- December 19, 2021
- Posted by: Stratford Team
- Category: Business
Many white Minnesotans in the metro like to tout their progressive values. Maybe they plant a “Black Lives Matter” sign in their yards. Or maybe another proclaiming “Everyone is welcome here.” Native Minnesotans instinctively believe in our exceptionalism: Life really is better here. Why would you live anywhere else?
But other Minnesota residents don’t see it that way. The state consistently ranks among the worst in the nation for racial economic disparities. Census data from 2018 found that the median white family income in Minneapolis was $83,000, compared with $36,000 for the median Black family—56.6% lower.
This is not a statistical blip. This pattern has held for decades. How can that be? University of Minnesota human relations professor Samuel Myers Jr. coined a term to describe the phenomenon: the Minnesota Paradox.
Tawanna Black had been working on racial equity issues long before George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis…
