Forum Highlights Challenges and Persistent Inequities Facing the African American Community

Statement

Today, Members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) Democrats held a public forum at the Harlem Hospital Center to discuss the impact of economic challenges and persistent inequities facing the African American community in New York. Members heard from New York community and academic leaders during an informative discussion on the vast economic disparities among African Americans and whites around the country.

"Disparities in income and particularly wealth have increased dramatically in recent years, as many African American families lost their homes to mortgage foreclosure," said Rep. Clarke. "Many of these families were eligible for mortgages with low interest rates but were nonetheless sold subprime mortgages by banks that regularly practiced racial discrimination. These disparities threaten the ability of every family to achieve the American Dream, as even a half-century after the enactment of the Civil Rights Act, African Americans in the United States are still denied the right to full participation in our civil society. As members of Congress, we share a responsibility to support those individuals who want to create the change that will ultimately eliminate these disparities and establish the principle of equality as a matter of fact for every person in the United States."

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