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Systematic Inequality
Report

Systematic Inequality

The already large racial wealth gap between white and black American households grew even wider after the Great Recession. Targeted policies are necessary to reverse this deepening divide.

Angela Hanks, Danyelle Solomon, Christian E. Weller

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Executive Summary: Hope After Harm Article
Police officers are seen behind a yellow line of caution tape on a street with cars parked on either side.

Executive Summary: Hope After Harm

A state-by-state analysis of victim compensation statutes reveals tremendous potential for states to better meet the needs of survivors of violence and to ultimately break cycles of harm.

Resumen ejecutivo: Esperanza después del daño Artículo
Police officers are seen behind a yellow line of caution tape on a street with cars parked on either side.

Resumen ejecutivo: Esperanza después del daño

Un análisis estado por estado de las leyes de compensación para las víctimas revela un tremendo potencial para que los estados satisfagan mejor las necesidades de los sobrevivientes de la violencia y, en última instancia, rompan los ciclos de daño.

Fighting for the American Dream Past Event

Fighting for the American Dream

Creating and safeguarding an inclusive economy for the Black middle class.

Edgartown, MA

The 2024 LGBTQI+ Wage Gap Article
A biker rides along “Rainbow Road,” a painted street mural in Washington, D.C.

The 2024 LGBTQI+ Wage Gap

In recognition of LGBTQIA+ Equal Pay Awareness Day, new analysis from the Center for American Progress’ LGBTQI+ Community Survey shows that in 2024, LGBTQI+ households made just 85 cents for every dollar earned by non-LGBTQI+ households, equaling about $12,600 less per year.

Sara Estep, Haley Norris

Building for Our Future Past Event

Building for Our Future

A Black Agenda for 2025 and Beyond

The Barn & Bowl Bistro | Oak Bluffs, MA

The Biden Administration Economic Agenda’s Impact on Latinos Past Event
A shop owner in Hanford, California, helps a customer,

The Biden Administration Economic Agenda’s Impact on Latinos

Join the Center for American Progress for an event exploring how the Biden administration is making smart investments to create more opportunities for Latinos to build a more inclusive economy.

Center for American Progress

Will AI Benefit or Harm Workers? Article
President Joe Biden sits with a panel before a banner that reads,

Will AI Benefit or Harm Workers?

The Biden administration and Congress must adopt a worker-centered approach in its response to the development and use of artificial intelligence.

Rose Khattar

Transforming the Economy: Forging Black Economic Power Across America Past Event
Logos of CAP and NPWF over an image of a lighthouse.

Transforming the Economy: Forging Black Economic Power Across America

Join the Center for American Progress and the National Partnership of Women & Families on Martha’s Vineyard for a moderated panel which explores new ways to promote economic opportunity in Black communities.

Barn & Bowl Bistro

Progressive Messaging on the Economy Article

Progressive Messaging on the Economy

New research underscores the value of connecting policy priorities to how they will help grow the middle class in America.

I-375 Reconnecting Communities Project Article

I-375 Reconnecting Communities Project

This grant will help dismantle a highway that was built 60 years ago through a predominantly Black neighborhood in Detroit, Michigan, and turn it into a safer and more traversable boulevard with a bike lane and wider sidewalk.

How Federal Agencies Can Advance Equity Through Biden’s Second Executive Order Report
Vice President Kamala Harris looks on as U.S. President Joe Biden signs executives orders related to his racial equity agenda.

How Federal Agencies Can Advance Equity Through Biden’s Second Executive Order

The Biden administration’s recent executive order makes clear its intent to swiftly advance racial equity and support underserved communities by directing federal agencies to deliver equitable outcomes and foster an inclusive and prosperous America for all.

Justin Dorazio

The Latest Poverty, Income, and Food Insecurity Data Reveal Continuing Racial Disparities Article
Two people, faces not shown, carrying grocery bags of food

The Latest Poverty, Income, and Food Insecurity Data Reveal Continuing Racial Disparities

Federal policies implemented in 2021 led to notable progress in the fight against poverty, but data show that persistent economic disparities, by both gender and race and ethnicity, will only be closed through continued attention and investments.

