The health and welfare of our cities are driven by everyone benefiting from a prosperous economy. Unfortunately, long-standing disparities between BIPOC and white households on measures of wealth and income have been substantial and continue to persist across the country. In the absence of targeted practice and policy intervention, the racial wealth divide will continue to widen and undermine the opportunities and promises cities could provide their residents.
Municipal Strategies to Narrow the Racial Wealth Divide
This resource is designed to increase city leaders’ understanding of how to approach and design impactful strategies to reduce the racial wealth divide. Developed with information from interviews with city leaders and national experts, the guide is intended to highlight the unique role of municipalities and seed new ideas for city staff and leaders.
Racial Wealth Divide Strategy Series
NLC’s Economic Opportunity and Financial Empowerment team along with NLC’s Race, Equity and Leadership team hosted a webinar series focused on narrowing the racial wealth gap, covering Equitable Municipal Procurement, Inclusive Workforce Development, Income, Savings and Debt Reduction, and Housing and Homeownership.
Racial Wealth Divide Learning Community
The Racial Wealth Divide Learning Community (RWDLC) is a group of cities deeply committed to reducing racial wealth inequities in their communities. The cities in the learning community participate in ongoing peer learning virtual engagements. These sessions explore enhancing public dialogue, policy, and practice to close the racial wealth divide while promoting economic prosperity. The learning community examines the history of local racial and economic disparities, and uses the knowledge gleaned to institute promising strategies to close the divide and build pathways to prosperity.
Participating cities work on:
- Centering racial equity in creating a sustained and effective response to narrowing the racial wealth divide in the following policy spheres:
- Banking/Lending/Financial Services
- Hiring/Employment
- Housing
- Education
- Criminal Justice
- Establishing a shared vision for eliminating the racial wealth divide
- Identifying wealth inequities and opportunities for change
- Implementing strategies to address the racial wealth divide
This learning community is by invitation only. For more information, email EOFE@nlc.org.
The RWD Learning Community is made possible with financial support from The Annie E. Casey Foundation.
How Guaranteed Income Programs Can Help Cities Narrow the Racial Wealth Divide
- Diana Goldsmith
- Jordyn Battle
Narrowing the Racial Wealth Divide: Supporting the Homeownership Journey
- Diana Goldsmith
- Stephanie Onuaja
How Children’s Savings Accounts Can Help Narrow the Racial Wealth Divide
- Diana Goldsmith
Municipal Strategies to Narrow the Racial Wealth Divide
Narrowing the Racial Wealth Divide: Using Procurement to Support Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises
- Jenn Steinfeld
- Beverly Scurry
- Jordyn Battle
- Diana Goldsmith
Narrowing the Racial Wealth Divide: Inclusive Workforce Development Programs
- Diana Goldsmith