The State of Communities of Color in the U.S. Economy

By Christian E. Weller, Jaryn Fields, Folayemi Agbede

Read more and download the policy brief here.

The Great Recession of 2007–2009 produced widespread employment losses for communities of color and white families alike—losses that have yet to be overcome amid the still tentative economic recovery. All U.S. households were severely hurt by the recession but communities of color experienced larger losses than whites. This also means that, as the economic recovery deepens and the labor market recovers, communities of color will have to climb out of a deeper hole to regain the same level of economic security as they had before the crisis.

This policy brief on the state of communities of color as we enter 2011 includes a specific list of policy recommendations from CAP's Progress 2050 project to address these three policy lessons.

More on the State of Communities of Color in 2011

Conference call: Congressman James E. Clyburn (D-SC) along with representatives from the Center for American Progress, the National Urban League, the National Congress of American Indians, the National Council of La Raza, and the National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development discuss the current economic state of communities of color. Listen to the call here.

See also: Ask the Expert: Christian Weller on the State of Communities of Color in 2011