St. Petersburg, Florida -- On ABC's "this week" race issues were the main topic of conversation. During that conversation, a reporter said the differences in wealth had to do with race.
During a roundtable discussion on everything from affirmative action to racist comments from LA Clippers owner, Donald Sterling, Fusion reporter Alicia Menendez brought up the topic of race and wealth. While discussing the difference between the middle class in the United States and Canada, she said the difference isn't just generational.
Here's what she said:
"We also know that there is a racial component to this, that a white family is likely to have about six times as much wealth than a black or Hispanic family coming out of the recession."
PunditFact asked Menendez where she got those numbers. She pointed fact-checkers to an April 2013 report from the Urban Institute, a nonpartisan social policy think-tank. It measured mean wealth by race.
"In April 2013, they found for every $6.00 a white person earns, there's a black or Hispanic person who earns $1.00," says Katie Sanders with PunditFact.
Fact-checkers talked to other experts who say her point is accurate and you could extend the ratio even further from other studies.
"For example a PEW research study found that the ratio is actually 20-1, with a slightly different measure for average wealth, but there's no denying there's a gap here," says Sanders.
Because there's no denying the gap and Menendez's statement is accurate, PunditFact rates her claim, TRUE.
Fact-checkers always contact the person who makes a claim they decide to check and few rarely return their calls. However, Menendez sent them right to her source.
If you want to read this check, click here.
