on the UN agenda. Additional related information can be found in the following sources:

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What is the UN doing to combat racism and racial discrimination?

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Article 1(3) of the UN Charter states that one of the purposes of the United Nations is "To achieve international co-operation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character, and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion" Throughout its history, the United Nations has worked for human rights and for the eradication of racism and racial discrimination around the world.

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Each board to have the following information:

1, Title- Topic

2, SDG Goal(s)

3, Transdisciplinary Theme

4, Central Idea

5, Lines of Inquiry

6, Key Concepts

7, Action=impact

8, Evidence

9, Relevant information & pictures

10, Bibliography

Also include photos, quote, and artwork.

Presentation to include in-depth knowledge on the chosen topic. Presentation to focus on answering the Key Concept questions and research done on the Lines of Inquiry. Main focus to move to what ACTION was taken and why.

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Prejudice is a burden
that confuses the past,
threatens the future,
and renders the
present inaccessible.
——Maya Angelou

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To bring about change,
you must not be
afraid to take the first
step. We
will fail
when we fail to try,
— Rosa Parks

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Activism is my rent
for living on the planet.
—Alice Walker

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There is no such
thing as race. None.
There is just a human
race
- scientifically,
anthropologically.
—Toni Morrison

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Not everything that
is faced can be changed,
but nothing can be
changed until it is faced.
—James Baldwin

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An eye for an eye
makes the world blind.
—Mahatma Gandhi

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Excellence is the
best deterrent to racism
or sexism.
—Oprah Winfrey

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In a racist society,
it is not enough to be
non-racist. We must
be anti-racist.
—Angela Davis

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It doesn't matter who
you are, where you come
from. The ability to
triumph begins with
you - always.
—Oprah Winfrey

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Darkness cannot drive
out darkness; only light
can do that. Hate
cannot drive out hate;
only love can do that.
—Martin Luther King Jr

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You must be able to answer the following in-depth:

1.       What SDG goal did you choose?

2.       How does your SDG relate to your central idea?

3.       Why did you choose this topic?

4.       What evidence do you have to support your Central idea? (Include key statistics)

5.       What has been done to solve this issue? Support this cause?

6.       What are your lines of inquiry?

7.        What did you learn from your research?

8.       What action did you take?

9.       What impact did your action have?

10.   What do you think needs further development?

11.   How did you ensure that you stayed on track?

12.   What support did you need?

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Download PDF

Economists and policymakers need a wake-up call to root out racial discrimination

The recent widespread protests in the United States and across the world against police brutality and systemic racism have stirred our collective conscience. As staff working in a multilateral institution that represents 190 countries, we have a moral duty to speak out against racism and discrimination. As economists, we also have a professional duty-we need to expose how discrimination harms people's livelihoods and economies, and how freeing the world of bias would also help address many of our economic challenges, to the benefit of all.

Yet, if we are to live up to these responsibilities, we have a long way to go.

Wrong side of history

The field of economics has been far from immune from discrimination and racism. George Stigler, a 1982 Nobel laureate, argued in 1965 that Black people were inferior as workers and that the solution was in fostering "the willingness to work hard" (Stigler 1965). This was not an exception: it reflected biases of economists and economic institutions of the time. Indeed, as Howard University's William Spriggs points out, economics has "a deep and painful set of roots that too few economists acknowledge" (Spriggs 2020).

The economic debate has progressed since Stigler's 1965 piece. Gary Becker, a 1992 Nobel laureate, demonstrated in his 1971 Economics of Discrimination that discrimination from several factors, including race, reduces the real income of both its target and the perpetrator. More recently, Harvard economist Raj Chetty and coauthors found that it is much harder for Black children in low-income US households to reach higher income brackets than for white children, and that environmental conditions, such as racial bias, account for this finding (Chetty and others 2020).

