EDITOR’S NOTE: This story originally appeared on CFED’s blog, The Inclusive Economy, which you can read here.
We were delighted last month when the Center for American Progress (CAP) and Policy Link released All-in Nation: An America that Works for All. The book, edited by Vanessa Cárdenas and Sarah Treuhaft, is an eloquent explanation of how strong communities of color are the linchpin to a vital economic future in the United States. We were also extremely pleased to see that saving, college access, education, homeownership and so many other issues typically left out of the conversation were thoughtfully included in this treatise on inclusivity.
All-in Nation is noteworthy for how it advances the conversation about asset-based strategies that create pathways for economic security. As one example, we love the recommendation that Congress turn certain tax deductions into refundable tax credits as a method for incenting saving. Likewise, the proposal for a savings tax credit to be used for a variety of purposes such as retirement savings or health care is one that Congress ought to seriously consider if they want to move the dial on our country’s burgeoning racial wealth gap. It’s policies like these—moveable, meaningful and manageable—that actually have the potential to make a difference when it comes to ensuring fair financial footing for communities of color.
All-in Nation also gains kudos for including in its pages descriptions of many of the collaborative efforts to close the racial wealth gap and advance America’s assets agenda that are springing up around the country.
An additional example to consider is the Asset Building Policy Network, or ABPN. Made possible through support from Citi, who is also a member, the ABPN is a coalition of the nation’s preeminent civil rights and advocacy organizations—including CAP and PolicyLink—committed to improving economic opportunity and security for low- and moderate-income families and communities of color. The ABPN engages in policy advocacy, such as authoring several comment letters to federal agencies, which has resulted in action by the agencies that supports ABPN issues. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, for example, directly quoted the ABPN’s comment letter on financial education. ABPN members have also collaborated to conduct research, including the recent collaboration among member organizations National Council of La Raza, National Urban League and National CAPACD to study the financial access challenges facing low-income people of color in the financial marketplace.
These examples, and the broader message of All-in Nation, reaffirm one of CFED’s core values: collaboration. As a special organizational calling and competency, engendered by a conviction that our success requires the varied talents and contributions of many, that a rich diversity of race, gender, background and perspectives and a commitment to learning from others strengthens our work, collaboration has defined our work since the beginning.
As Dr. King reminded us some 50 years ago, change doesn’t roll in on the wheels of inevitability; it comes through continuous struggle. That struggle is as important now as ever before; CFED’s own research finds that about two-thirds of households of color find themselves living in asset poverty, meaning they lack the resources necessary to sustain themselves at or above the poverty line in the event that an emergency like illness leaves them without their primary source of income.
While we cannot undo past discrimination, we can change the trajectory of its future. This is the call that organizations like CAP and Policy Link and coalitions like the ABPN are heeding every single day. Books like All-in Nation are precious moments when that call is amplified, so we hope you’ll read it as soon as you have the chance.