The affordability crisis gripping our city does not fall equally on New Yorkers, and solutions to it must confront the economic and racial inequities that shape who can afford to live, work, and raise a family here.<\/p>\n
In neighborhoods long\u00a0harmed by redlining, gentrification, and under-investment, Black and Brown families\u00a0face\u00a0economic\u00a0pressures\u00a0that\u00a0are\u00a0neither new nor\u00a0incidental.\u00a0These\u00a0challenges\u00a0are\u00a0distinct from general affordability\u00a0concerns\u00a0and\u00a0reflect\u00a0decades of policy choices\u00a0that have\u00a0denied\u00a0too\u00a0many\u00a0access\u00a0to health,\u00a0opportunity, and safety.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In New York City, the\u00a0median Black\u00a0and Latino\u00a0households<\/a> earn just 53 and 49 cents, respectively, for every dollar earned by a white household.\u00a0These New Yorkers experience the\u00a0highest rates of poverty<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0face\u00a0significantly\u00a0higher\u00a0eviction rates.\u00a0The\u00a0disparities\u00a0contribute to a\u00a0rising wealth gap<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0determine\u00a0who\u00a0can\u00a0afford\u00a0housing,\u00a0access\u00a0childcare, and\u00a0remain\u00a0in our city\u00a0at all.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0why\u00a0our city\u2019s Black population has\u00a0declined by\u00a0nearly 200,000<\/a>\u00a0people over the past two decades.\u00a0<\/p>\n As\u00a0affordability\u00a0dominates\u00a0public\u00a0discourse,\u00a0city leaders must\u00a0pursue\u00a0targeted\u00a0solutions\u00a0that\u00a0account for\u00a0these\u00a0historical\u00a0realities and advance justice.\u00a0The affordability crisis is the cumulative effect of systems designed without \u2014 and often against \u2014 the interests of Black and Brown New Yorkers.\u00a0<\/p>\n The incoming mayor and Council cannot fall back to class- and race-neutral policymaking and expect it to close these divides. That approach has failed our communities for generations.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ensuring that policies are grounded in economic and racial justice requires building equity into the mechanics of government. Data analysis by race, ethnicity, and neighborhood must shape priorities and budget choices. Communities most affected by disparities need to be engaged, and their lived experiences must be incorporated into program design.<\/p>\n When government uses evidence, partnership, and accountability, justice becomes a core function \u2014 not an add-on.\u00a0<\/p>\n In\u00a02021,\u00a0the\u00a0Racial Justice Commission\u00a0advanced reforms to address how structural racism is embedded in city government.\u00a0As a result,\u00a0New York City\u00a0is\u00a0now\u00a0required to\u00a0examine\u00a0how its policies, services, and investments\u00a0affect different racial and ethnic communities,\u00a0and develop\u00a0long-term\u00a0racial\u00a0equity plans. The voter-approved True Cost of Living Measure can indicate what it costs to live with stability across boroughs and family types, and whether policies are improving affordability and economic security, for whom and where \u2014 and whether racial justice is being meaningfully advanced.\u00a0<\/p>\n While\u00a0Mayor Adams has\u00a0failed to release<\/a>\u00a0these\u00a0required\u00a0plans\u00a0and measures, Mayor-elect\u00a0Zohran\u00a0Mamdani\u00a0must\u00a0prioritize\u00a0releasing\u00a0them and\u00a0ensuring\u00a0they spur action to\u00a0confront disparities.\u00a0<\/p>\n In recent years, we have also seen what racial justice in government can look like. Since 2022, our most diverse, women-majority City Council has put equity and justice at the heart of its work.<\/p>\n We advanced legislation, policy, and budget investments to address stark racial disparities in maternal health, including\u00a0launching\u00a0the\u00a0first\u00a0city-funded\u00a0guaranteed income program<\/a> for expecting mothers facing housing insecurity \u2014 an intentional response as one in four New York City children lives in poverty and child homelessness\u00a0is\u00a0rising.\u00a0<\/p>\n We\u00a0prioritized\u00a0expanding\u00a0full-day early childhood education seats<\/a>\u00a0for lower-income Black and\u00a0Latino\u00a0communities.\u00a0<\/p>\n This Council\u00a0established\u00a0our\u00a0state\u2019s\u00a0first trauma recovery centers<\/a>\u00a0to ensure crime victims from communities of color were no longer\u00a0disregarded\u00a0and left without\u00a0the\u00a0victim services that make neighborhoods safer.\u00a0<\/p>\n