Kyle Ross, Justin Dorazio

7 Facts on Racial Equity and the Economic Recovery Article
A girl rides on her father's shoulders through the Orange County Fair against a green, leafy backdrop.

7 Facts on Racial Equity and the Economic Recovery

The economic recovery has supported workers of color, but inequities persist, and the Federal Reserve risks undoing the equitable economic gains achieved.

Justin Dorazio

The Wage Gap Persists—But Recent Reforms Are Making a Difference In the News

The Wage Gap Persists—But Recent Reforms Are Making a Difference

Rose Khattar and Lauren Hoffman discuss how, in addition to recent reforms such as the Inflation Reduction Act and the student loan relief plan, more measures are necessary to finally close the pay gap that continues to limit economic opportunity for many women.

Ms. Magazine

Rose Khattar, Lauren Hoffman

Data on Poverty in the United States Dashboard

Data on Poverty in the United States

The Center for American Progress’ new poverty data project contains U.S. Census Bureau data on the national, state, and congressional district levels, all in one place. Below, users can explore data on poverty and more than a dozen other topics that measure the health of the economy, as well as identify potential solutions to the problems these data reveal.

Latino Workers Continue To Experience a Shortage of Good Jobs Article
A California street vendor serves customers in front of a colorful mural in Los Angeles.

Latino Workers Continue To Experience a Shortage of Good Jobs

Although Hispanic and Latino workers have high employment rates in the United States, labor market experiences differ substantially within this community, with Mexican, Guatemalan, Honduran, and Salvadoran Americans experiencing significant and intersecting gender and ethnic wage gaps.

Rose Khattar, Jessica Vela, Lorena Roque

It’s Long Past Time To Increase the Federal Minimum Wage Article
Activists with Our Revolution hold $15 minimum wage signs outside the U.S. Capitol.

It’s Long Past Time To Increase the Federal Minimum Wage

This month marks 13 years since the federal minimum wage was increased. The lack of an increase during this period has disproportionately harmed women and people of color.

Ashfaq Khan, Rose Khattar

Occupational Segregation in America Report
A nurse, right, attends to a 9-day-old child as the child’s mother looks on.

Occupational Segregation in America

Occupational segregation in the American labor market reflects and drives inequalities in American society.

Marina Zhavoronkova, Rose Khattar, Mathew Brady

Fact Sheet: Advancing Equity Fact Sheet
A group of Black Lives Matter demonstrators protest about the minimum wage in New York City, July 2020.

Fact Sheet: Advancing Equity

This fact sheet summarizes a recent Center for American Progress report on the Biden administration’s efforts to advance racial equity through the federal government.

Lorena Roque, Justin Dorazio

Advancing Racial Equity: The Biden Administration’s Efforts in Its First Year and the Agenda Ahead Past Event
Yvette Nesbit and Lorenzo Laroc hold hands as they gather near the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York for a Service of Prayer and Witness Against Anti-Asian Violence on March 23, 2021.

Advancing Racial Equity: The Biden Administration’s Efforts in Its First Year and the Agenda Ahead

Please join the Center for American Progress for a discussion on actions taken by the Biden administration to center racial equity in the federal government and the policies and path forward to bend the arc of racial justice toward equity in the years ahead.

Advancing Equity: Review of the Biden Administration’s Efforts in Its First Year To Implement a Racial Equity Agenda Report
A group of people holding their fists in the air, man in foreground

Advancing Equity: Review of the Biden Administration’s Efforts in Its First Year To Implement a Racial Equity Agenda

This report reviews the Biden administration’s key efforts and accomplishments to advance equity in its first year and outlines future policies needed to build a better and more dynamic nation that equitably respects the rights and meets the needs of all Americans.

Nicole Lee Ndumele, Lorena Roque, Justin Dorazio

The Biden Boom: Economic Recovery in 2021 Article
President Joe Biden gives remarks in Statuary Hall of the U.S Capitol.

The Biden Boom: Economic Recovery in 2021

President Joe Biden took office one year ago amid one of the worst economies in generations, but the U.S. economy has since made tremendous progress toward recovery, and workers are benefiting.