Despite the progress, economists still pay scant attention to race relative to other topics. We have compiled data on every article in the top 10 economics journals over the past 10 years (see chart). Only 0.2 percent of those top 7,920 articles cover issues of race, racial inequality, and racism. This is minuscule compared with the share of articles devoted, for example, to monetary policy (7.4 percent). While it could be argued that a focus on "mainstream" fields, such as monetary economics, is warranted, coverage of race is also several times lower than other inclusion-related topics, such as income distribution (2.0 percent), poverty (1.4 percent), and gender (0.8 percent).

This imbalance may partly reflect underrepresentation of minorities among economists. A global analysis is difficult due to lack of comparable data, but the American Economic Association provides illustrative data in the Report of the Committee on the Status of Minority Groups in the Economics Profession. Just 4 percent of economics PhDs awarded in the United States in 2018 went to Black economists, and Black representation in economics decreased from 6 percent in 1995 to 3 percent in 2019, while their representation in the US population remained about 13 percent. Black representation in economics was lower than in science, technology, engineering, and math (and the same was true for minority populations other than Black).

Still, the burden of conducting rigorous analysis on race must not fall only on those adversely affected. How can we transition to the right side of history?

Right side of history

In economic institutions-academic and policymaking alike-the first step is to create a safe environment to talk about racism, raise awareness, and provide mandatory bias training-including in those that are unconscious.

Rooting out discrimination starts by acknowledging that a problem exists. Ijeoma Oluo argues in her 2019 New York Times bestseller, So You Want to Talk about Race, that we filter information through our own experiences to assess the validity of biases. But race is not a universal experience, which makes another person's racial experience difficult to assess. While the fundamental solution lies in correcting systemic discrimination, silence at the individual level is deadly, as it perpetuates that system.

Motivated proponents can be inspired to focus more on the topic of race in their economic work, while skeptics can be persuaded to lessen pushback, fuel constructive discussion, and generate support. In turn, as the body of work on race grows, others will be encouraged to follow suit. Combating discrimination is not a zero-sum game: research shows that, overall, it improves the economy's performance (for example, Sahay and others 2018).

To make progress, economists need to further broaden their perspective. Harvard sociologists Mario Small and the late Devah Pager have argued that economists need to adopt more sociological perspectives on racial discrimination and begin to examine institutional discrimination and the forms of everyday interpersonal discrimination that can be highly consequential for economic outcomes (Small and Pager 2020).

Increasing diversity in the economics profession, including racial diversity, is an important part of the solution. Evidence suggests that instructors' demographics influence Black participation not only early on in the pipeline, but at all stages in the profession, including admissions, job market placement, hiring, and promotion decisions. As noted by John Rice in his June 2020 article for the Atlantic, "The Difference between First-Degree Racism and Third-Degree Racism," it is a fallacy to argue that there is a trade-off between increasing racial diversity and maintaining the excellence-based "meritocracies" that have made organizations successful. Leveling the playing field for minorities at each step goes a long way in addressing discrimination and making organizations more productive.

Proactively recruiting qualified minorities, who do not have the networks to get a foothold, is critical, as is developing and supporting them as they rise through the ranks. For instance, the American Economic Association's Committee on the Status of Minority Groups in the Economics Profession runs several initiatives designed to encourage minorities to study economics and pursue an academic career. And if the supply of diverse candidates is lacking, then society needs to dig deeper to address where biases begin-health services, education opportunities, or access to housing.

As IMF staff members, we recognize that addressing biases begins at home. For more than half a century, men from Europe and the United States made up the majority of the IMF's senior managerial positions. Starting in the mid-1990s, as efforts were made to promote diversity, we began to see some progress on improving the representation of women and staff from underrepresented regions such as East Asia, the Middle East, and sub-Saharan Africa. Since 2003, benchmarks have been set for gender and regional diversity. The regional benchmarks seek to broadly align the proportion of staff from a region with the financial contribution of the countries in the region to the IMF's resources as well as the use of these resources by them. These benchmarks were not intended to address racial inequity, even if many consider them to be imperfect proxies for race. While we have achieved steady progress against these benchmarks, gaps remain in the shares of underrepresented staff and their promotions to managerial positions.

