LIVING AND LEARNING UNITED

United Way's Lecture Series on the History of Racism and Sexism in Finance

The pandemic has made things worse for so many people and families who were already struggling. More than 225 million jobs have been lost around the world, with U.S. job losses disproportionately impacting women, people of color, and low-wage workers. COVID-19 has also exacerbated systemic racial and ethnic inequities across the nation and in our local communities.

For example, pre-pandemic data showed that Black Americans were already earning less, were far less likely to own their homes, and tend to live shorter lives than white Americans.Studies show that during the pandemic, the majority of Latino (72%), Black (60%) and Native American (55%) households in the U.S. are reporting serious financial problems, versus 27% of Asian and 36% of white households.

These hard truths offer a great opportunity for learning. We know that achieving financial stability can be a bigger hill to climb for women and people of color, and that sometimes that hill is more like a cliff. But do we know the history of why?

If we want to make positive change moving forward, we have to learn from the mistakes of our past. As part of the United Way's commitment to closing economic opportunity gaps in Whatcom County, they are partnering with Whatcom Asset Building Coalition to sponsor a series of webinars on the history of racism and sexism in finance. The virtual sessions are:

Tuesday, July 20 at 2:00pm - History of Racism in Banking

Tuesday, August 3 at 2:00pm - History of Racism in Housing

Tuesday, August 17 at 2:00pm- History of Women in Finance

Registration information is coming soon: click here for more information.