Darrick Hamilton, Associate Professor of Economics and Urban Policy, recently published in an op ed piece for the New York Times’ Room for Debate series, concerning the Gifted and Talented Curriculum in NYC Public Schools. Borrowing from W.E.B Du Bois’ work surrounding racial segregation in schools and “unsympathetic teachers,” Hamilton says that today, education programs that track students based on their ability, is just as problematic. The key to closing the racial achievement gap is the implementation of curricular and teaching reforms where educators and institutions expect the best of all their students.
Professor Hamilton’s work on racial inequalities across sectors has been widely quoted and cited in journals and news articles. The report, “Beyond Broke,” has been cited and quoted in the New Pittsburgh Courier Online, The Greene County Democrat, and the Gary Crusader. “Beyond Broke” breaks down the economics of racial wealth gap in America. Hamilton informs us that the articles unfortunately, did not get the racial wealth gap numbers exactly right. Hamilton states, “The actual wealth gap is $7,113 to $111,740, which amounts to the typical black family having $0.06 for every $1 that a typical white family owns.”
In the report, Professor Hamilton suggests that baby bonds could help close the wealth gap. He goes on and states, “The idea is that as an adult you can engage in wealth building you can purchase an asset so that you have the opportunity to build economic security over a lifetime.” He explains: “If the average account is $20,000 at birth and we have about 4 million babies born per year, that would make the cost of around $80 billion dollars a year for the program.” Hamilton said that would be about 2.2 percent of the federal budget and rival what gets spent at the Department of Education.
Hamilton also co-authored an Economic Policy Institute Paper called “Whiter Jobs, Higher Wages.” This work on occupational segregation was recently quoted, and the report cited, in Newsday, which was a reprint of the original article in The Root.
Professor Hamilton is a stratification economist, whose work focuses on the causes, consequences and remedies of racial and ethnic inequality in economic and health outcomes, which includes an examination of the intersection of identity, racism, colorism, and socioeconomic outcomes.
