Race/Related: The fate of Black workers

Economists worry that Black workers will bear the brunt of a slowdown — and that without federal aid to cushion the blow, the impact could be severe. [View in browser](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRk7H5PP4QpAWh0dHBzOi8vbWVzc2FnaW5nLWN1c3RvbS1uZXdzbGV0dGVycy5ueXRpbWVzLmNvbS90ZW1wbGF0ZS9vYWt2Mj9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zNyZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ycl8yMDIyMDgyNyZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD03MDMwMCZubD1yYWNlJTJGcmVsYXRlZCZwcm9kdWN0Q29kZT1SUiZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTAyNTYzJnRlPTEmdXJpPW55dCUzQSUyRiUyRm5ld3NsZXR0ZXIlMkZmMzBiOTgxZi0yMTJhLTUyM2QtYjNmOS0xZTdmMWQ3NTc2YmMmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgpjA0_5CWP3ozeoUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~)|[nytimes.com](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRk7H5PP0SxaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjIwODI3Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTcwMzAwJm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xMDI1NjMmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmMDT_kJY_ejN6hSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~)[Continue reading the main story](#a11y-skip-ad-marquee) ~/AAAAAQA~/RgRk7H5PP0RtaHR0cHM6Ly9saXZlaW50ZW50Lm5ld3lvcmt0aW1lc2luZm8uY29tL2NsaWNrP3M9MjA3NTgwJmxpPVJSJm09YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDcmcD1SUl8yMDIyMDgyN1cDbnl0QgpjA0_5CWP3ozeoUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~ [More Race/Related](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRk7H5PP0S_aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vc3BvdGxpZ2h0L3JhY2U_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzcmZW1jPWVkaXRfcnJfMjAyMjA4MjcmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9NzAzMDAmbmw9cmFjZSUyRnJlbGF0ZWQmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTEwMjU2MyZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKYwNP-Qlj96M3qFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA) August 27, 2022 Federal pandemic relief provided a cushion for Menyuan Jordan, at her home near Atlanta with her husband and children.Rita Harper for The New York Times ‘A Disproportionate Impact on Black Workers’ [Author Headshot](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRk7H5PP0THaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vYnkvdGFsbW9uLWpvc2VwaC1zbWl0aD9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zNyZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ycl8yMDIyMDgyNyZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD03MDMwMCZubD1yYWNlJTJGcmVsYXRlZCZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTAyNTYzJnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgpjA0_5CWP3ozeoUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~)[Author Headshot](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRk7H5PP0TBaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vYnkvYmVuLWNhc3NlbG1hbj9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zNyZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ycl8yMDIyMDgyNyZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD03MDMwMCZubD1yYWNlJTJGcmVsYXRlZCZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTAyNTYzJnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgpjA0_5CWP3ozeoUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~) By [Talmon Joseph Smith](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRk7H5PP0THaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vYnkvdGFsbW9uLWpvc2VwaC1zbWl0aD9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zNyZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ycl8yMDIyMDgyNyZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD03MDMwMCZubD1yYWNlJTJGcmVsYXRlZCZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTAyNTYzJnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgpjA0_5CWP3ozeoUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~) and [Ben Casselman](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRk7H5PP0TBaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vYnkvYmVuLWNhc3NlbG1hbj9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zNyZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ycl8yMDIyMDgyNyZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD03MDMwMCZubD1yYWNlJTJGcmVsYXRlZCZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTAyNTYzJnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgpjA0_5CWP3ozeoUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~) Black Americans have been hired much more rapidly in the wake of the pandemic shutdowns than after previous recessions. But as the Federal Reserve tries to soften the labor market