To compare the most recent racial differences in poverty with past disparities, go to the U.S. Census Bureau website. Scroll to the bottom of the page to locate “People and Households” to click on “Poverty” under that heading. On the Poverty page, select “Data” from the left side of the page, then select “Poverty Data Tables” where you can select “Historical Poverty Tables: People and Families – 1959 to 2015” which includes a wealth of information in 25 different tables. Click on Table 2: “Poverty Status, by Family Relationship, Race, and Hispanic Origin” (note: Table 2 is an Excel spreadsheet). Familiarize yourself with the data contained in this table to respond to these discussion points:
- What parts of this data catches your attention?
- Note important points that “pop out” to you.
- Discuss what you find surprising or unexpected.
- Did you notice any trends or patterns?
- Have conditions improved or deteriorated?