The Black Impact: The Racial Wealth Gap Issue in Canada & the U.S.  

Due to slavery, Black people were not afforded the privilege of earning a livable wage and obtaining intergenerational wealth. Many laws based in discrimination and maintaining wealth for the dominant culture prohibited Black people from obtaining property, higher education, and affluent careers.

Throughout our history and to this day, Black people make significantly lower wages, are more likely to be unemployed and still experience hiring discrimination from potential employers compared to their white counterparts, in the U.S. and Canada.

Throughout this workshop, you will learn about how years of inequality around housing and jobs has compounding effects on Black people’s potential to obtain better economic outcomes as a minority group with one of the highest rates of poverty. 

Learning Objectives: 

• Understanding historical factors that led to the racial wealth gap and the powerful impact of housing and job discrimination  
• Gaining awareness about how Black communities are impacted by the wealth gap  
• Consider ways that we can work to address and reduce the racial wealth gap and advocate for equity in our communities

Facilitators: Myrlie Marcelin and Shayla Stephen