in a bid to tame inflation, economists worry that Black workers will bear the brunt of a slowdown — and that without federal aid to cushion the blow, the impact could be severe. Some 3.5 million Black workers lost or left their jobs in March and April 2020. In weeks, the unemployment rate for Black workers soared to 16.8 percent, the same as the peak after the 2008 financial crisis, while the rate for white workers topped out at 14.1 percent. Since then, the U.S. economy has experienced one of its fastest rebounds ever, one that has extended to workers of all races. The Black unemployment rate was 6 percent last month, just above the record low of late 2019. And in government data collected since the 1990s, wages for Black workers are rising at their fastest pace ever. Now policymakers at the Fed and in the White House face the challenge of fighting inflation without inducing a recession that would erode or reverse those workplace gains. Decades of research has found that workers from racial and ethnic minorities — along with those with other barriers to employment, such as disabilities, criminal records or low levels of education — are among the [first laid off](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRk7H5PP4QAAWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFtZXJpY2FucHJvZ3Jlc3Mub3JnL2FydGljbGUvYWZyaWNhbi1hbWVyaWNhbnMtZmFjZS1zeXN0ZW1hdGljLW9ic3RhY2xlcy1nZXR0aW5nLWdvb2Qtam9icy8_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzcmZW1jPWVkaXRfcnJfMjAyMjA4MjcmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9NzAzMDAmbmw9cmFjZSUyRnJlbGF0ZWQmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTEwMjU2MyZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKYwNP-Qlj96M3qFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA) during a downturn and the [last hired](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRk7H5PP4QOAWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNicHAub3JnL3Jlc2VhcmNoL2Vjb25vbXkvcm9idXN0LXVuZW1wbG95bWVudC1pbnN1cmFuY2Utb3RoZXItcmVsaWVmLW5lZWRlZC10by1taXRpZ2F0ZS1yYWNpYWwtYW5kLWV0aG5pYz9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zNyZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ycl8yMDIyMDgyNyZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD03MDMwMCZubD1yYWNlJTJGcmVsYXRlZCZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTAyNTYzJnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgpjA0_5CWP3ozeoUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~) during a recovery. William Darity Jr., a Duke University professor who has studied racial gaps in employment, says the problem is that the only reliable tool the Fed uses to fight inflation — increasing interest rates — works in part by causing unemployment. Higher borrowing costs make consumers less likely to spend and employers less likely to invest, reducing pressure on prices. But that also reduces demand for workers, pushing joblessness up and wages down. [Continue reading the main story](#a11y-skip-universal-0) ADVERTISEMENT ~/AAAAAQA~/RgRk7H5PP0RtaHR0cHM6Ly9saXZlaW50ZW50Lm5ld3lvcmt0aW1lc2luZm8uY29tL2NsaWNrP3M9MTc0MTQ5JmxpPVJSJm09YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDcmcD1SUl8yMDIyMDgyN1cDbnl0QgpjA0_5CWP3ozeoUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~ “I don’t know that there’s any existing policy option that’s plausible that would not result in hurting some significant portion of the population,” Mr. Darity said. “Whether it’s inflation or it’s rising unemployment, there’s a disproportionate impact on Black workers.” In a [paper published last month](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRk7H5PP0TlaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cucGlpZS5jb20vcHVibGljYXRpb25zL3BvbGljeS1icmllZnMvYmFkLW5ld3MtZmVkLWJldmVyaWRnZS1zcGFjZT9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zNyZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ycl8yMDIyMDgyNyZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD03MDMwMCZubD1yYWNlJTJGcmVsYXRlZCZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTAyNTYzJnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgpjA0_5CWP3ozeoUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~), Lawrence H. Summers, a former Treasury secretary and top economic adviser to Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, asserted with his co-authors that the Fed would need to allow the overall unemployment rate to rise to 5 percent or above — it is now 3.5 percent — to bring inflation under control. Since Black unemployment is typically about double that of white workers, that suggests that the rate for Black workers would approach or reach double digits. In an interview, Mr. Summers said that outcome would be regrettable and, to some