Examining the Wealth Gap between Black and White Americans with Louise Story and Ebony Reed

Story in the Public Square

The myth is that anyone who works hard, saves their money, and makes good decisions, can develop wealth in the United States. But Louise Story and Ebony Reed document the long and painful history of the structures, policies and practices that have resulted in a profound wealth gap between Black and White Americans.

Louise Story is a professor at Yale University and media expert who spent more than a decade working at The New York Times. As an investigative reporter, she worked on multiple billion-dollar plus financial settlements, government reforms and legal convictions. She was a finalist for the 2010 Emmy Awards and the 2009 Pulitzer Prize in Public Service. Most recently, Story was the Chief News Strategist and Chief Product & Technology Officer at The Wall Street Journal. She co-authored a book with Ebony Reed titled “Fifteen Cents on the Dollar: How Americans Made the Black-White Wealth Gap.” Reed also teaches at Yale and is a seasoned journalist, editorial leader and news strategist. She has reported on public school systems, police agencies and city governments. At the Wall Street Journal, Reed was the New Audiences and Community Chief, overseeing four teams of journalists, engineers, designers and audience experts. She joined The Marshall Project in January 2022 as its Chief Strategy Officer.

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