Evanston, Illinois is compensating victims of housing discrimination. Big questions remain about whether and how reparations should be handled.
Category: Color of Money
Color of Money is a Wisconsin Watch series examining the state’s stark racial disparities in wealth and income. How did we get here? And what can be done to narrow this wealth and income gap — and a declining standard of living for Black residents? Students in a University of Wisconsin-Madison investigative reporting class led by Wisconsin Watch Managing Editor Dee J. Hall delved into these questions and more.
Posted inColor of Money, Economy
Wisconsin cities look to basic income to close racial, other wealth gaps
Following the lead of presidential candidate Andrew Yang, cities in Wisconsin and elsewhere are providing residents a basic income. Will the trend grow?
Posted inColor of Money, Economy
Could ‘baby bonds’ close Wisconsin’s racial wealth gap?
Setting aside government money at birth for all children has been tried both inside and outside of the United States — and even in Wisconsin. Not everyone is a fan.
Posted inColor of Money, Economy
Raising Wisconsin’s minimum wage would significantly cut poverty. So why is it still $7.25?
Thousands of residents in Wisconsin — many of them people of color — would see a higher standard of living if politicians raised the long-stalled minimum wage.
Posted inColor of Money, Economy
Homeownership gap for people of color in Wisconsin is wide; communities, nonprofits try to close it
Historical redlining, racial covenants and modern-day barriers including lower incomes keep most residents of color in Wisconsin from owning homes
Posted inColor of Money, Economy
What Wisconsin homeowners (and those who want to be) should know
Here’s a list of resources in Milwaukee and around Wisconsin
Posted inColor of Money, Economy, Health & Welfare
Convictions bar Wisconsinites from many jobs, making re-entry ‘a real struggle’
People of color in Wisconsin have higher incarceration rates than whites, which means many jobs and opportunities remain out of reach for them.
Posted inColor of Money
A Milwaukee man explains how his college debt spiraled out of control — and how to avoid a similar fate
After we published a story about how many Black Wisconsin residents struggle with high student loan debt, several readers had questions about how the debt for Clint Myrick, a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee alum, was able to reach $152,039.
Posted inColor of Money, Economy, Education
Drop out or drown in debt? Many Black students in Wisconsin face stark choices in paying for college
Cutting or eliminating student loan debt would ‘change everything,’ says one Black University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee alum struggling with a six-figure debt.
Posted inColor of Money, News about Wisconsin Watch
Wisconsin Watch’s Color of Money series probes racial wealth and income gap in Wisconsin
Color of Money, a new Wisconsin Watch series examining the state’s stark racial disparities in wealth and income, launches May 15.