On Thursday night, the two presumptive presidential nominees will face off in their first debate, hosted by CNN. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump lead their respective political parties.
But Biden and Trump have failed to articulate a message of hope to unify our country. A Pew Research Center survey last year found that 61% of Americans have an unfavorable view of both the Democratic and Republican parties.
Biden, in his first speech as president-elect, promised to bridge the bitter divisions in America. Unfortunately, his policies deepened the divide. Trump’s embrace of Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol rioters and hate groups furthers the polarization. Whether Biden is reelected or Trump is, the list of unfinished business is incredibly long.
Wealth inequality, which leads to significant social ills, is one of the most critical items. Wealth allows families to make investments in homes, education, health care and business creation. Without wealth and access to capital, families and communities are set up for failure. Last year, the Institute for Policy Studies, a progressive think tank, and the National Community Reinvestment Coalition released a report that found it would take Black households “513 years to reach income parity with white households.”
How will Democratic and Republican leaders respond to the recently released report “The Color of Wealth in Chicago”? The study, conducted by the Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy at The New School, found that Black households have a median net wealth of $0, compared with $210,000 for white families. The median net worth for a U.S.-born Mexican family is $40,500; for a foreign-born Mexican family, it is $6,000; and for the typical Puerto Rican family, the estimate is $24,000, according to the report. Additionally, the report found that Black families have the lowest estimated rate of homeownership at 34%, compared with 72% for white households.
The report illustrates the failures of Democrats, Republicans and Black leaders to usher Black Americans into the fullness of the American dream. Arguably, with record numbers of Black elected leaders, the Black community is no closer to full citizenship rights than we were 60 years ago with passage of the Civil Rights Act.
It was a Democratic president who signed the 1994 crime bill into law that helped create the private prison industrial complex, but Black Americans consistently remain the most reliable voting bloc for Democrats.
The Democrats prioritize government programs as a way to equity. Unfortunately, government programs often lead to dependency and corruption. In Chicago, Cook County and Illinois, one-party dominance has resulted in record-low voter turnout, high taxes, crime and a lack of creative policies that lift all communities. The Republican Party, on the other hand, lacks inclusion — it favors the wealthy over the working class and annihilates its own.
The city of Chicago will be the center of the universe when the Democratic National Convention is held in August. Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Illinois Democratic Party leaders will seek to showcase the beauty of Chicago. The Republican National Convention heads to Milwaukee in July to nominate Trump as the GOP’s presidential candidate. Interestingly, Chicago and Milwaukee have great similarities and challenges. Both cities are led by black mayors, and their states are led by Democratic governors. The city of Milwaukee is highly segregated like Chicago. Both cities have some of the highest poverty rates for Black Americans — Milwaukee (43.2%), and Chicago (28%). Milwaukee and Chicago have high crime rates. The residents of Milwaukee will determine which presidential candidate wins Wisconsin, an important swing state.
Another piece of unfinished business is the health divide. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. said: “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and inhuman.” I have had some health challenges — prostate cancer and a heart attack. If I did not have the money to pay for the best medical care, I likely wouldn’t have survived. In the shadow of the United Center, the Democrats’ convention meeting place, the West Side is the setting for a 16-year life expectancy gap in comparison with the life expectancy for residents of downtown, according to the American Medical Association.
Willie Wilson: Black Americans cannot wait hundreds of years for the wealth gap to close
The American people deserve a president, Congress and leaders who will put partisan politics aside and focus on their needs. True leadership empowers people and transforms lives. Elected leaders’ unfinished business includes:
- Education reform: We must ensure that every child who graduates from school is literate.
- Public safety and immigration reform: We are a nation of laws, and the borders must be secure. Citizens must feel safe in their neighborhoods.
- The economy: Too many citizens are experiencing financial distress due to high rent and the high costs of groceries, gas and other basic needs. We must ensure equity in contracting with Black- and minority-owned firms.
The following are a few suggestions for the leaders of the Republican and Democratic parties:
- Prioritize the American people over the party. Ensure that citizens are not sleeping on the streets while asylum-seekers are in hotels.
- Work together to unify the country.
- Stop the name-calling and focus on improving the economy, lowering inflation and providing access to capital in communities that have been left behind.
- Support literacy and entrepreneurship for Black citizens.
Following the DNC and RNC, it can no longer be Republican against Democrat, citizens against police, white versus Black, and rich versus poor. We must achieve the original vision of our country — to be a place where all people can be free to pursue life, liberty and happiness — truly one nation under God.
I write this commentary to make those comfortable with continuing inequality and disunity uncomfortable.
Willie Wilson is a business owner, philanthropist and former mayoral candidate.
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