Racial Inequality in the U.S. is becoming a very polarizing issue, with some saying that we’re on a steady march forward to unifying all citizens under one flag, regarding the color of their skin, gender, creed, etcetera, others, however, feel that the election of Donald Trump and the increase of police attacks towards the Black community are clear signs of the opposite.
In order to better understand where America stands on this issue, one should focus on one simple thing, that is household wealth figures. A new report by Demos and the NAACP called “The Road to Zero Wealth”, researches 30 years of wealth accumulation through racial lines. The report shows that when it comes to US retail workers, there is a significant wage gap, where Black and Hispanic workers are paid less than their White counterparts.
How much less? According to this report, as full-time retail salespeople, Black and Latino employees make 75% the wage of their White co-workers, for cashiers, minorities make about 90% of the wages of their White peers.
People of color are over-represented in the positions with the lowest pay and the least stability and underrepresented in management positions… Black and Latino workers are significantly more likely than White workers to be employed part time, when they want full-time hours.”
This according to the study does nothing to help minority families economically, as 17% of Black and 13% of Latino retail workers live below the poverty line, compared to the average of the retail workforce at just 9%. The authors of the report made a few recommendations to lessen the disparity, like reviewing discriminatory practices and increasing the minimum wage to 15$ an hour. That larger debate is already happening nationwide, from Los Angeles to Chicago, to San Francisco and beyond. Critics, however, say a pay increase could lead to increased prices for goods and fewer sales, which could force employers to lay off some workers.
What does this mean for the future of Black and Latino communities? You might not like what you’re going to read. By 2043, the U.S. is projected to become a majority non-white country, 10 years after that, if trends continue, black median families will own zero wealth, with Latino median families following suit twenty years after that. White median families are expected to continue owning six figures.
The future looks bleak, but it’s also in our hands, so we should strive to make larger efforts to secure our financial stability in this society. If pushing comes to shove, you can always start chatting up Becky’s or Chad’s at Whole Foods or Yoga classes or wherever White people hang out these days.