NEW
METROPOLITAN
AREA
TODAY
%RANKS
A
S
CONSISTENTLY
POORLY%ACROSS
THE
BOARD
O
N
INDICATORS
%OF
BLACK
COMMUNICATION
COMMUNITY,
AS
DOES
%MILWAUKEE.
%THAT QUOTE FROM
THE CENTER
FOR
%ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT OUT
OF
%UW-MILWAUKEE,
WHICH
COMPARED
%BLACK COMMUNITIES
IN
THE
%NATION'S 50
LARGEST METRO
AREAS.
%THIS
REPORT
COMES
AT A
TIME
O
F
%NATIONAL
RECKONING
ABOUT
RACIAL
%INJUSTICE,
WHEN
DATA
CAN
DRIVE
%CHANGE.
%FOUNDING DIRECTOR OF
THE
CENTER
%AND
PROFESSOR
EMERITUS
MARC
%LEVINE
JOINED
US
LATE
THIS
WEEK
%FROM
MILWAUKEE.
%PROFESSOR
LEVINE, THANK
YOU
VERY
%MUCH FOR
JOINING
US.
%>>
THANK
YOU
FOR
HAVING
ME.
%>>
WELL,
SO
EVERY
METRIC
YOU
%LOOKED
AT
SAW
MILWAUKEE REALLY
%AT THE
BOTTOM OF
THE
PACK
FOR
%BLACK
PEOPLE'S
WELL-BEING,
%INCLUDING
THESE:
STILL
THE
%NATION'S
MOST
SEGREGATED
CITY.
%
BLACK
POVERTY
THE
HIGHEST
AMONG
%50
METROS.
%WORST
RACIAL
DISPARITY OF
WORKER
%EARNINGS.
%MOST
BLACK
SCHOOL
CHILDREN
IN
%HYPER
SEGREGATED SCHOOLS.
%AND
THIRD
NATIONALLY
FOR
PRISON
%INCARCERATION RATES FOR
BLACK
%MEN.
%YOU SAY THAT
MILWAUKEE,
QUOTE,
%REPRESENTS
THE
ARCHETYPE
OF%MODERN
DAY
METROPOLITAN
RACIAL
%APARTHEID
AND
INEQUALITY.
%AND
YET
WHY
DO WE
N
EED
YET
%ANOTHER STUDY TELLING
US
THIS?
%>>
I
THINK
THE
UTILITY
O
F
DOING%A STUDY
LIKE
THIS
IS TO
GET
THE
%FULL
SCOPE
OF
THE
EXTENT
O
F
%RACIAL
INEQUALITY
I
N
MILWAUKEE
%AND
INDEED ACROSS THE
COUNTRY.
%THE
BENCHMARK
WHERE
WE
STAND.
%TO
SEE
ALSO
WHETHER
THINGS
HAVE
%GOTTEN BETTER
IN
CERTAIN
AREAS.
%SO WHAT
THIS
STUDY
DID
WHA
T
NOT
%ONLY
BENCHMARK
MILWAUKEE
AGAINST
%THE
LARGEST
50
METROPOLITAN%AREAS IN THE
COUNTRY
ON A
WHOLE
%SERIES
OF
INDICATORS, AS
YOU
%MENTIONED, OF
RACIAL
INEQUALITY,
%BUT
ALSO TO
SEE
HOW
THINGS
HAVE
%EVOLVED ON MANY
OF
THOSE
%INDICATORS OVER
THE
PAST
4
0
AND
%50
YEARS,
WHEREVER WE COULD GET
%THE DATA
TO
LOOK AT
THAT.
%AND I
THINK
THE
MOST
DISTRESSING
%AND
THE
DEVASTATING
PART OF
THE
%STUDY
WAS
NOT
ONLY TO
SEE
HOW
%CONSISTENTLY ACROSS THE
BOARD
%MILWAUKEE
RANKED
T
OWARD
THE
%BOTTOM, EITHER
LAST
OR NEXT
TO
%LAST
ON A
SLEW
OF
INDICATORS AND
%IN
THE
BOTTOM TEN
O
N
VIRTUALLY
%ALL
OF
THEM,
BUT
ON HOW
MANY
OF
%THOSE
INDICATORS
THINGS
ARE
DEM
%DEMONSTRATABLY WORST
THAN THEY
%WERE
40
YEARS
AGO.
