State of the Dream 2009: The Silent Depression

In this 2009 report for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, we found that people of color are experiencing a silent economic depression. It’s silent because it’s going unnoticed, unacknowledged and unaddressed – and yet the evidence is striking.

While the general population has been in recession for one year, people of color have been in recession for five years. By definition, a long-term recession is a depression.

We detail additional evidence that shows the current racial economic inequity, including poverty rates, wealth and assets and economic mobility. While racial barriers did not prevent an African-American from becoming President, they continue to impede many people of color from achieving the same economic success as their white counterparts.

Read the report in English (PDF 6.6MB)

Read the report in Spanish (PDF 7.73MB)

Dedrick Muhummad, co-author of The Silent Depression, discusses the report on Democracy Now!