Racism And Economics
Protesters this weekend on Flatbush Avenue near the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, chanting "get your knee off my chest." Stacey Vanek Smith /NPR hide caption
This past weekend was defined by protests across the country. Sparked by the death of George Floyd, thousands of people marched in America's major cities to speak out against racism and police brutality.
Racial inequality has plagued the American economy for centuries, and the coronavirus pandemic has only heightened the dangers of the existing racial wealth gap. Notably, African Americans are disproportionately dying from COVID-19. Black-owned businesses are also far less likely to receive financial relief from the CARES Act, the enormous government aid bill passed by Congress in March.
On today's show, why black Americans are being harder hit by the pandemic than other racial groups, and how the novel coronavirus is in no way, as some have called it, "the great equalizer."
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