The report presents alarming data on persistent racial and ethnic income disparities at both the national and state levels, and proposes policy solutions to promote equality of opportunity immediately and for the next generation of American citizens and residents, who will add significantly to the diversity of the nation’s population.
“We found that the incomes of Black, Latino, and American Indian families still languish far below that of white families. Everywhere,” said Dominique Apollon, research director at the Applied Research Center, and one of the report’s chief authors. “We’re talking about a gap of $0.40 for every dollar at the national level.
The report concludes with a discussion of policies that can help improve the opportunities for people of color and improve conditions for all low-income families. These include policies that provide the resources needed in order to obtain and keep a job, policies to increase earnings and income retention and policies that will help build assets.