Grand Canyon Times

Using data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, DaQuawn Bruce, an opinion contributor for USA Today, recently made the argument that high rates of inflation caused by President Joe Biden and the Democrats disproportionately affect people of color in Arizona and across the nation.

With inflation at 9.1% and things looking like they could get worse, Bruce wrote that it's no secret why Black Americans, many of whom voted for Biden, are beginning to turn away from his administration.

Inflation is a hidden tax on poor people, which disproportionately includes people of color, Bruce wrote in an article published July 19 on the USA Today website. The June report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York reported the inflation rate for Blacks is 0.2% higher than the national average and for Hispanics, it was roughly 0.6% higher.

"The reasons why inflation hits Black and brown people harder than others is simple,” Brown wrote. “We have less money on average than other groups, and we spend more of the money we do have on things that are affected the most by inflation.”

Bruce cited the price of gas and used vehicles as examples of things affected by inflation that minorities spend more money on. The June report also found that Black Americans spend more of their income on transportation than white groups.

The U.S. Census Bureau reported in 2019 that Black Americans represented 23.8% of the population living in poverty while only accounting for 13.2% of the total population.

Bruce cited a study published by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis in April that showed necessities such as electricity and cellular service make up a large portion of Black Americans' budgets.

In November, a Bank of America study found that Black, Hispanic, and Latino households spent 7.1% of their post-tax income on energy while 5.4% was spent by other groups. When it comes to food, Blacks tend to spend 12.5% of their income, compared to 11.1% for others.

Bruce is the executive director of Concerned Communities for America. His organization focuses on facilitating political liberation and social transformation of communities of color across the country.

It is estimated in Arizona, 5.3% of the population, or 405,266 people are Black and 31.33%, or 2,208,663 people are Hispanic, according to World Population Review.