The good news is that IMF management has expressed its commitment and is taking concrete actions to further promote inclusion of diverse staff and eliminate all forms of discrimination, including racial inequities. The IMF will enhance training on unconscious biases and microinequities, refocus recruitment efforts, improve the promotion process, introduce a program of sponsors for underrepresented staff, and collect data on diversity dimensions, including by race and ethnicity, by asking staff members to voluntarily self-declare their identity. We look forward to all IMF member countries adopting the same principle-that inclusion begins at home.

The Black Lives Matter movement has given a new impetus to raising awareness, learning, and empowerment. Research suggests that more economically inclusive organizations, cities, and societies tend to be more resilient and more prosperous. Economists have a role to play in the action for change to help build inclusive systems for the benefit of all-but first we must all, individually and collectively, look within.

MARTIN ČIHÁK leads the macro-financial unit in the IMF's Strategy, Policy, and Review Department.

MONTFORT MLACHILA is the IMF's senior resident representative in South Africa.

RATNA SAHAY is a deputy director of the IMF's Monetary and Capital Markets Department.

References:

Chetty, Raj, Nathaniel Hendren, Maggie Jones, and Sonya Porter. 2020. "Race and Economic Opportunity in the United States: An Intergenerational Perspective." Quarterly Journal of Economics 135 (2): 711-83.

Sahay, Ratna, Martin Čihák, Papa N'Diaye, Adolfo Barajas, Srobona Mitra, Annette Kyobe, Yen Mooi, and Reza Yousefi. 2018. " Women in Finance: A Case for Closing Gaps." IMF Staff Discussion Note 18/05, International Monetary Fund, Washington, DC.

Small, Mario, and Devah Pager. 2020. "Sociological Perspectives on Racial Discrimination." Journal of Economic Perspectives 34 (2): 49-67.

Spriggs, William. 2020. " Is Now a Teachable Moment for Economists? " Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Stigler, George. 1965. "The Problem of the Negro." New Guard (December): 11-12.

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Download PDF Economists and policymakers need a wake-up call to root out racial discrimination The recent widespread protests in the United States and across the world against police brutality and systemic racism have stirred our collective conscience. As staff working in a multilateral institution that represents 190 countries, we have a moral duty to speak out against racism and discrimination.

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Less racism and sexism means more economic growth!?!?!?!?

Productivity

In 1960, 94 percent of doctors and lawyers were white men. By 2008, this was just 62 percent. Similar changes have occurred across professions throughout the U.S. economy during the last 50 years.

Many men could not find jobs because they did not have the "advantage" of being a white man.

Many of the white males who got jobs because either lawyers or doctors souly because they are white men.

"This can lead to lost productivity. If you have lots of white male doctors and lawyers who are comparatively poor at the job, and lots of other people who have the innate talent to be better at the job, but who are doing other things — working in low-skilled labor, being unemployed, working as homemakers — then you're going to lose productivity."

In 1960, 94 percent of doctors and lawyers were white men.

By 2008, this was just 62 percent.

Man men had clear "advantages" because they were white men

As a result of less racism, black men were allowed to get jobs that they were actually skilled at which in turn, lead to a higher productivity rate.

United States Government Budget  1954-2016 | Data

The United States recorded a budget deficit of USD 108 billion in March of 2016

Government Budget Value in the United States averaged -15993.03 USD Million from 1954 until 2015
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In 1960, 94 percent of doctors and lawyers were white men. By 2008, this was just 62 percent. Similar changes have occurred across professions throughout the U.S. economy during the last 50 years....

