By Thomas Sheffield 50 years ago, the Fair Housing Act was signed into law. It prohibits discrimination concerning the sale, rental and financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin and sex. Since then, home ownership rates are just over 40% for African Americans which is 30% behind the rate for whites. Home ownership is for many of us, is the biggest investment of our lives. It provides the first step for many of us when it comes to building wealth and closing the wealth gap. But people in the African American community have the highest incidents of high…
Author: Thomas Sheffield
Businesses and governments alike are constantly looking for ways to improve their bottom line and to develop a sustainable competitive advantage. The trade war our president has waged against the world will make the need for all US businesses to seek every advantage they can. Businesses invest billions of dollars in software, research and development, risk mitigation and even paying lobbyist to get laws passed that are favorable to their industry. One of the best investments a company can make is to invest in diversity in the workplace. Many companies and government entities have realized this and have created Chief…
By Thomas Sheffield I am all for self-sufficiency. I am a champion of self help in making a better future you and your family if you don’t impinge on my ability to do the same. I do not believe anyone, including the federal government, should be in your way of success. I also believe the government should be able to help those in need. President Johnson proposed “The Great Society” as policy initiatives with the main goals of ending poverty, reducing crime, abolishing inequality and improving the environment. The Office of Economic Opportunity and the Economic Opportunity Act were…
By Thomas Sheffield Many people, especially those in the federal government, are still not convinced that climate change is real. This is despite scientific facts that show the earth is getting warmer and this is in part due to an increase in the use of fossil fuels that emit carbon into the atmosphere. But today, I am not going to hash through all the facts surrounding this. I would like to bring to your attention the effects of climate change and how this will affect the poor and disenfranchised in our community. Natural disasters are hard enough to overcome on…
By Thomas Sheffield Spring time is here, and many outdoor enthusiasts look forward to getting outside and cutting the grass. Many people get excited about this weekly chore. For many, it is therapy. Personally, I think it is a pain. However, I love to see a well-manicured lawn. I look at golf courses, football fields and baseball fields with amazement and wonder how much work it would take to get my yard to be that nice. And there lies the problem. We should all try to add value to our homes and our communities. Taking care of our lawns is…
By Thomas Sheffield This year is an election year and affordable housing is a huge issue. Gentrification is our fault, well not fully but we do have some responsibility. Some may be as appalled as hearing Kanye West say, “slavery was a choice”. But I am not going to dignify that idiotic quote with a response. I choose to look at our role in gentrification. What if I told you I wanted to build a group of homes in or near your community that were “affordable homes”? What would come to mind? Would you think of homes that are cheaply…
By Thomas Sheffield This year we acknowledge two pivotal events in American History. First, we observed the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. Next, we observe the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1968. President Lyndon Johnson signed the Fair Housing Act into law. It prohibits discrimination concerning the sale, rental and financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin and sex. The Act was signed into law during the riots that followed Dr. King’s assassination. The question is, have things gotten better or worse? Did we arrive at a just nation…
By Thomas Sheffield The middle class is under attack. Prices continue to rise while wages remain stagnant. Inequality has skyrocketed as the rich continue to get richer. The net worth of the richest of the 1% of Americans has soared to $81 billion in 2016. Let’s put this in another perspective. The billionaires who make up the Forbes 400 list of richest Americans now have as much wealth as all African American households, plus one third of America’s Latino population, combined. And you wonder why I seem to be an “angry” black man. We can sit here and you can…
Last Monday, the EPA announced that they would revoke Obama-era standards that required cars and light trucks sold in the US to average more than 50 mpg by 2025. What are they scared of? Are they afraid of cars being more efficient? Are they scared of cleaner air and a cleaner environment? Are they afraid we will be healthier and there will be less of a burden on the healthcare system? Are they scared of us becoming less dependent on oil? California still has authority to set its own emissions limits and threatened to sue if its waiver is repealed. …
In my humble opinion, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr was the greatest American that has ever lived. This year, on April 4, we observed the 50th anniversary of the assassination of this great leader. Most of the population of the United States is not old enough to remember him while he was alive. But his legacy and impact continue to affect our everyday lives. 50 years have come and gone, and we still face some of the same issues today. We even have our new leadership with the idea we should go back to the way things were 100 years…