Economist and author William “Sandy” Darity discussed the current racial wage gap in the US during a virtual TED Talk on June 30, 2020.
Darity explains during a recorded virtual conversation that the American economy needs to act upon specific reparations to fix the racial wage gap that started over 100 years ago during the times of slavery in the United States.
“Collectively across the globe, there is approximately $300 trillion in wealth,” said Darity. “About a third of that is in the possession of American citizens, and 90% of that is in the possessions of white Americans.”
The reparations Darity discusses include direct payments from the U.S. government to eligible recipients. The criteria for an eligible recipient would be those who have lineage (at least one ancestor who was enslaved in America) and those who can prove they have self-identified themselves as black for at least 12 years before the onset of reparations.
"The reparations Darity wants to install seem to be very hard to comply with," said current Economics major Maddie Kuciapinski. "I understand where he is coming from, but in regards to the bigger picture, I don't think they are necessarily ideal."
The on-going COVID-19 pandemic has also played a more recent role in increasing the wage gap due to a significant increase in the loss of black-owned businesses.
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