What’s the injustice?

The gap between rich and poor Americans keeps growing — and working families are suffering.

In the American story, the United States is a land of opportunity — a place where hard work and honest determination can lead any family to prosperity. But data shows that this narrative has become a myth: According to the Pew Research Center, the wealth gap between America’s richest and poorer families more than doubled in size over the last three decades. Forbes reported in 2020 that the top one percent of households in the U.S. had 15 times more wealth than the bottom 50 percent combined. America’s income inequality — the worst among all G7 countries — has grown deeper and wider through court decisions that side with special interests and corporations.

For ordinary working people, these trends mean daily heartbreak and difficulty: One in eight Americans struggles with hunger. Nearly one in four skip medical care because the cost is too high. For every statistic, there is a story: a human being born in a lower economic class, a historically-excluded zip code, or without family or community wealth who is stuck without a ladder toward upward mobility. With stagnant wages, rapid changes in blue collar industries, and a federal government that allows the rich to avoid their fair share of taxes, true upward mobility is out of reach for too many poor Americans, working class families, and those living paycheck to paycheck. Without immediate changes, the game will remain rigged.