LIVE: Experts discuss race, wealth-building, and closing the racial wealth gap once and for all
Alyssa Powell/Business Insider
- The racial wealth gap in the United States is enormous — and growing.
- On September 25 at 4pm EST, a group of thinkers will join Business Insider reporter Taylor Nicole Rogers for a discussion on how to close the racial wealth gap.
- Click here to register for this free event.
The racial wealth gap in the United States is cavernous. In 2016, the average white family's net worth was 10 times that of the average Black family, according to the Brookings Institution — $171,000 for white families compared to $17,150 among Black families.
The wealth gap persists at every income level, too. Among the top 10% of earners, the median net worth of white families is $1,789,300, whereas a Black family earning the same income has a median net worth of $343,160.
These staggering numbers reveal what scholars and others have long known to be true: Centuries of racial discrimination at the federal, state, and local levels — beginning with slavery — have left Black Americans behind. And the gap is not closing — the Brookings Institution's research actually suggests it's getting wider.
So what to do about this persistent gap? On September 25 at 4pm EST, a group of thinkers will join Business Insider reporter Taylor Nicole Rogers for a conversation on closing the racial wealth gap. The group will discuss how policy, reparations, personal finance principles, and business directives can shift this inequality once and for all.
Below are additional details about the digital live event, which is available to attend for free. Click here to register.
DATE & TIME: Friday, September 25 at 4pm EST on Zoom
SPEAKERS:
Dr. Dania Francis, assistant professor of economics at the University of Massachusetts Boston and co-author of "The Economics of Reparations."
Shawn Rochester, author of "The Black Tax," a book about how much racism and the legacy of slavery have cost Black Americans.
Malik S. Lee, Certified Financial Planner, founder of Felton and Peel Wealth Management, and a regular contributor to Business Insider.