An economist from Harvard University listed Chicago as the owner of the widest gap of economic mobility between races in America. Raj Chetty, who worked with colleagues to create the Opportunity Atlas using census data and income tax returns to measure Americans’ economic mobility over time in various parts of the country, came to the conclusion that Chicago was one of the worst places in America for a Black child to grow up.
"Most cities, if they’re pretty good for white men, they’re also decently good for Black men," Chetty said in an interview with NPR's Chicago affiliate WBEZ. "Chicago is one of those unique places where it’s quite good for white men, near the top among big cities, yet it’s near the bottom for Black men."
In his interview, Chetty described the phenomenon of white men in Chicago being placed on an economic ladder, while Black men run on a treadmill doomed to working extremely hard to stay in a similar place generation after generation.
His news was not all bad, however. During the interview, Chetty mentioned a previous study, which took place in Seattle where Section 8 voucher holders who were given additional assistance and care were able to find themselves in better economic positions.
"The study showed that with the extra help, significantly more Section 8 residents in Seattle moved to higher opportunity neighborhoods," Chetty said. "We were lucky to work with a group that was extremely passionate about the problem; they were sending me text messages in the evenings and driving families around, and they really cared. It wasn’t just a job; it was actually a passion."
Chetty believes that if a similar program can show similar results in Chicago than it did in Seattle, his group would be prepared to launch it nationwide.
"We are actually now in the process of working with a team of collaborators to bring that pilot to Chicago in the coming year," Chetty said. "We’re also having conversations in New York, Charlotte, Milwaukee, and number of places across the country, as well as the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development."