Seth Hanlon, Lily Roberts, Andres Vinelli, 2 More Rose Khattar, Nick Buffie

Investing in Home Care and Early Childhood Educators Has Outsize Impacts on Employment Article
Long-term caregivers and supporters rally in Los Angeles on July 13, 2021, for greater federal and local investment in the country's caregiving infrastructure. (Getty/Frederic J. Brown/AFP)

Investing in Home Care and Early Childhood Educators Has Outsize Impacts on Employment

Proposed investments in the Build Back Better agenda would benefit a significant number of workers, particularly women and women of color; transform the home care and early childhood sectors; and lift living standards and employment prospects for millions of Americans.

Marina Zhavoronkova, Rose Khattar

Wealth Matters: The Black-White Wealth Gap Before and During the Pandemic Report
A group of people walk past the

Wealth Matters: The Black-White Wealth Gap Before and During the Pandemic

The lack of wealth in many African-American households has left them especially vulnerable to the financial fallout from the coronavirus crisis; but the federal government has perhaps its best opportunity yet to fix these racial disparities.

Christian E. Weller, Richard Figueroa

How the Biden Administration Can Advance Racial Equity Article
A view of the White House, May 22, 2018, in Washington, D.C. (Getty/Brendan Smialowski/AFP)

How the Biden Administration Can Advance Racial Equity

Federal agencies have the opportunity to advance racial equity and narrow the racial wealth gap through executive actions.

Nicole Lee Ndumele, Lorena Roque

The Economic Status of Asian American and Pacific Islander Women Report
Customers and cashiers wear face masks at a supermarket in Quincy, Massachusetts, on March 13, 2020. (Getty/The Boston Globe/Stan Grossfeld)

The Economic Status of Asian American and Pacific Islander Women

Policymakers must closely examine economic data on the experiences of AAPI women, before and during the coronavirus pandemic, in order to surface key barriers and shed light on effective policy solutions.

Robin Bleiweis

A CRA To Meet the Challenge of Climate Change Report
A car gets towed while men walk in floodwaters on a road in Houston, August 2017, in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. (Getty/Thomas B. Shea/AFP)

A CRA To Meet the Challenge of Climate Change

A modernized Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) would be a useful tool to effectively address climate resilience and environmental racism in low-income communities of color.

Michela Zonta, Caius Z. Willingham

With a Focus on Equity, Geography No Longer Has To Be Destiny Article
A father and son pick raspberries at an orchard in Michigan, July 2008. (Getty/Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group)

With a Focus on Equity, Geography No Longer Has To Be Destiny

With the rural-urban divide in the headlines, it is time to address long-standing inequities by building a more comprehensive equity analysis.

Olugbenga Ajilore, Katrina Badger

Centering Racial Equity in a New Administration Report

Centering Racial Equity in a New Administration

With a new administration set to lead the U.S. federal government, and in the midst of a pandemic that has exposed the many layers of racial inequality in this country, it is time to finally put infrastructure in place to achieve equity for Black Americans and communities of color.

Danyelle Solomon, Lily Roberts

The Pandemic Has Exacerbated Housing Instability for Renters of Color Report
Housing activists gather in the Crown Heights neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York, on July 31, 2020. (Getty/Scott Heins)

The Pandemic Has Exacerbated Housing Instability for Renters of Color

Hardships disproportionately faced by communities of color are being exacerbated by the pandemic and require an equitable recovery that reconciles past harms while also providing solutions for current and future challenges.

Jaboa Lake

Closing Latino Labor Market Gap Requires Targeted Policies To End Discrimination Report
 (Two women use sewing machines to put together protective masks for medical personnel working in hospitals in Miami on April 15, 2020.)

Closing Latino Labor Market Gap Requires Targeted Policies To End Discrimination

Structural forces in the United States prevent Latinos from achieving the same employment outcomes as their non-Hispanic white counterparts, and policymakers can no longer ignore the equity gaps.

