Episode 15 of our podcast series, Money + Meaning: Unlikely Allies Building New Markets for Impact is now available!
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How Can We Realize the Dream of Prosperity for All?
“When I think about intergenerational wealth I can’t help but think of the American Dream. And the more I think about and research the idea of the American Dream the more I realize, people who look like me were not meant to be a part of it. And that needs to change.” -Rubén Cantú
The racial wealth gap in America is wide and growing. It is predicted that by 2020 the median white household will own 86 times more wealth than the median black household and 68 times more than the median Latino household.
How can we create real systemic change to ensure that ALL Americans have equal access to the resources and opportunities that lead to ownership and wealth building?
Recorded live at a SOCAP 365 event in Texas at Impact Hub Austin, episode 2.3 of Money + Meaning features a panel of experts talking about the factors that created, and perpetuate, economic inequality locally and nationally, and steps we can all take to empower and invest in historically marginalized communities.
Moderated by Rubén Cantú, the Executive Director of The Office of Inclusive Innovation and Entrepreneurship at UT Austin, this episode’s featured panel discusses how we can “recalibrate” the American Dream and work to create real systemic change that will close the racial wealth gap in this country.
Featured Voices
Rubén Cantú
The Office of Inclusive Innovation and Entrepreneurship at UT Austin
Steve Wanta
JUST
Virginia Cumberbatch
Community Engagement Center & Social Justice Institute at UT Austin
Wallon Walusayi
3Data
Host: Alex Kravitz
About Money + Meaning
Money + Meaning is the official podcast of SOCAP. This series aims to expand the conversation around impact investing and strategies to finance and support social change while stimulating innovative and valuable new partnerships across sectors.
Resources for Additional Learning
- Reimagining the American Dream in Austin (A recap of the full event from Impact Hub Austin)
- The Road to Zero Wealth: How the Racial Wealth Divide is Hollowing Out America’s Middle Class
- What We Get Wrong About Closing the Racial Wealth Gap
- Dreams Deferred: How Enriching the 1% Widens the Racial Wealth Divide
- Austin’s 1928 Master Plan
- As We Saw It: The Story of Integration at UT Austin
- Taskforce on Institutional Racism and Systemic Inequities (IRSI)
- Community Advancement Network (CAN) Report
