Post by Logan on Apr 30, 2016 5:22:21 GMT -6
Minnesota's worsening racial disparity: Why it matters to everyone
Minnesota has some of the worst racial disparities in the nation — gaps that have widened over the past five decades and that soon may create a statewide economic crisis.
U.S. Census data show most Minnesota families of color now have median incomes about half those of their white neighbors. It wasn’t always that way. In 1960, family earnings for the state’s small nonwhite population were about 74 percent of what white families made.
The income gap is just one part of the story. But as Gov. Mark Dayton and the Legislature look for ways to close the gaps, community leader Jeffry Martin of the St. Paul NAACP says the economic piece is key.
“It is hugely disheartening. You almost feel like a snake-oil salesman when you tell young people to keep trying,” Martin said.
Read more: www.twincities.com/2016/04/29/minnesotas-racial-disparities-worsening-why-and-why-it-matters/
Minnesota has some of the worst racial disparities in the nation — gaps that have widened over the past five decades and that soon may create a statewide economic crisis.
U.S. Census data show most Minnesota families of color now have median incomes about half those of their white neighbors. It wasn’t always that way. In 1960, family earnings for the state’s small nonwhite population were about 74 percent of what white families made.
The income gap is just one part of the story. But as Gov. Mark Dayton and the Legislature look for ways to close the gaps, community leader Jeffry Martin of the St. Paul NAACP says the economic piece is key.
“It is hugely disheartening. You almost feel like a snake-oil salesman when you tell young people to keep trying,” Martin said.
Read more: www.twincities.com/2016/04/29/minnesotas-racial-disparities-worsening-why-and-why-it-matters/