The Economics of Racism: Bootstraps, Black Banks and Redlining.

Progressives continually lose the debate on issues of institutional poverty, structural inequality and systemic racism because they’re loaded with history and meaning that require thinking. It’s a lot easier to say, “Make America Great Again,” “Free Markets,” or “America First.” This episode uncovers the economic side of systemic racism in the United States throughout history and how it led to the uncomfortable reality where Blacks in America have been locked out of every period of wealth accumulation by design. We ask and answer difficult questions that used to only be asked in polite company but have now become off-the-cuff talking points on the right. The show also challenges conventional economic wisdom within the Black community and draws a conclusion that can only be called “inevitable”: Reparations or Revolution.

Resources

Electronic Frontier Foundation - The FCC and States Must Ban Digital Redlining: eff.org/deeplinks/2021/01/fcc-and-states-must-ban-digital-redlining

CNET - The broadband gap's dirty secret: Redlining still exists in digital form: cnet.com/features/the-broadband-gaps-dirty-secret-redlining-still-exists-in-digital-form

NDIA - AT&T’s Digital Redlining Of Cleveland: digitalinclusion.org/blog/2017/03/10/atts-digital-redlining-of-cleveland

Public Knowledge - It’s 2021. Why is Redlining Still Happening?: publicknowledge.org/blog/its-2021-why-is-redlining-still-happening/

Bloomberg - Amazon Doesn’t Consider the Race of Its Customers. Should It?: bloomberg.com/graphics/2016-amazon-same-day

Book Love

Mehrsa Baradaran - The Color of Money: Black Banks and the Racial Wealth Gap: bookshop.org/a/23377/9780674237476

Richard Rothstein - The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America: bookshop.org/a/23377/9781631494536

Adam Jentleson - Kill Switch: The Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling of American Democracy: bookshop.org/a/23377/9781631497773

Jelani Cobb - The Essential Kerner Commission Report: bookshop.org/a/23377/9781631498923

Pod Love

Pitchfork Economics with Nick Hanauer: pitchforkeconomics.com

News Beat - Kerner Report 50 Years Later: America Is Even More ‘Separate & Unequal’: usnewsbeat.com/kerner-report-50-years-later

News Beat - Redlining & Climate Change: A Deadly Combination: usnewsbeat.com/redlining-climate-change-a-deadly-combination

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