San Antonio: Toxic Inequality: Confronting the Racial Wealth Gap

The San Antonio Area AFN held a “sold-out” event on January 9, 2018 – Toxic Inequality: Confronting the Racial Wealth Gap. The event was headlined by national author, Dr. Thomas Shapiro, who highlighted the findings from his most recent book of the same title. Dr. Shapiro focused on the wide gaps in income and assets for African American and Latino families compared to White families and shed light on policy areas that are critical to reversing these trends.

Dr. Christine Drennon, Associate Professor, Urban Studies Program, Trinity University, shed light on her findings of economic and geographic segregation in San Antonio over 50 years.

Don Baylor, from The Annie E. Casey Foundation, gave the audience an overview of initiatives across the country that are working to improve the economic security of families and individuals.

The panel discussed the importance of building assets to minimize the impact of emergency situations and to establish a financial foundation to access opportunities in education, housing, and employment. The attendees commented that “the panel did not water down the data or message around racial inequality”, appreciated the “specific focus on collective efforts to address systemic problems, and the “data provided in the slides and the speakers’ personal knowledge of the topics”.

This was the second learning session for the Steering Committee and by all accounts successful in bringing together funders and grantmakers and the nonprofit community to learn together. Grantmakers, nonprofit service providers, employers and policymakers – anyone interested in improving the lives of working families were invited to attend, and was held at the Pearl Studio in San Antonio.