extent, unavoidable. “But the alternative,” Mr. Summers argued — “simply pretending” the U.S. labor market can remain this hot — “is setting the stage for the mistakes we made in the 1970s, and ultimately for a far larger recession, to contain inflation.” [Continue reading the main story](#a11y-skip-universal-1) ADVERTISEMENT ~/AAAAAQA~/RgRk7H5PP0RtaHR0cHM6Ly9saXZlaW50ZW50Lm5ld3lvcmt0aW1lc2luZm8uY29tL2NsaWNrP3M9MjA3NTc3JmxpPVJSJm09YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDcmcD1SUl8yMDIyMDgyN1cDbnl0QgpjA0_5CWP3ozeoUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~ “These arguments have nothing to do with how much you care about unemployment, or how much you care about the unemployment of disadvantaged groups,” he continued. “They only have to do with technical judgment.” Many progressive economists have been sharply critical of that view, arguing that Black workers should not be the collateral damage in a war on inflation. William Spriggs, an economist at Howard University, cautioned against overstating the Fed’s ability to bring inflation under control — especially when inflation is being driven in part by global forces — and underestimating the potential damage from driving interest rates much higher. Black workers will suffer first under a Fed-induced recession, Mr. Spriggs said. When that happens, he added, job losses across the board tend to follow. “And so you pay attention, because that’s the canary in the coal mine,” he said. In a 2020 [research paper](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRk7H5PP4QQAWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNicHAub3JnL3Jlc2VhcmNoL2Z1bGwtZW1wbG95bWVudC90aGUtaW1wYWN0LW9mLXRoZS1jb3ZpZDE5LXJlY2Vzc2lvbi1vbi10aGUtam9icy1hbmQtaW5jb21lcy1vZi1wZXJzb25zLW9mP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjIwODI3Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTcwMzAwJm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xMDI1NjMmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmMDT_kJY_ejN6hSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~), the economists Jared Bernstein and Janelle Jones — both of whom subsequently joined the Biden administration — laid out the increasingly popular argument that in light of this, the Fed “should consider targeting not the overall unemployment rate, but the Black rate.” [Continue reading the main story](#a11y-skip-universal-2) ADVERTISEMENT ~/AAAAAQA~/RgRk7H5PP0RtaHR0cHM6Ly9saXZlaW50ZW50Lm5ld3lvcmt0aW1lc2luZm8uY29tL2NsaWNrP3M9NzI4Njk5JmxpPVJSJm09YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDcmcD1SUl8yMDIyMDgyN1cDbnl0QgpjA0_5CWP3ozeoUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~ In an [accompanying essay](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRk7H5PP4QLAWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbS9vdXRsb29rLzIwMjAvMDYvMTUvZmVkZXJhbC1yZXNlcnZlLWNvdWxkLWhlbHAtbWFrZS1qb2ItbWFya2V0LWZhaXJlci1ibGFjay13b3JrZXJzLz9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zNyZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ycl8yMDIyMDgyNyZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD03MDMwMCZubD1yYWNlJTJGcmVsYXRlZCZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTAyNTYzJnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgpjA0_5CWP3ozeoUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~) in The Washington Post, they noted that Fed policy implicitly treats 4 percent unemployment as a long-term goal, but “because Black unemployment is two times the overall rate, targeting 4 percent for the overall economy means targeting 8 percent for blacks.” The Fed didn’t take their advice. But in the years leading up to the pandemic, Fed policymakers increasingly talked about the benefits of a strong labor market for racial and ethnic minorities, and cited it as a factor in their policy decisions. After Mr. Biden took office, he and his economic advisers pushed for a large government spending bill — which became the $1.9 trillion American Recovery Plan — in part on the grounds that it would avoid the painful slog that job seekers, particularly nonwhite workers, faced after the 2007-9 recession and would instead deliver a supercharged recovery. “It’s been faster, more robust for African Americans than any other post-recessionary periods since at least the 1970s,” Cecilia Rouse, the chair of Mr. Biden’s Council of Economic Advisers, said in an interview. Black workers are receiving faster wage gains than other racial and ethnic groups, and have taken advantage of the strong job market to move into higher-paying industries and occupations, according to [an analysis of government data by White House