Most people working to end racism in Minnesota are aware that the state has some of the greatest racial disparities in the country and that these disparities threaten the vitality of the state. The question is what do we need to do to narrow the gap?

The Organizing Apprenticeship Project (OAP) has initiated a series of policy papers aimed at providing solutions to racial disparities. In January, OAP released the first paper, "14 Solutions that Expand Job and Economic Opportunity, and Reduce Minnesota's Disparities."

The paper cites Minnesota’s overall unemployment rate as approximately 7.1 percent, but that people of color experience much higher rates. For example, the rate is 15.5 percent for Latinos and 22.5 percent for African Americans. African Americans are three times as likely as whites to be without jobs, regardless of income and education. The rates for women of color are even higher.

“There is the common wisdom that people are poor because they just are not working hard enough,” said OAP’s lead researcher Jermaine Toney. “The reality is that a decade of disinvestment in opportunity, often in the name of creating and supporting jobs, have not produced real economic results for most Minnesotans. That is even more true for people of color. Our policy brief highlights key solutions to persistent racial disparities in employment and wealth by offering an important blueprint for communities and policy makers to invest in the long-term economic health of our state. This is possible.There are many proven policies and programs that can do just that.” 

The solutions OAP and partnering organizations – including Jobs Now Coalition, ISAIAH, HIRE MN, African Development Center, Metropolitan Economic Development Agency – have put forward aim to expand opportunities for women and people of color who have been hit hard by the economic downturn. The paper includes examples of programs and policy changes that have been successful in the past, some that are currently working and others that have potential. More specifically, the paper proposes subsidizing new employment, assisting government agencies reach their minority-hiring goals and spurring business development.

The policies explicitly address race and disparities. “There is a conventional way of policy making here, that we speak no race, see no race. When you don’t have a commitment to facing race you actually make the disparities worse,” said Toney.  “If we continue to not see race and not see the impact of our decisions on women and people of color, we will make the disparities worse.  We must be proactive and explicit about it.”

To view the policy paper and toolkit that you can use to influence action on the recommended solutions, visit www.oaproject.org.