Understanding the implications of structural racism in America’s economy and advancing actions to improve economic outcomes for all
Hosted by
all 12 District Banks of the Federal Reserve System
Series overview
The 12 regional Federal Reserve Banks have a responsibility to support an economy that works for all. In the wake of George Floyd's murder and the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 12 Banks partnered to present the Racism and the Economy webinar series. Each virtual conference highlighted work by leading academics and practitioners in a variety of fields. Their presentations identified barriers to economic opportunity for households of color. Each session also featured a conversation about interventions that could reduce racial disparities in areas like employment, financial stability, access to credit, and education.
The events
October 7, 2020
Kickoff event
“Racism really has been about the economy, and the economy has fueled racism.”
—Angela Glover Blackwell (Policylink), keynote
November 17, 2020
Focus on Employment
“The ever-present legacy of racism and economic inequality continue to impose a needlessly petty burden on the backs of Black workers during the COVID-19 crisis.”
—Valerie Wilson (Economic Policy Institute), keynote
Read the recap article › Policy brief, proposals, and additional resources › Event details and video ›
January 12, 2021
Focus on Education
“I don't see how we stay a great country if we continue to allow the majority of our children to not be able to get a quality education.”
—Geoffrey Canada (Harlem Children’s Zone), keynote
Read the recap article › Policy brief, proposals, and additional resources › Event details and video ›
March 1, 2021
Focus on Housing
“A truly equitable market can’t be built upon the kind of corrupted and fragile foundation that has been created by decades of intentional discriminatory disinvestment.”
—Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor (Princeton University), keynote
Read the recap article › Policy brief, proposals, and additional resources › Event details and video ›
April 13, 2021
Focus on the Economics Profession
“The starting point is to stop looking at the pipeline as the problem here and to all think about what does the institution do and how we can change the institution.”
—William E. Spriggs (Chief Economist, AFL-CIO)
Read the recap article › Conference report › Additional resources › Event details and video ›
June 2, 2021
Focus on Entrepreneurship
“As late as the 1960s, there were 50 viable African American insurance companies. Today, that number is down to two.”
—Robert E. Weems Jr. (Wichita State University), keynote
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July 13, 2021
Focus on Criminal Justice
“There's a massive wealth transfer that happens in many parts of the [criminal justice] system that imposes burdens on individuals, their families, and their communities that are simply almost impossible to recover from.”
—Nicholas Turner (Vera Institute of Justice), keynote
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September 9, 2021
Focus on Health
“The kind of racism that does the major damage to population health exists in the ways that racism has embedded itself into the structures, into the policies that limit access to basic resources that can improve health.”
—Abdul El-Sayed (University of Michigan Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy)
Read the recap article › Policy brief, proposals, and additional resources › Event details and video ›
October 20, 2021
Focus on the Wealth Divide
“Racism is all too pervasive in today's economy. Arguably, nowhere more than the banking system.”
—Mehrsa Baradaran (University of California, Irvine, School of Law)
Read the recap article › Policy brief, proposals, and additional resources › Event details and video ›
November 16, 2021
Focus on Financial Services
“Part of getting the right policies is reckoning with the way that that the policies really prevented the use of credit to block this capital accumulation.”
—Bill Bynum (Hope Enterprise Corporation, Hope Credit Union, and Hope Policy Institute)
Read the recap article › Policy brief, proposals, and additional resources › Event details and video ›
In the news
The Racism and the Economy series is a landmark 11-part series that has attracted the attention of national media.
Marketplace:
What role can the Fed play in building a more inclusive economy?
Series Partners
