About 15 Cents
What is 15 Cents on the Dollar?
Typical Black families in the United States have 15 cents on the dollar compared to typical white families. It's a figure that has not changed all that much in generations. This new book explains why, and how that might be changed.
Staring Across the Gap
The Black-white wealth gap pervades our country. It's not hidden, but it's not well understood by most people. As you start to learn about the causes and symptoms of the gap, you'll see more contours of it in your daily life. You'll see people differently. You'll have a choice --- do you look away or do you look straight at it? Do you sit still or do you look to build bridges?
Meet the Authors
When George Floyd was killed in 2020, we -- like many people in the country -- felt catalyzed by the moment to dig deeper on the historic and contemporary issues surrounding Black-white inequality. Through hundreds of intimate interviews, street reporting, academic research reviews, data analysis and historic primary documents, we dug deep on the Black-white wealth gap hand-in-hand with each other, working as partners. The result is a narrative book, rooted in the lives and families of seven Black Americans, that will take you -- no matter your background -- on a journey of self reflection about your life, your relationship to wealth gaps, and our nation's future.
Louise Story
Louise is a prize-winning investigative journalist who spent more than 15 years at the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, where she was the top masthead editor running coverage strategy. Her work investigating corruption led to the largest kleptocracy forfeiture in U.S. history, a scandal known as the 1MDB case. Her work during the 2008 financial crisis led to a multi-billion dollar settlement in the derivative market and to Goldman Sachs’s S.E.C. settlement. Projects she led have received honors including Emmy Awards, Pulitzer Prize finalist citations, and Online News Association awards. Louise’s film "The Kleptocrats" aired on the BBC, Apple and Amazon. She teaches about racial wealth gaps at The Yale School of Management.
Ebony Reed
Ebony began her career as a reporter at The Plain Dealer, covering Cleveland public schools, documenting public education’s inequities, with her work recognized by The Investigative Reporters & Editors organization. At the Detroit News, she managed the local coverage during the 2008 economic crisis. Now the Chief Strategy Officer at The Marshall Project, she has held other senior roles at the Associated Press, Boston Business Journal, and The Wall Street Journal. She’s taught at more than a half dozen institutions, including The Yale
School of Management, where she co-teaches with Louise.
Black-Owned Business
There are many barriers to building wealth, and one is a gap in business ownership. It's more difficult for people without networks of well-to-do friends to raise capital, and banks are not always fair in lending to entrepreneurs of all racial backgrounds. In our book process, we are supporting Black researchers, artists and Black bookstores by shining attention on them when we can. The art, shown on the right is by Jordan Mitchell, a Black artist who can be found at @indiedynamo on Instagram. The image here shows people trying to move forward, driving across a bridge. But the barriers keep coming. In this case, the barrier is a fire on a bridge, stopping their forward progress.
Want to Learn More on the Data?
We give talks on wealth gap data --- including all racial wealth gaps and the gender pay gap. Contact us here if you would like to host a "by the numbers" talk to spread this knowledge and spur new conversations in your community.
Keep in Touch, Find Events and Our Donations
We are hosting racial wealth gap symposiums around the country to listen, learn and share with local communities. Sign up for our free newsletter below to get updates on our events and on our research. We also have a link on the newsletter page that shares information about the donations we have made from the profits of this book.
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