Economics

Elon Musk Is Wrong: Humanity And The Earth Do Not Need EVs, It Need A Carless Society

Elon Musk has sold an affluent consumer class the most expensive component of an unsustainable system and called it a revolution. The electric vehicle changes what a car burns. It does not change what a car demands — of land, of household budgets, of city design, and of the communities that get sacrificed whenever the…

“You’re Not Even Looking at the Problem”: Why African America Is Losing the Game of Wealth & Power

“You’re not even looking at the problem.” That line from Moneyball encapsulates the crisis facing African America’s institutional ecosystem. Despite $1.6 trillion in annual consumer spending, African American institutions—from HBCUs to banks to foundations—remain undercapitalized, disconnected, and structurally fragile. The issue isn’t a lack of talent or ambition; it’s the misplacement of both. Our best…

City & Police Budgets: Are They Prepared For The Era Of The Driverless Car?

Anyone who knows me intimately knows I have been pulled over a lot in my lifetime. In just the first month after transferring to Virginia State University, I was pulled over five times by the local police. The fines, fees, and court costs I’ve paid over the years could probably fund a full-ride scholarship at…

The Institutional Imperative: Moving Beyond Individual Black Wealth Narratives

Individual wealth building, no matter how successful, operates within a system. Institutional wealth building shapes that system. You cannot budget your way to institutional power. You cannot side-hustle your way to sovereign wealth fund influence. Until African American communities build and control institutions that can pool capital, shape markets, influence policy, and deploy resources strategically…

The Federal Reserve: Democracy’s Unexpected Guardian

On January 11, 2026, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell delivered a stunning statement that crystallized a question many Americans have been avoiding: Is the Federal Reserve the last major institution genuinely defending democratic principles in America? Standing before cameras, Powell revealed that the Department of Justice had served the Fed with grand jury subpoenas threatening…

The Impossible Mathematics: African America’s $480 Billion or $1.5 Trillion Debt Dilemma

The mathematics are unforgiving: to achieve the 3:1 mortgage-to-consumer-credit ratio that other communities take for granted, African American households must choose between two impossible paths. The first requires eliminating $480 billion in consumer credit—a 65% reduction that would demand paying down debt at $40 billion per month for a year while maintaining living standards without…

Consumer Credit Now Rivals Mortgage Debt in African American Households

African American household assets reached $7.1 trillion in 2024, marking a half-trillion-dollar increase that signals both progress and peril. Beneath this encouraging headline lies a dangerous structural anomaly: consumer credit has surged to $740 billion, approaching near-parity with mortgage debt of $780 billion. This 1:1 ratio represents a fundamental inversion of wealth-building finance. White, Hispanic,…

African America’s August 2025 Jobs Report – 7.5%

Overall Unemployment: 4.1% African America: 7.2% Latino America: 5.3% European America: 3.7% Asian America: 3.6% Analysis: European Americans’ unemployment rate was unchanged from July. Asian Americans decreased 30 basis points and Latino Americans increased 30 basis points from July, respectively. African America’s unemployment rate increased by 30 basis points from July. AFRICAN AMERICAN EMPLOYMENT REVIEW…