Grading Biden’s racial wealth gap plan

Good morning. Welcome to axios today. It's June 2nd and it's already Wednesday and I'll obudu, here's how we're making you smarter today, why some American visa holders are stranded in India. CDC, vaccines heart's, become too facto passports. But first, today's one big thing grading, President Biden's plan to close the racial wealth Gap.

Yesterday, President Biden was in Tulsa Oklahoma to mark 100 years since the Tulsa Race Massacre. While there he announced a plan to tackle. America's racial wealth Gap is aimed at increasing home and small-business ownership in communities of color. Andre Perry is the author of know your price valuing black lives and property in America's black cities. And he's also a senior fellow at the Brookings institution and is here. Now with a reality check on the president's plan. Hi, Andre researching this topic. If you were going to grade the president's plan that he put out yesterday, what would you give it? Give it a be. If it was graded on a curve, I would give it an a day because so many past presidents, really did not do anything. In regards to racial equity in terms of really established in policy that provided a full-throated response Against Racism and in this doesn't it can go farther but it's certainly acknowledges.

That racism is played a role in wealth development in this country. And that race must also play a role in and closing these wealth disparities where we see why it's medium. Well that 170000 compared to just $17,000 black American. So we do need a federal response tracking to entrepreneurs to the problem of black homeowner appraisals in the plan, actually quotes your research on that and says the administration will create an interagency group to try to fix this. Do you think that can fix this problem? Part of the reason why homes in black neighborhoods are under price by about 23%? Compared to the white peers is because of appraisals. Some of that is because of lending practices, real estate agent Behavior, and the overall economy. And so you do need an interagency effort to really look at all.

The different components of that certainly, the federal government doesn't have control over some of the stakeholders that leads to devaluation, but it may lead to efforts at the state and local levels that will address those shortcomings problem. That's deeply rooted in American history and practices, as you said that stem from the federal government to State and local governments to the private sector. How much does this plan go about trying to solve this very deep problems in American society? Does do a good job in trying to rid itself of the drags of racism that negatively affect black American? What it doesn't do, it doesn't repay the damage that was caused through redlining and other discriminatory practices.

In housing, in business development, and infrastructure. And that's a major component of the racial wealth divide. You should not be afraid of the word inference, and America's really not against reparation and we seen reparation given to American Indians. We seen it in in 9/11 victims, receiving some form of reparation. So we believe in reparations, we just don't believe in reparation for black people. And so, if we can get over that, we can see some change in in this country, we can really see the closing of the wealth divide.

Andre Perry is a senior fellow at the washington-based Brookings, institution. Thank you, Andre.

I'll be back in 15 seconds. With the heartbreaking choices, facing some Indian American families.

Welcome back to excuse today, I'm not a boodoo people born in India. Hold two thirds of H-1B visas in the US. That's a Visa. Given to specialized workers are often in the high-tech industry. Many of these workers have lost family members to the pandemic and want to go back to India for funerals or to care for El loved ones but with the covid travel ban to India, hundreds possibly thousands are having trouble. Getting back into. The u.s. Nisha karnani is an immigration attorney based in Atlanta which has a significant South Asian population. What are you hearing from people? Where you are? It's been heartbreaking daily, I get calls from clients for my own family, from my attorney friends. A lot of what we're seeing is a very difficult decision to be made about whether to go back home to India. If you go, then you may get stuck there and not be able to come.

A lot of our South Asian community members are on H-1B visas. And if you skip stranded abroad, you may lose the job. That is, underlying your visa and therefore, lose your Visa as well. H-1B visa holders, and their families have deep roots in the US. They've been here for many many years there in a very long green card line. That is currently about 20 years long. And so what ends up happening is they're having to decide between potentially losing their home in the US because they need to go back or are they feel, you know, some more in a loved one to take care of loved ones. And it is a lot of Guild people who wore green card holders or VISA holders have to face these tough decisions all the time in this country. What does it say to you about the state of our immigration system in this country? It exacerbates the existing problems that we have. They would have had their green card.

I know if our US immigration system, didn't have these very old archaic per-country, quotas. And if they were just born in another country, Pakistan Germany, they would have their green card. And so, the immigration system is very outdated.

Nisha karnani is a partner at the atlanta-based firm, Antonini and Cohen. Thank you niece. Thank you so much. I really appreciate being here.

We recently told you on the podcast about Europe opening its borders to foreign Travelers. Well, excuse, as editor-in-chief Nick Johnston headed to Europe. Last week. I asked him to jump on Zoom to tell us about his experience Nick. What did you learn about going out to eat as a vaccinated American in Copenhagen Denmark? The first day on the sign that every restaurant they have all the stuff about masks and about coronavirus boards. But it's all of course, in Danish, in my limited, Swedish had trouble pounding through that. I just went to McDonald's. And then, how did you end up eating at places? Other than McDonald's. I was traveling for this weekend and the producers I was traveling with were more worldly Travelers and me and am actually let me understand that the CDC vaccination card. That all Americans get is like a get-out-of-jail-free card. At least that part of Denmark. I was an easy way that you going any place.

Other Travelers right now, when we were in Europe is that their actual Europeans were jealous of us? One of the HBO producer told me about Customs officials. That all Americans are so lucky. You're already vaccinated are doing interviews at a giant Corporation in Denmark and Norway was super excited. They were about to get their first shot the following weekend while the entire American that is interesting because I feel like we haven't heard people saying, yay, America for a while, we're certainly looking good.

Nick Johnson is actresses. Editor-in-chief thanks Nick.

That's it for us today. You can always send this feedback by emailing us at Podcast. Addict, use. Calm, or reaching out to me directly on Twitter, my handle is Nyla Budu. As always, if you want more days before tomorrow, you can tune in to our afternoon podcast, xeo3 cap. Thanks for listening, stay safe. And we'll see you back here tomorrow morning.