Addressing Disparities In The Aftermath Of George Floyd’s Death

Close the Wealth, Education and Health Gaps

By David C. Harrington 

David Harrington is President & CEO of the Prince George’s Chamber of Commerce.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men (everyone) are created equal, endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”   -- The United States Declaration of Independence

David Harrington

Mr. George Floyd’s brutal murder has illuminated our value contradiction: everyone does not have the right of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  What cannot be lost here is that Mr. Floyd lived in a state where African Americans are barred from wealth. According to a recent article in The Washington Post, African Americans earn ½ the income of whites and comprise 1/3 of homeownership. In education, Minnesota has one of the largest education gaps in the nation. Based on a Minnesota-based report card on education and proficiency, whites scored 52% with African Americans scoring 16%.  The overall state average was reported at 45%. This in a state lauded for its so-called economic and educational achievements. Unfortunately, Mr. Floyd lived in a state where his prospects of owning a home and receiving a good education for his children were elusive; unfortunately, this is a microcosm of our nation. 

In its 2019 report, EdBuild cited a stunning reality: a $23-billion gap in public education funding between middle to high-income white and middle to low-income black communities. Mostly segregated white communities have higher property values than most black communities. The gap, which is supposed to be closed by state and federal intervention, is never realized, leaving black children lacking resources and instruction to even compare with their counterparts. 

Just imagine, some school districts beginning their school year with iPads and Smart Boards and other school districts with outdated textbooks and projectors. The children in one school system are prepared for higher aspirations, the children in the other are left with uncertainty regarding what lies ahead.

Persistent is the hard reality that zip code and place matters! Despite promising rhetoric, we live in segregated communities formed by insidious policies legally supported by redlining, gentrification and housing that intentionally have separated us by race and class. High property white communities have walking access to healthy grocery stores, bike trails and neighborhood clinics. Consequently, residents in these communities have favorable health outcomes, robust schools and are civically engaged. In some low-income Black communities, the data is alarming: 70% of its residents are either obese or overweight, ½ the population has heart disease or diabetes. Why? The grocery store is a packaged food haven, park construction projects are stuck in a municipal budget lacking a champion, and the only clinic in reach is the public hospital emergency room. 

Justifiably, for now, the protests are centered on policy brutality. Few can argue against the lengthy history of Black lives being subjected to police violence and death. Reforms are needed, but the path of justice cannot end here. Required is addressing the root basis for segregated wealth, education and health-through a sustained campaign of closing these gaps. 

Close the wealth gap – presently, African American wealth is .10 of every dollar for White Americans; policies and investment must target:

*Relining and gentrification

*Community investment and fair mortgage strategies that increase black homeownership

*Black business investment through Small Business Administration loans or another low-interest lending

*Target workforce and market job training to low-income public schools

Close the unequal education gap – regardless of zip code or place, every child attending a public school must receive a rigorous high-quality education by:

*Each state reworking their local funding formulas and targeting investments to low-income community schools; as such, have funding parity

*Fund academic enrichment programs that bring parity to academic achievement

Close the Health Gap - every community must have access to clinics and healthy outlets:

*Health care for all

*Tax incentive financing that lures mainstream healthy grocery stores to low-income communities

*Prioritize park and safe place wellness facilities in low-income communities

Close the gap policies and strategies are a beginning for bringing equity to every community. Imagine, George Floyd living in a community where his child is receiving a first-rate education, where he owns a home with strong equity and he has a living wage. All Mr. Floyd really wanted was an opportunity to pursue life liberty and the pursuit of happiness, instead his life ended with a knee on his neck. We must do better!

Be safe & well,

David C. Harrington