A Senate DFL sponsored bill that appropriates over $70 million for jobs training, business development, and youth skills development focused on communities of color was heard this week in committee. The money supplements previous appropriations as well as provides funding for new programs to battle the inequities many Minnesotans face every day.
The Minneapolis Fed published an article detailing the inequities in Minnesota. The article stated, “During the depths of the Great Recession, the Black unemployment rate was more than three times that of Whites, and in the pandemic recession of 2020 is more than double the White unemployment rate. Earnings are similarly unequal: Native American, Black, Latino/a, and Hmong workers in Minnesota have median earnings ranging from $27,900 to $35,000, while White workers have median earnings of $47,900. As we show, these gaps are related to substantial employer discrimination in Minnesota that makes it harder for workers of color to obtain jobs, even when their credentials are equal to those of White applicants.”
This is one bill in a long list of proposals that need to pass to address the inequities Minnesotans face. Senate DFLers will always recognize our state’s moral obligation to make things right. (SF 4253)
