Poverty

United With Ferguson: Racial Divides and Wealth

— Mike L
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For the past few weeks, the nation’s attention has focused on an unlikely epicenter of race relations, a Quik-Trip convenience store about fifteen miles north of St. Louis. It was there that 18-year-old Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, was gunned down by a white police officer, and it is there that a groundswell of sympathy and frustration has prompted the community, and nation, to act. The town of Ferguson was rocked by this tragic event, and has responded in an incredible way – by organizing.

Walmart’s check-cashing service is another way of preying

— Mike L
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AN AUG. 5 editorial praised Walmart for providing nontraditional banking options for the “underbanked” in select stores. While offering simple financial services such as low-cost check cashing sounds like a good idea, we are left to wonder what is motivating the largest retailer in the world to enter into this business. On the surface this looks like Walmart is providing a needed service to the community, but we don’t need to dig deep to see that this is another strategy to increase profits.

Inequality and continued racial segregation create toxic soup

— Brian Miller
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The toxic mix of extreme inequality and continued racial segregation pushes people of color into communities of concentrated poverty. The "free-market" has completely failed these communities as they are by-passed by full-service banks, high-speed internet, grocery stores with healthy food, and jobs with benefits that pay a living wage. Bold action, led by a government accountable to working people, is required to break up such concentrated poverty.

Read State of the Dream 2014: Healthcare for Whom? to learn more.

Black Wealth / White Wealth

— Brian Miller
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Because wealth is easily transferred from one generation to the next – in the form of inheritances, gifts, money to start a business or buy a home, various legs up, etc. – the inequalities of the past (and the present) remain deeply embedded in our economy decades after the original injustice.

Read State of the Dream 2014: Healthcare for Whom? to learn more.

25-State Coverage Gap Hits Blacks and Latinos Harder

— Brian Miller
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Blacks and Latinos represent a disproportionate share of the 5 million who will be denied health insurance due to the GOP's 25-state coverage gap.

Read State of the Dream 2014: Healthcare for Whom? to learn more.

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