Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Futurity

    Racial wealth gap has roots in promises of land

    A new podcast episode on the racial wealth gap delves into two different promises of land in US history: the famous "40 acres and a mule" and the Homestead Act.
    by Duke University Mar 26, 2021 1 minute
    mule in field

    The United States made two promises—and it kept one but not the other. The tale can help us understand the existing wealth gap between African Americans and white Americans.

    One of those promises, that of “40 acres and a mule,” officially was made in 1865. The US government decided that newly freed African Americans should have a plot of land to call their own. Three years earlier, when 90% of African Americans were still enslaved, the federal government enacted the Homestead Act and started offering free 160-acre plots of land to settlers, mostly white Americans.

    Find out more in this episode of the Ways & Means podcast series, “The Arc of Justice—From Here to Equality,” which arises from the research of economist William A. “Sandy” Darity Jr, professor of public policy at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University. Darity and folklorist and arts consultant A. Kirsten Mullen are coauthors of the book From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the 21st Century (UNC Press, 2020).

    Listen to the episode here or read the transcript:

    Source: Duke University

    The post Racial wealth gap has roots in promises of land appeared first on Futurity.

    More from Futurity

    Futurity3 min read
    Drug Appears To Reverse Type 1 Diabetes In Mice
    An experimental monoclonal antibody drug appears to prevent and reverse the onset of clinical type 1 diabetes in mice, and in some cases, to lengthen the animals’ lifespan. Researchers say the drug, called mAb43, is unique because it targets insulin-
    Futurity4 min read
    Alzheimer’s Moves Faster In People With Down Syndrome
    A new study shows that Alzheimer’s disease both starts earlier and moves faster in people with Down syndrome, The finding may have important implications for the treatment and care of this vulnerable group of patients. Nearly all adults with Down syn
    Futurity3 min read
    Does Your Dog Have ‘Rage Syndrome’?
    Dog aggression can be unsettling, stressful, and even dangerous, not only for the dog but also for other pets, family members, and strangers. Because some forms of aggression are rare and unexpected, such as rage syndrome, Lori Teller, a clinical pro

    Related Books & Audiobooks