Webinar Series: Walking Towards Justice



Housing segregation caused many social justice issues throughout the 1900s. One big one is neighborhood walkability. You are invited to join America Walks’ quarterly webinar series, Walking Toward Justice, to examine past and present walkability issues in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color, and search for solutions. The series will integrate literature into a discussion regarding the intersection of mobility, race, class, gender, and politics. Charles T. Brown of America Walks, who helped create the series, will moderate each webinar. UPDATE (9/4): The FOURTH webinar on September 26, 2018 Register here for the fourth webinar of the series, "Connecting and Allying with the Disability Rights Movement," at 2 p.m. EST, September 26, 2018. The webinar will ...

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Report: Latinos Hit Hardest by Housing Market Collapse



When the housing market collapsed in 2006, it led to one of the hardest-hitting, wide-reaching financial crises that the United States had felt in decades. The Great Recession, as it became known, had a disproportionate impact on minorities – especially Latinos – that still impacts their ability to achieve the goal of home ownership. It also keeps many Latinos from fully participating in the economy. A study from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis found that the housing prices during the recession fell more in urban, low-income areas and that minorities had far larger shares of their personal wealth “tied up” in their homes than whites. “The housing market collapse affected millions of American families across the country, but it hit black and Latino families ...

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City Looks to Increase Minimum Wage; Faces Resistance from State



Few factors are as important to a person’s health as their income. Millions of Latinos and other minorities struggle to make ends meet financially because of low-wage jobs. Low wages lead to housing instability, food insecurity, and poor health. In recent years, cities across the country have pursued efforts to raise the minimum wage so that workers will have a better chance of getting ahead, accumulating wealth, and provide better living environments for their families. One such example is found in Kansas City, MO (14.54% Latino population), in which voters overwhelmingly approved raising the minimum wage from $7.70 to $10 an hour. This would precede annual increases up to $15 by 2022. “We are so pleased that Kansas City has demonstrated a progressive political perspective ...

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Do Latinos Live in the Safest Cities in America?



It’s a fact. Where you live greatly affects your health. Live near a major road? A power plant? Or a densely populated neighborhood? Are you close to a supermarket? All of these factors – and more – impact your health on a day-to-day basis. For many low-income and Latino families, live in areas that have been classified as food deserts, with little to no access to healthy food options, safe places for physical activity, or access to quality health care. Many of these highly segregated areas are high in crime and poverty. The data analyzation web site, Niche, has compiled a ranking of the “Safest Places to Live” for 2017. How does this list impact Latinos? Most and Least Safe Cities in the U.S. By studying FBI reports on numerous crime factors in cities (9,932 of them) ...

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The Growth of the Latino Population is Slowing Down


population of united states

While still on the rise, the annual growth rate of the U.S. Latino population has dropped from 3.7% in 2006 to 2% in 2017, according to new stats from Pew Research Center. U.S. Asians now account for the highest growth rate (3% in 2017). The black population rose slightly (0.9), while whites slightly decreased. Why the leveling off of Latino population growth? "Following a Hispanic population boom in the 1990s that was driven by immigration and high fertility rates, the Hispanic population’s annual growth rate peaked at 4.2% in 2001," according to Pew's Jens Manuel Krogstad. "It then started to decline as fertility rates fell and immigration slowed, a trend that accelerated during the Great Recession." But that doesn't mean the Latino population is in decline. Rather, ...

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New Affordable Housing Initiative Proposed for Austin



Where you live matters. There is no escaping how important that housing impacts an individual’s life. Where someone lives affects their income and education levels, their access to opportunities, and their overall health. In many “big cities” in the United States, housing costs force some low-income and Latino families to make difficult financial decisions. Many forgo medical expenses, utilities, and sometimes food in an effort to pay rent or mortgages each month. The city of Austin, Texas (34.5% Latino population), has earned a reputation as one of the most segregated cities in the country. In an effort to combat this unfortunate trend, the Austin City Council approved a resolution to “better spread affordable housing throughout the city,” reports the Austin ...

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Low Wages Leave Many Latino Families in NV Struggling


latino hispanic man with money piggy bank savings

Even as the unemployment rate continues to drop around the country – which is a clear positive sign for the economy – the situation for many Latino and low-income families is still very bleak. Approximately 1 in 6 households have zero or negative net worth, according to the financial website Prosperity Now. In the state of Nevada (27.53% Latino population), the financial situation for many families mirrors what is happening nationally. Large numbers of Nevada families are struggling with low-wage jobs that do not allow them to save, according to a report from Northern Nevada Business Weekly. Of the households in Nevada, nearly 44% are considered “liquid asset poor.” This means that they have so little funds saved that they could not live at the poverty level for three months ...

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Latinos are Well-Represented in Both the Most & Least Educated Cities in the U.S.


college enrollent among Latinos students studying

Having an education, quite frankly, is very important. A person’s education level determines much about how their life will unfold. Education is associated with overall health, income level, career paths, access to resources, and housing. More and more Latinos are finding their way into two- and four-year colleges and universities, making great strides in education. As more and more schools develop programming to help Latino students succeed, the number of Latino college graduates is expected to steadily rise. The Economic Policy Institute proposed a theory stating that college degree holders earn more money and thus contribute more to a city’s tax base over time. With this in mind, the financial website WalletHub recently analyzed the 150 largest metropolitan areas in the ...

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Language Barriers Often Keep Latinos from Being Home Owners



Where people live determines a great deal; it impacts education, income, access to resources, and overall health. Home ownership is often a great source of pride for many individuals, including Latinos. However, many Latinos often run into significant barriers that keep them from becoming homeowners. One of the main barriers is language. Often times, Latinos are unable to find Spanish-language or even bilingual information that could help them in the home buying process. In Sioux Falls, South Dakota (3.31% Latino population), Spanish-language home-buyer education classes have been started by the Sioux Empire Housing Partnership to encourage the growing Latino population to become home owners, the Sioux City Journal reports. i The group now offers Spanish-language versions of ...

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