Former RSF Visiting Scholar Sandy Darity (Duke University) recently appeared on the Duke Sanford School’s Ways & Means podcast to discuss his ongoing research on the racial wealth gap in the U.S. In the episode, titled “Bootstraps and Silver Spoons,” Darity explained how wealth is built in the U.S. and how difficult it is for disadvantaged people—African-Americans in particular—to gain wealth, even when they obtain higher education. For instance, Darity’s research shows that a black family headed by a someone with a college degree has less wealth on average than a white family where the head of household has not completed high school. 

During his time in residence at the Russell Sage Foundation, Darity investigated the persistence of wealth disparities by race in the U.S. by analyzing data from the National Asset Scorecard for Communities of Color (NASCC). Using this data, Darity and his colleagues have authored several reports on racial wealth disparities, including the 2016 report “The Color of Wealth in Los Angeles.”

Listen to Ways & Means episode in full on the Sanford School’s site.