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Systemic racism has contributed to the persistence of race-based gaps that manifest in many different economic indicators. The starkest divides are in measures of household wealth, reflecting centuries of white privilege that have made it particularly difficult for people of color to achieve economic security. This series of charts begins with a look at how the pandemic has exacerbated racial inequalities.

Racial Wealth Divide

By the middle of the 21st century, the United States will be a "majority minority" nation. If we hope to ensure a strong middle class, historically the backbone of the national economy, then improving the financial health of households of color will become even more urgent than it is today. Closing the persistent "wealth divide" between white households and households of color, already a matter of social justice, must become a priority for broader economic policy.

According to Survey of Consumer Finances data, the median Black family has $24,100 in wealth. This is just 12.7 percent of the $189,100 in wealth owned by the typical white family. The median Latino family, with $36,050, owns just 19.1 percent of the wealth of the median white family. The Institute for Policy Studies Racial Wealth Divide report provides more detail on this disturbing trend and proposed solutions.

Families that have zero or even "negative" wealth (meaning the value of their debts exceeds the value of their assets) live on the edge, just one minor economic setback away from tragedy. Institute for Policy Studies analysis of Federal Reserve data show that while the racial wealth gap has improved slightly, an estimated 28 percent of Black households and 26 percent of Latino households had zero or negative wealth in 2019, twice the level of whites.

As with total wealth, home ownership is heavily skewed towards white families, our 2023 report with the National Community Reinvestment, Still a Dream , shows. Between 1960 and 2020, the rate of Black home ownership increased but the gap in ownership rates between Black and white families widened, from 26 percentage points to 30. Structural barriers, including lower incomes, higher rates of mortgage denials, and racial segregation, deny many Black families the opportunity to acquire this wealth-building asset.

Black people also have to deal with larger student debt burdens. Black students on average have to take out larger loans to get through college than their white peers. A National Center for Education Statistics study reveals that Black Bachelor's degree and Associate's degree graduates face 13 percent and 26 percent more student debt, respectively, than their white peers. The challenge of paying off greater student debt is also worsened for Black graduates due to their lower average incomes. Black Bachelor's degree and Associate's degree holders earn 27 percent and 14 percent lower incomes, respectively, than whites with the same degree.

Racial Income Inequality

In 2021, Fortune 500 CEOs, who earned $18.3 million on average, included just four Black and 17 Latino people - just 4 percent of the total. By contrast, these groups made up 43 percent of the U.S. workers who would benefit from a raise in the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2025, according to Institute for Policy Studies analysis of Economic Policy Institute data. Black and Latino people comprise 31 percent of the entire U.S. labor force.

The income threshold for entry into the top 10 percent is another indicator of racial disparities at the top of the U.S. earnings scale. According to the Pew Research Center, for white families to make it into this tier of earners in their racial group, they need to have annual income of at least $117,986 - nearly twice as much as the threshold for Black families.

Racial discrimination in many forms, including in education, hiring, and pay practices, contributes to persistent earnings gaps. As of the third quarter of 2023, the median white worker made 24 percent more than the typical Black worker and around 28 percent more than the median Latino worker, according to BLS data.

Race and Gender Inequality

Within racial groups, Bureau of Labor Statistics the largest pay gaps between men and women appear among whites and Asians - not because Latinas and Black women have made faster progress towards equity but because average pay for men in these groups falls far below the compensation of white and Asian men.

While student loan burdens have grown significantly for all racial groups, they are particularly heavy for Black students- especially women. Women comprise 56 percent of college students, but hold nearly two-thirds of outstanding student loan debt. According to the American Association of University Women, Black women graduate with the most debt - $37,558, on average - compared to $31,346 for white women and $29,862 for white men.

Racial inequality in terms of the official poverty rate is also particularly acute for women of color. As National Women's Law Center research shows, while in 2019 the U.S. poverty rate for white men is 6.0 percent, it is 18 percent for Black women, 15 percent for the Latino community, and 18 percent for Native American women.

