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Vol. 85 – No. 45 | July 13-19, 2022

Inflation Nation: The Wealth Gap Isn’t a Game for Black America By Hiram E. Jackson The lower net worth of Black households is the underlying reason inflation is so much more of a burden in Black communities. Fresh off of the Juneteenth and the Fourth of July independence celebrations, most Americans are getting back to business and addressing the sometimes arduous challenges of everyday life. In particular, financial challenges are a fact that is becoming more difficult and even taxing for many Americans, particularly Black Americans. Historically, Blacks have suffered severe economic and wealth disparities coupled with the educational and social inequities that have been an ongoing reality for centuries in our daily living. True, these issues were exacerbated by the pandemic, but even before the pandemic, we were still living in a world of limited financial advanceHiram E. Jackson ments and declining employment opportunities. The wealth gap between Black and white households is as high as $800,000. Case in point: During the pandemic, 10% of Black women remained unemployed, but post-pandemic, in May of 2022, the unemployment rate among Black women reached 16.5%, according to a Bloomberg analysis. And in the wake of the rising cost of goods and services and crippling inflation rates, we’re all feeling the pain from the gas pump to the grocery store. But the underlying reason inflation is so much more of a burden in Black communities is the widening racial wealth gap, with white households having many times more net worth than Black households. Duke University public policy professor William Darity Jr. estimates that the wealth gap between Black and white households is as high as $800,000. According to a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report, inflation reached 8.5% in March — the highest since 1981. And like most economic spirals, Black communities are disproportionately impacted as they spend a greater percentage of their incomes on necessities like food and gas. So, since this concept or idea of fairness in economies continues to elude Black Americans, our only real redress to impact the racial wealth gap is at the intersection of political power and economic strength in the Black community. To defeat these astonishing wealth gaps, we’ll (like everything else) do it by using the power of our votes. But first, we’ll have to work to salvage what’s left of the democracy and shore up those candidates and legislators who hold fast to the principles of fairness and ideals of shared wealth, particularly

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WHAT’S INSIDE

Michigan Chronicle Endorses Janice Winfrey for Congress in the 12th Michigan Chronicle Editorial Board Since elected in 2005, Janice Winfrey – now in her fifth term as Detroit City Clerk – has worked tirelessly to increase voter turnout and oversee elections with integrity and transparency. A native Detroiter, Winfrey has embraced with honor the three charter-mandated responsibilities of her position: City Clerk, Official Record Keeper, and Chief Elections Officer. Her accomplishments have included establishing the Detroit Archives and Records Management Division, which ensures that all citizens and other parties have access to archived and current city records. She additionally introduced five new voting systems in Detroit, and BallotTrax, created to track absentee ballots while notifying voters where their ballots are in the election process. The Michigan Chronicle views Winfrey as a proven leader who has worked with diverse groups in her tenure as City Clerk to reach common goals and objectives on behalf of Detroiters. As a congresswoman representing the 12th Congressional District, we believe her ability and willingness to work with diverse people and entities will bode well on Capitol Hill to bring home much-needed dollars and resources. While “all elected officials” have critics and faultfinders - and Winfrey is not an exception – she is not distracted from doing the job she was elected to do - serve and empower the people. Winfrey is not accustomed to doing the same thing if it’s not working; she finds better and more innovative ways to press forward to meet goals effectively, efficiently, and professionally. Winfrey will use the same philosophy, drive, and actionable platforms in congress to better address infrastructure initiatives, protect women’s rights, advocate for clean drinking water,

