The Wage Gap Between Blacks And Whites Is Growing

The income gap between the richest Americans and the rest of America has received a lot of attention since the Bush recession. It is as large as it was just before the Great Depression, and it is still growing. It's a serious problem that needs to be addressed before we become a third world country -- a country of just "haves" and "have nots".

But there is another pay gap that is equally disturbing. It is the wage gap between Blacks and Whites, and as the charts above show (from the Economic Policy Institute), it also continues to grow. Back in 1979, Whites earned an average of 18.1% more than Blacks. That has now climbed to 26.7% -- a rise of 8.6 points.

This is just one more illustration of the racial problems that still plague this country. In a truly equal country, there shouldn't be any wage gap between Blacks and Whites at all, and the fact that the gap is still growing shows the racial problem in the workplace is not being addressed.

There may not be a way to fully eradicate racism among individuals, but the same shouldn't be true of our institutions. Racism seems to be built into our social institutions like our schools, law enforcement agencies, and justice system -- and as these charts show, in our workplaces.

It is time we stop denying the institutional racism is this country -- and fix it!