Foundations of Inequality—From Slavery to Segregation

This episode explores the deep historical roots of economic inequality affecting Black Americans, beginning with the institution of slavery and its lasting financial consequences. It traces how the promise of freedom after the Civil War was quickly undercut by the rise of Jim Crow laws and state-sanctioned segregation. The story continues through the Great Migration, where millions of Black families sought opportunity in the North, only to encounter new forms of systemic exclusion.

Through these pivotal moments, the film reveals how the denial of wealth-building opportunities, combined with persistent structural racism, laid the foundation for today’s racial wealth gap—and why those legacies still shape Black communities across America.

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