Democrats' First 100-Hour Agenda Doesn't Address America's Racial, Economic Divide

Interview with Emma Dixon, executive director of the Creation of Wealth Project, conducted by Scott Harris

As America and the world celebrated the life and work the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on the civil right's leader's January birthday, an alarming number of conservative commentators view the civil rights struggle as a relic of the past. The widespread belief, particularly among politicians, that the battle against racial prejudice has already been won, is contradicted by the bigotry in employment, education, housing and healthcare that persists in America today. A new report published by the group United For a Fair Economy takes a hard look at the continuing gaps in the economic status of American citizens along the color line. The report, titled, "State of the Dream 2007: Voting Blue, Staying in the Red," finds that "while people of color support Democrats in the voting booth, they are still waiting for policies that close the economic divide between them and whites." Despite the results of the 2006 election, giving Democrats control of Congress, the report argues that their first 100 hours legislative agenda did little to effectively address the economic disparity between the races.

Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Emma Dixon, executive director of the Creation of Wealth Project and co-author of the "State of the Dream" report. She reviews the Democrats' agenda and explains how more focused and aggressive initiatives could succeed in reducing poverty for blacks and Latinos who disproportionately find themselves on the lower rungs of America's economic ladder.

Obtain a copy of the report titled, "State of the Dream 2007: Voting Blue, Staying in the Red," by visiting the website of the group United for a Fair Economy at www.faireconomy.org or call them at (617) 423-2148.

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