improve public safety, and work with colleagues to ensure that all American children have the opportunity to receive a quality education in a safe learning environment. As a former Detroit school teacher, Winfrey knows the enormous disadvantages and inequalities Black and Brown children face in educational settings and will work to eliminate such barriers. In an era when laws by Republicans have been passed to infringe on the voting rights of Black and Brown voters, we believe Winfrey will be laser-focused in protecting democracy and expanding voting rights to underserved people. And at a time when Michigan and the nation are still in the clutch of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chronicle feels that Winfrey will be a fierce advocate in eradicating health care disparities in Black and Brown communities. Winfrey will be a valuable ally to the Biden-Harris Administration in its quest to spur the economy and address other critical issues facing America. The Mayor of Detroit and Governor of Michigan have already formed tremendous relationships with the administration, which have been positive for the city, county, and state through ample federal funding. Winfrey, as the next congresswoman in the 12th, will work diligently to move the administration’s agenda forward for the people. And Winfrey supports Israel, calling it “America’s only ally in the Middle East.” One of her opponents, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a Palestinian-American, has spoken out against Israel on many occasions since elected to Congress. Tlaib – first elected to serve the 13th Congressional District in 2018 following Rep. Conyers’ resignation in 2017 - chose earlier this year to run

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While the 12th District needs a fighter, there are times in Congress when the “art of the fight” must transition to include the “art of the compromise” to benefit constituents. Tlaib was criticized by many people for her “no” vote on President Biden’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill signed into law last November. The bill has been hailed as a “once in a generation investment in America’s Infrastructure.” Yet, Tlaib was the only Democrat from Michigan to vote “no.” Tlaib told the Michigan Chronicle Editorial Board that her “no” vote was based on a broken promise to move both bills – Infrastructure and Build Back Better – together. Build Back Better was scrapped – for now - and leverage has been weakened for the transformative investments in climate and social initiatives. “When you represent one of the poorest communities in the nation and turn your back on the voters with a ‘no’ vote on President Biden’s infrastructure because you can’t get the whole deal, that’s not serving the people - that’s being stubborn. Her ‘no’ vote made me run for Congress,” Winfrey told the Chronicle Editorial Board. The other candidates in the 12th Congressional race are Shanelle Jackson and Kelly Garrett; both have strengths. Jackson has a portfolio of accomplishments in the public and private sectors. She served as a member of the Michigan House of Representa-

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How to Effectively Fight for Michigan’s Reproductive Rights Protections By Rasha Almulaiki/ Michigan Chronicle Editorial Board

Black Men Give Back Through Adopting, Mentorship

in the new 12th. Tlaib is known as a fighter for the people and someone who won’t back down. She has been a strong proponent of environmental justice, punctuated by the importance of clean drinking water.

bilized tens of millions of people across the United States, organizing strategic actions to fight the rescission of nearly 50 years of progress protecting a woman’s unmitigated right to her own body.

The national fight for women’s reproductive health wages on as concerned citizens and public officials take to the streets and courtroom in concerted protest. The 2022 Michigan primary election is less than a month away and Detroit’s registered voters play a crucial role in safeguarding local women’s agency to make critical health care decisions for themselves. While many concerned residents are still processing the Supreme Court’s devastating decision to strip federal protections of women’s reproductive rights, its important to understand the full impact of the fallout and ongoing response. On June 24, history was made by the landmark Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization 6-3 ruling delivered by the Supreme Court, controversially overturning the seminal 1973 Roe v. Wade decision granting abortion as a federally protected right. Women’s rights coalitions and health

On Friday, President Joe Biden signed an executive order to protest abortion care and contraceptives, patient privacy and to called to establish an interagency taskforce to use “every federal tool available to protect access to reproductive health care.” Status of Abortion Battle in Michigan

care organizations across the country have been steadily rallying against SCOTUS’s decision to eliminate the constitutional right to obtain an abortion. In a hegemonic shift back toward conservative precedent, the “Dobbs decision” granted deferential power to individual states. The resounding fear and outrage has mo-

On the home front, Michiganders’ protection of abortion rights precariously hangs in the balance. Governor Gretchen Whitmer and hundreds of thousands of residents continue mobilizing against a 1931 statue that can be enforced to criminalize abortion without exception for rape or incest. In April, Gov. Whitmer used her executive authority to protection legal abortion by filing a lawsuit urging the Michigan Supreme Court to immediately resolve the state’s anti-

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