Martin had a dream: 2019’s States with most racial progress

January 21, 2019 No Comments

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day and 58 percent of Americans agree increased diversity makes the U.S. a better place while only 9 percent say it makes the U.S. worse. The personal-finance website WalletHub this month released its report on 2019’s States with the Most Racial Progress to measure America’s progress in harmonizing racial groups, particularly the gaps between blacks and whites across 22 key indicators of equality and integration in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The data set ranges from median annual income to standardized-test scores to voter turnout.

Note: This report examines the differences between only blacks and whites in light of the high-profile police-brutality incidents that sparked the Black Lives Matter movement and the holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who played a prominent role in the Civil Rights Movement to end segregation and discrimination against blacks.

Most Racially Integrated States		States with the Most Racial Progress
1	New Mexico	1	Wyoming
2	West Virginia	2	Texas
3	Hawaii	3	New Mexico
4	Kentucky	4	Georgia
5	Texas	5	Mississippi
6	Wyoming	6	New Jersey
7	Delaware	7	South Carolina
8	Arizona	8	Florida
9	Maryland	9	Idaho
10	Georgia	10	North Carolina

Key Stats

The District of Columbia has the lowest gap in homeownership rates between whites and blacks, at 13.41 percent. Connecticut has made the most progress in closing this gap since 1970, with a change of 8.25 percent.
Hawaii has the lowest gap in median annual household incomes between whites and blacks, at 7.74 percent, and has made the most progress in closing this gap since 1979, with a change of 33.19 percent.
South Dakota has the lowest gap in unemployment rates between whites and blacks, at 0.85 percent. North Dakota has made the most progress in closing this gap since 1970, with a change of 12.94 percent.
Hawaii has the lowest gap in poverty rates between whites and blacks, at 0.87 percent. Mississippi has made the most progress in closing this gap since 1970, with a change of 24.80 percent.
New Mexico has the lowest gap in the share of adults 25 years and over with at least a bachelor’s degree between whites and blacks, at 0.83 percent, and has made the most progress in closing this gap since 1970, with a change of 5.71 percent.

View the full report and your state or the District’s rank today.

More from WalletHub

Analysis of the Turnout Gap by Bernard L. Fraga | book review

January 21, 2019 No Comments

For political scholars, I cannot rave more about this must-read ‘The Turnout Gap: Race, Ethnicity and Political Inequality in a Diversifying America’ by Bernard L. Fraga. He offers a comprehensive and striking analysis of the causes and consequences of racial and ethnic disparities in voter turnout.

Here at Fromgirltogirl, we like that Fraga provides evidence reflecting the advanced analytical tools and diverse, big data sources that distinguish the modern study of voter turnout. Reading the book, we discover with Fraga that there are no easy political or policy fixes to voter turnout issues. But it keeps us mindful how vital electoral politics are to narrowing the turnout gap as well as allow us to question whether electoral politics are outdated in modern politics. We also appreciate that the evidence is easy to understand with visual aids throughout the book as well as clear and concise commentary from Fraga.

Examining voting for Whites, African Americans, Latinos, and Asian Americans from the 1800s to the present, Fraga documents persistent gaps in turnout and shows that elections are increasingly unrepresentative of the wishes of all Americans. The book comes just in time for the 2020 election campaigns as we await how minority voters will influence or not the election outcomes.

Fraga demonstrates throughout the book that voters turnout at higher rates when their votes matter; despite demographic change, in most elections and most places, minorities are less electorally relevant than Whites. But when politicians engage the minority electorate, the power of the vote can win. However, demography is not destiny. It is up to politicians, parties, and citizens themselves to mobilize the potential of all Americans. Get the book today.