%HOUSEHOLD
INCOME, SORT
OF A
KEY
%METRIC ON THE
WELL-BEING OF
THE
%COMMUNITY.
%BLACK
HOUSEHOLD
INCOME,
MEDIAN
%INCOME, THAT IS,
FROM
THE MIDDLE%OF
THE
DISTRIBUTION, FOR
BLACK
%HOUSEHOLDS IN
MILWAUKEE HAS
%FALLEN
BY
30%
WHEN
W
E
ADJUST
FOR
%INFLATION OVER
THE
LAST
40
%YEARS,
SINCE
1979.
%THAT'S THE
LARGEST DECREASE IN
%THE COUNTRY.
%BUT MORE
TO
THE
POINT, JUST
%LOOKING
A
T
IT
WITHOUT EVEN
%LOOKING IN
COMPARATIVE
TERMS,
%JUST
LOOKING
AT A
BLACK
%HOUSEHOLD AND
SAY
YOU'RE
30%
%POORER
THAN YOU
WERE
40
YEARS
%AGO AND
YOU
WEREN'T
ALL
THAT
%RICH
0
YEARS
%RICH
40 YEARS
AGO.
%THAT
IS AN
EXTRAORDINARY
%STATEMENT AND
THESE
OTHER
%INDICATORS FEED OFF OF
THAT
BAD
%RESULT.%>> IN
FACT,
THAT'S
WHAT I
WAS
%GOING TO
ASK
YOU.
%ALL OF
THE
OTHER
INDICATORS
AND
%METRICS
THAT
YOU
MEASURED FEED
%INTO
THAT
INCOME
DISPARITY.%>>
I
THINK
SO.
%I THINK THAT'S
THE
KEY
ISSUE,
%THAT
WE'VE
GOT
THE
MOST
%IMPOVERISHED AFRICAN-AMERICAN%
COMMUNITY IN THE
COUNTRY AND
%IT'S A
COMMUNITY
THAT
HAS
BECOME
%INCREASINGLY
IMPOVERISHED.
%IT I
THINK
HAD
SOMEWHAT
OF AN
%IMPROVEMENT
IN
THE
1990s
WITH
%THE
GREAT
ECONOMIC BOOM
DURING
%THAT
ERA.
%THE
RECESSION
O
F
201
0
WIPED
ALL
%THAT OUT.
%AND,
SADLY,
SINCE
THE
RECESSION,
%REAL
HOUSEHOLD
INCOME
HAS
%CONTINUED
TO
DECLINE
FOR
BLACKS
%IN MILWAUKEE AND
THE
DATA
THAT'S
%IN
THIS
STUDY
IS
BEFORE
THE
%COVID DEPRESSION.
%SO
IMAGINE
HOW
BAD
THINGS
ARE
%STARTING
TO
LOO
K
NOW
IN
2020.
%>>
IT'S
DEVASTATING,
AS
YOU
SAY.
%BUT WHAT IS
YOUR
KIND
OF
CLARION
%CALL
TO
POLICYMAKERS.
%INDEED,
WISCONSIN
REALLY
AS A
%WHOLE,
A
S
TO
WHAT SHOULD BE
%DONE.
%>>
I
THINK
FOR
MANY
YEARS,
%FRANKLY, AS YOU
POINT
OUT,
THERE%HAVE
BEEN
STUDY
AFTER
STUDY,
MY
%CENTER,
OTHER
CENTERS
HAVE
DONE
%MANY
STUDIES O
N
THESE
ISSUES.
%BUT
THERE HAS
BEEN
-
FOLKS
%MIGHT DENY
IT,
BUT
THERE HAS
%BEEN A
KIND
OF
DENIAL
ABOUT
THIS
%IN
POLICY-MAKING
CIRCLES, EITHER
%SAYING
THE
NUMBERS
AREN'T
THAT
%BAD OR
THINGS ARE
GETTING
BETTER
%OR EVERY
PLACE
IS
HAVING
THESE
%DIFFICULTIES.
%THERE'S
NOTHING
UNIQUE
ABOUT
%HERE.
%IN
FACT, THERE
ARE
THINGS
UNIQUE
%ABOUT MILWAUKEE
I
N
THE
DEPTH
OF%THESE PROBLEMS.
