The Wealth Gap Is Rising. What Can We Do About It?

In the past 30 years, the portion of national wealth held by households in the top 10% of income in the U.S. has risen from 60% to 70%, according to Deloitte. Charlottesville, Virginia and the surrounding area provide no exception. In our community, 10,940 families (or 17% of the total population) do not make enough money to afford the essentials of life, as documented by the Orange Dot Report 4.0. This burden is not equally shared. 35% of Black families in the Charlottesville area make less than $35,000/year, compared to 14% of white families. The United Way of Greater Charlottesville and community partners have set ambitious goals for lifting people out of poverty - especially Black families - in part through a newly constituted Financial Resiliency Task Force. In this panel conversation, we will hear from members of the Task Force about centering interventions on the clients they are seeking to serve, the importance of relationships between community organizations, and how you can be a part of the work.