Ryan Zamarripa

A Blueprint for Revamping the Minority Business Development Agency Report

A Blueprint for Revamping the Minority Business Development Agency

The Minority Business Development Agency has tremendous potential to create the conditions for economic growth and opportunity in Black communities.

Connor Maxwell, Darrick Hamilton, Andre M. Perry, 1 More Danyelle Solomon

On the Frontlines at Work and at Home: The Disproportionate Economic Effects of the Coronavirus Pandemic on Women of Color Report
A grocery store worker stands behind a protective plastic screen as she works the cashier at a supermarket in Miami, April 2020.

On the Frontlines at Work and at Home: The Disproportionate Economic Effects of the Coronavirus Pandemic on Women of Color

Too little attention has been paid to the consequences of the escalating COVID-19 pandemic for women of color, even as it exacerbates existing disparities and further undermines their families’ economic stability and survival.

Jocelyn Frye

The Coronavirus Pandemic and the Racial Wealth Gap Article
U.S. dollar banknotes are shown in Washington, D.C.,  March 2020. (Getty/Liu Jie)

The Coronavirus Pandemic and the Racial Wealth Gap

The unjust racial wealth gap leaves Black and Latinx communities especially vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus.

Danyelle Solomon, Darrick Hamilton

On the Persistence of the Black-White Unemployment Gap Report
A man fills out an application at a job fair in Chicago on June 12, 2014. (Getty/Scott Olson)

On the Persistence of the Black-White Unemployment Gap

The United States needs policies that challenge structural racism in order to close the persistent unemployment gap between African Americans and whites.

Olugbenga Ajilore

Black and Latinx Students Are Getting Less Bang for Their Bachelor’s Degrees Article
Students browsing books at at Miami Dade College, October 2015. (Getty/Jeffrey Greenberg)

Black and Latinx Students Are Getting Less Bang for Their Bachelor’s Degrees

Black and Latinx students who earn bachelor’s degrees take longer to graduate, earn more debt, and face more employment challenges than white peers.

Ariana De La Fuente, Marissa Alayna Navarro

Building Workers’ Wealth in Cities and States Report
A worker assembles cars at the newly renovated Ford's Assembly Plant in Chicago in June 2019. (Getty/Jim Young)

Building Workers’ Wealth in Cities and States

City and state policymakers across ideological divides can help raise standards for workers and boost sustainable economic growth by supporting employee ownership and broad-based profit-sharing.

Karla Walter

The Economics of Caregiving for Working Mothers Report
A single mother picks up her children from day care in Maryland on December 20, 2016. (Mother picks up children from day care)

The Economics of Caregiving for Working Mothers

Working mothers are important drivers of three essential industries—elementary and secondary education, hospitals, and food services—yet cannot afford child care for their own children.

Sarah Jane Glynn, Katie Hamm

Early Decision Harms Students of Color and Low-Income Students Article
High school students sit for their commencement ceremony in Long Beach, California, June 2009. (Getty/Jeff Gritchen)

Early Decision Harms Students of Color and Low-Income Students

Early decision policies at colleges and universities favor wealthy families and create additional barriers for marginalized communities.

Abril Castro

The Harvest of American Racism Article
A man walks down a street in Baltimore, July 2019. (Getty/Spencer Platt)

The Harvest of American Racism

Using the market mechanism to solve structural problems is the wrong approach to improving distressed communities.

Olugbenga Ajilore

Related Priorities

Tackling Climate Change and Environmental Injustice
Issue

Tackling Climate Change and Environmental Injustice

We pursue climate action that meets the crisis’s urgency, creates good-quality jobs, benefits disadvantaged communities, and restores U.S. credibility on the global stage.

Strengthening Health
Issue

Strengthening Health

We work to strengthen public health systems and improve health care coverage, access, and affordability.

Building an Economy for All
Issue

Building an Economy for All

Economic growth must be built on the foundation of a strong and secure middle class so that all Americans benefit from growth.

Advancing Racial Equity and Justice
Issue

Advancing Racial Equity and Justice

We apply a racial equity lens in developing and advancing policies that aim to root out entrenched systemic racism to ensure everyone has an opportunity to thrive.

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