How The ‘Hidden Rules Of Race’ Have Shaped The Economy

WUNC News | By Frank Stasio,

Charlie Shelton

Published October 26, 2017 at 11:51 AM EDT

'Hidden Rules of Race' examines racial rules, laws, policies, institutions, regulations and normative practices that make up the foundation of our economy and society.

In the last 50 years, the wealth gap between white families and black and Latino families has more than tripled. Today the median net worth of white families is nearly 10 times that of black families, according to recent data from the Federal Reserve.The wealth gap is nothing new in the United States and has only gotten worse along racial lines.

Host Frank Stasio talks with Felicia Wong, CEO and president of the Roosevelt Institute and co-author of the book, along with Andrea Flynn and Dorian Warren, Roosevelt Institute fellows and co-authors.

In the new book “The Hidden Rules of Race: Barriers to an Inclusive Economy” (Cambridge University Press/2017), the authors argue economic inequality is deeply tied to racial discrimination.

For centuries, specific rules and systems have been put in place to create barriers that prevent African-Americans from engaging in an inclusive economy.

These rules, from Jim Crow segregation to mandatory minimum sentencing laws, have had lasting impacts on income, health and education for minority communities. Host Frank Stasio talks with Felicia Wong, CEO and president of the Roosevelt Institute and co-author of the book, along with Andrea Flynn and Dorian Warren, Roosevelt Institute fellows and co-authors, about the history of racialized rules in the U.S.

They participate in a book reading Thursday, Oct. 26 at 6:30 p.m. at the David M. Rubenstein Library at Duke University in Durham.