Minimum wage is one of the most anti-black laws still on the books today. Not only was the minimum wage conceived in racial prejudice, but such legislation still has drastic consequences for black Americans.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, black laborers began to outcompete white laborers in certain industries. Black laborers were unskilled and therefore commanded a lower wage than their white counterparts. Blacks were cheaper and more attractive to employers.
The Davis-Bacon Act of 1931 was the first federal minimum wage law. It was largely proposed as a response to protect white laborers against the influx of black laborers.
Georgia representative William Upshaw, in support of the act, said there was a “superabundance or large aggregation of Negro labor.” Congressmen William Cochran and Miles Allgood made similar testaments complaining about the “cheap colored labor” that was outcompeting white laborers.
Wage regulation in the United States has caused a massive decrease in black employment, more specifically black teen employment.
According to economist Walter Williams, during the 1960s “black youths generally were either just as active as whites in the labor force or more so.” However, today the divide between black and white youth unemployment has grown immensely.
A study by the Employment Policies Institute found that with every 10 percent increase in the minimum wage, black youth employment decrease by 6.5 percent.
Politicians like Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton have both shown their support for a more than 100 percent increase in the minimum wage, while at the same time claiming to support black Americans. The rhetoric surrounding the minimum wage can occasionally be well intentioned.
However, good intentions only go so far, especially when policies have such negative effects.
Tyler Grudi is a staff writer for the Bona Venture.
His email is
gruditj15@bonaventure.edu
