The Fire in our Region

Patrick C. Graham, Ph.D.
President and CEO, Urban League of Central Carolinas

The recent revelation from the Pew Research Center indicating that wealth gaps between “whites” and “minorities” in the United States have grown to their widest levels in 25 years is like a person screaming fire without vocal cords. The median wealth for a European American household is $113,149 compared to $6,325 and $5,677 for Hispanic American and African American households. The warning goes unnoticed, but the flame engulfs us all just the same; even though affected populations and the social impact seem invisible. With the recent political volleying over our debt ceiling, which has its own economic implications, the news of our increased disparities did not capture the American imagination or our leadership’s attention in the ways that it should.