Racial Inequality and Covid-19

According to APM Research Lab , white and Asian Americans have substantially lower Covid-19 mortality rates than those of other racial and ethnic groups. Between the start of the pandemic and October 2, 2022, indigenous people suffered 582 deaths per 100,000 people - more than twice the death rate for whites and Asians.

People of color are more likely to suffer severe illness from Covid-19, regardless of their age. According to , hospitalization rates have been highest among indigenous and Black Americans. About 2,100 indigenous and 1,700 Black Americans were hospitalized for Covid-related symptoms per 100,000 people in their respective ethnic and race groups between the beginning of the pandemic and October 22, 2022.

The racial disparities in Covid-related health indicators have contributed to a steeper decline in the U.S. life expectancy for people of color, according to data from the National Center for Health Statistics and the CDC. Between 2019 and 2021, American Indians and Alaska natives experienced the biggest drop, with life expectancy at birth plunging by more than 6 years to 65.2. The Latino and Black communities both experienced a drop of four years, while Asian and white Americans have seen a decrease of about two years since the start of the pandemic.

The pandemic-related economic crisis in 2020 was particularly devastating for people of color. When the shutdown sent unemployment levels skyrocketing in March and April of that year, Black and Latino workers were much more likely to be jobless than white workers, according to BLS data. This remained true despite the fact that people of color made up a disproportionate share of essential workers who had to remain on the job at the start of the pandemic. While the overall unemployment rate has dropped significantly, racial disparities remain. As of October 2023, the unemployment rate for Black workers was 5.8 percent, compared to just 3.9 percent for U.S. workers as a whole.

The Covid-19 pandemic has increased the share of U.S. workers who are teleworking for health reasons, but not everyone has the same ability to work from home. According to the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institute for Occupational Safety (NIOSH) and Health, Black and Non-white Hispanic workers are less likely to report being able to telework than white and Asian workers. Some 38 percent of Asian workers and 24 percent of white workers reported working from home between May 2020 and July 2021. By contrast, only 19 percent of Black and 14 percent and Non-white Hispanic workers reported working from home in that same time period. The researchers attributed 80 percent of this divide to racial education gaps, since college graduates are more likely to be able to telework. Workers of color with public-facing jobs have been exposed to greater virus risks.

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Racial Economic Inequality - Inequality.org

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Systemic racism has contributed to the persistence of race-based gaps that manifest in many different economic indicators. The starkest divides are in measures of household wealth, reflecting centuries of white privilege that have made it particularly difficult for people of color to achieve economic security.

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The contributions of workers of color in building and supporting the US economy cannot be overstated. Yet for much of American history, people of color (Black people in particular) have faced inequities that deprive them of the chance to fully participate in and reap the benefits of the American economy. Racial inequality is a long-standing and fundamental feature of labor and work in the United States and reflects a host of structural disadvantages and discriminatory practices that are manifest in higher unemployment, lower wages, occupational segregation, and limitations on career advance and upward economic mobility for workers of color.

In the context of the Covid-19 economic crisis, workers of color shoulder a disproportionate share of the economic burden created by job losses in specific industries and health risks incurred through work outside the home in lower-paying, but “essential” jobs.

This brief explores the persistent inequities and disparities in outcomes experienced by people of color in the U.S. labor market through key data points, delves into root causes based on a review of the evidence, and identifies key gaps in our knowledge of why and how labor market inequality endures. In addition, the brief summarizes key policy levers and strategies to dismantle discriminatory employment practices and improve employment and economic outcomes for low-wage workers generally, many of whom are people of color.

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Racial Inequality in the Labor Market and Employment Opportunities

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This brief explores the persistent inequities and disparities in outcomes experienced by people of color in the U.S. labor market through key data points, delves into root causes based on a review of the evidence, and identifies key gaps in our knowledge of why and how labor market inequality endure…

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Addressing Racism and Racial Discrimination | HR Portal

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