From This Collection

For Black workers, unemployment is 4 percentage points higher than for whites. Can the Federal Reserve fix that?

Sep 9, 2021
Wendy Edelberg, director of the Hamilton Project, says monetary policy has a roleay, but it's "not the whole show."
Fed Chair Jerome Powell. The central bank has been keeping interest rates low, but Wendy Edelberg says in the near future it should let the economy "grow on its own two feet."
Scott Olson/Getty Images

Unemployment rate for Black workers going the wrong way as benefits expire

Sep 6, 2021
Black workers were the only racial or ethnic group for whom unemployment rose in the most recent monthly data — to nearly 9%.
A woman walks past the an employment services center in Washington, D.C., in July 2020. In the most recent unemployment report, Black workers were the only racial or ethnic group to see unemployment rise.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

What will it take to get more Black and Latinx workers in manufacturing jobs?

Aug 26, 2021
Manufacturers complain they can't find skilled workers, even as they face a wave of retirements of older white men.
Nieves Longordo, president and owner of Diseños Ornamental Iron in Detroit's Mexicantown, said she's concerned about finding and recruiting younger talent for her shop.
Photo courtesy of Nieves Longordo

How mortgage algorithms perpetuate racial disparity in home lending

Aug 25, 2021
A new investigation finds that people of color are more likely to have their mortgage applications rejected than comparable white applicants.
A new investigation finds that people of color are more likely have their mortgage applications rejected than similar white applicants.
Glenn Hunt/Getty Images

After 2 years, how have the Business Roundtable's commitments held up?

Aug 19, 2021
The group of top CEOs has pledged to support “all stakeholders” and advance the principles of racial justice.
In 2019, the group of top CEOs published a Statement on the Purpose of a Corporation, pledging to support "all stakeholders." Otis Rolley of the Rockefeller Foundation says  much work remains to be done.
Cindy Ord via Getty Images

Can changing home appraisal language help close the wealth gap?

Jul 27, 2021
Descriptions in appraisal reports can create racial bias and reduce the selling price of a home. Fannie Mae is trying to clamp down on tha
Fannie Mae issued new guidance to appraisers to avoid terms it labeled racially problematic, like “crime-ridden” and “integrated community."
Karen Bleier/AFP via Getty Images

“Summer of Soul” producers on battling Black erasure to make the film

Jul 22, 2021
Why the Harlem Cultural Festival, known as “Black Woodstock,” was forgotten for decades.
The 5th Dimension performs at the Harlem Cultural Festival of 1969, as seen in the new documentary "Summer of Soul."
Courtesy Searchlight Pictures

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How Nebraska's largest Black-owned business is approaching the post-pandemic era

Jul 1, 2021
"We are at an inflection point," said Carmen Tapio, founder and CEO of North End Teleservices.
"We are at an inflection point," said Carmen Tapio, founder and CEO of North End Teleservices in Omaha.
Courtesy of North End Teleservices

What corporations need to do, internally and externally, to address social equity

Jul 1, 2021
Professor Ella L.J. Bell Smith of Dartmouth says companies must bring people of color into their executive pipelines and develop their abilities.
Addressing inequity takes external action, like following through on financial pledges, as well as internal action, like paying attention to wage equity, recruitment and promotions.
Getty Images

Closing racial wage gap could lift 2 million Black Americans into middle class, study finds

Jun 28, 2021
A new McKinsey report details the sweeping economic disparities Black Americans face.
A new report from McKinsey says Black Americans are underrepresented in occupations like doctor that are traditional pathways to the middle class.
Getty Images