Black frats and sororities rally against wage, education gap
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
Members of several black fraternities and sororities are at the Capitol Monday to draw attention to economic and educational disparities in the state.
Organizers of the event say they want African-Americans and others to encourage their legislators to work toward closing gaps between black and white Minnesotans.
Sen. Jeff Hayden, DFL-Minneapolis, said one of the most stark disparities is in unemployment.
"In 2011, over 20 percent of African-Americans were unemployed, compared to 6.5 percent of whites," Hayden said. "This is one of the largest disparities in the nation. And we need to take steps to reduce this disparity in order to level the playing field and set African-Americans up for success."
Gov. Mark Dayton didn't attend the opening ceremony for the event, but issued a proclamation calling Monday African-American Greek Day in the state of Minnesota.
Turn Up Your Support
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.
Dear reader,
Political debates with family or friends can get heated. But what if there was a way to handle them better?
You can learn how to have civil political conversations with our new e-book!
Download our free e-book, Talking Sense: Have Hard Political Conversations, Better, and learn how to talk without the tension.