%AND
SO
I
THINK,
I
HOPE
NOW
THA
T
%WE'RE
BEYOND
THAT
DENIAL,
THAT
%POLICYMAKERS UNDERSTAND
THAT WE
%NEED
TO
CHANGE
THINGS,
I
THINK
%THE
MOBILIZATION OF
THE
BLACK
%LIVES MATTER
MOVEMENT
HAS
%CERTAINLY BROUGHT THOSE ISSUES%
TO
THE
FOREFRONT AND
I
THINK WE
%NEED
TO
THINK
VERY
CLEARLY
ABOUT
%I
THINK
I
REFER
TO IT
IN
THE
%STUDY A PHRASE THAT
I
BORROWED
%CALLED
"REWRITING
THE
RACIAL
%RULES OF THE
COMMUNITY,"
THOSE
%PUBLIC
POLICIES
THAT
CONTINUE
TO
%PROMOTE
RACIAL INJUSTICE IN
THE
%COMMUNITY.
%AND THAT
GOES
BEYOND
SIMPLY
%THINGS THAT WE
CAN
ALL POINT
TO,
%ENDING
DISCRIMINATION IN
%HOUSING,
ENDING
DISCRIMINATION
%IN
EMPLOYMENT,
IMPROVING,
%OBVIOUSLY, POLICE PRACTICES.
%BUT EVEN
THE
LARGER
PICTURE
OF
WE
DO
ECONOMIC
%DEVELOPMENT.
%MY FRIENDS A
T
THE
CENTER
FOR
%WISCONSIN
STRATEGY
HAVE TALKED
%ABOUT
THE STATE APPROACHING THE
%LOW
ROAD
T
O
ECONOMIC
%DEVELOPMENT.
%THAT
MEANS
LOW
WAGES.
%IT
MEANS
NOT
PARTICULARLY%HELPFUL
POLICIES
FOR
WORKERS
TO
%ORGANIZE
FOR
BETTER
WAGES.
%AND THEN
YOU
SEE
B
LACK
EARNINGS
%AT
THE
BOTTOM OF
THE
SCALE,
AS%THEY ARE
TODAY,
AND
THAT
%TRANSLATES THEN
INTO
LOW
INCOMES
%AND
TRANSLATES
INTO HIGH
POVERTY
%RATES.%SO
I
THINK WE
NEED
TO
RETHINK
%THAT LOW
ROAD AS WELL
IN
THE
%GENERAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
%SENSE
AND
PURSUE
WHAT
FOLKS
CALL
%THE
HIGH
ROAD
STRATEGY,
WHICH
%MEANS
RAISING
PEOPLE'S
WAGES
AND
%CREATING BETTER
JOBS.
%>>
WITH
LESS
THAN A
MINUTE
LEFT
%HERE,
AS
YOU
SAY,
WITH
THIS
%BLACK
LIVES
MATTER
MOBILIZATION,%IS NOW
THE
RIGHT
TIME
TO
REWRITE%A BOLD
SET
OF
THESE
INCLUSIONARY
%RULES?
%IS THE
TIME
NOW?
%>>
ABSOLUTELY.
%I
REFER
TO A
LOT
OF
THESE
TRENDS
%IN
THE
STUDY
AS
HAVING
BEEN A
%STEALTH
DEPRESSION
IN
BLACK
%MILWAUKEE, SOMETHING THAT WAS
%ALWAYS
THERE,
BUT IT WAS
%STEALTH.
%WE DIDN'T
TALK ABOUT IT.
%I THINK
IT'S
PRETTY
CLEAR
EVEN
%WITHOUT
THIS
STUDY,
BUT
I
THINK
%THIS STUDY
MAKES
IT
CRYSTAL
%CLEAR, THAT
WE'RE
NOW
IN AN
%UNSTEALTH DEPRESSION.
%IT'S
FRONT
AND
CENTER.
%WE SEE
WHAT'S OUT
THERE.
%AND I
THINK,
YES, WE
NEED
TO
%EMBARK
UPON
BOLD
DESEGREGATION
%STRATEGIES,
ANTIDISCRIMINATION
%STRATEGIES
AND
PROMOTE
GREATER
%ECONOMIC
EQUALITY
BETWEEN
RACIAL
%GROUPS.%>>
WE
LEAVE
IT
THERE.
%PROFESSOR
MARC