‘Barely Treading Water’: Why The Shutdown Disproportionately Affects Black Americans
“African-Americans make up a higher percentage of federal workers than they do of the non-government workforce. That’s in part because, for generations, government work has provided good wages and job security to African-Americans who faced more overt discrimination in the private sector. Ari Shapiro of NPR’s All Things Considered sat down with Lartey to talk about some of the ways this disparity is playing out right now. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.”