economists](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRk7H5PP4QDAWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LndoaXRlaG91c2UuZ292L2NlYS93cml0dGVuLW1hdGVyaWFscy8yMDIyLzA4LzI0L3BhbmRlbWljLXNoaWZ0cy1pbi1ibGFjay1lbXBsb3ltZW50LWFuZC13YWdlcy8_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzcmZW1jPWVkaXRfcnJfMjAyMjA4MjcmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9NzAzMDAmbmw9cmFjZSUyRnJlbGF0ZWQmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTEwMjU2MyZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKYwNP-Qlj96M3qFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA). Menyuan Jordan is among them. Ms. Jordan, who has a master’s degree in social work and was making a living training child care providers in February 2020, saw her livelihood upended when Covid-19 struck. “The money was based off face-to-face professional development that went to zero almost immediately overnight,” she said. “I couldn’t afford the rent.” Read the rest of the story [here](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRk7H5PP0TpaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMi8wOC8yNC9idXNpbmVzcy9lY29ub215L2JsYWNrLXdvcmtlcnMtcmVjZXNzaW9uLmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzcmZW1jPWVkaXRfcnJfMjAyMjA4MjcmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9NzAzMDAmbmw9cmFjZSUyRnJlbGF0ZWQmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTEwMjU2MyZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKYwNP-Qlj96M3qFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA). EDITORS’ PICKS We publish many articles that touch on race. Here are a few you shouldn’t miss. [[Article Image] via New-York Historical Society](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRk7H5PP0T1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMi8wOC8yNS9hcnRzL2Rlc2lnbi93aW5vbGQtcmVpc3MtbmV3LXlvcmstaGlzdG9yaWNhbC1zb2NpZXR5Lmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzcmZW1jPWVkaXRfcnJfMjAyMjA4MjcmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9NzAzMDAmbmw9cmFjZSUyRnJlbGF0ZWQmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTEwMjU2MyZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKYwNP-Qlj96M3qFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA) [Art Review Winold Reiss, an Immigrant Modernist Way Ahead of His Time The German-born artist brought his brand of modernism to the United States and was fascinated by all the different faces he could find here. By Will Heinrich](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRk7H5PP0T1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMi8wOC8yNS9hcnRzL2Rlc2lnbi93aW5vbGQtcmVpc3MtbmV3LXlvcmstaGlzdG9yaWNhbC1zb2NpZXR5Lmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzcmZW1jPWVkaXRfcnJfMjAyMjA4MjcmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9NzAzMDAmbmw9cmFjZSUyRnJlbGF0ZWQmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTEwMjU2MyZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKYwNP-Qlj96M3qFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA) [[Article Image] Narisa Ladak for The New York Times](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRk7H5PP0TtaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMi8wOC8yNS9zcG9ydHMvaG9ja2V5L3NhcmFoLW51cnNlLXdvcmxkLWNoYW1waW9uc2hpcC5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjIwODI3Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTcwMzAwJm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xMDI1NjMmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmMDT_kJY_ejN6hSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~) [In Sarah Nurse, a Found Voice for Hockey Nurse, 27, is the first Black woman to win Olympic gold in women’s hockey. Before she set the single-tournament points record in Beijing, she faced years of underestimation. By Alan Blinder](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRk7H5PP0TtaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMi8wOC8yNS9zcG9ydHMvaG9ja2V5L3NhcmFoLW51cnNlLXdvcmxkLWNoYW1waW9uc2hpcC5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjIwODI3Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTcwMzAwJm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xMDI1NjMmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmMDT_kJY_ejN6hSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~) [[Article Image] London Ladd](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRk7H5PP0TwaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMi8wOC8yNC9ib29rcy9yZXZpZXcvYmxhY2stZm9say1jb3VsZC1mbHktcmFuZGFsbC1rZW5hbi5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjIwODI3Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTcwMzAwJm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xMDI1NjMmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmMDT_kJY_ejN6hSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~) [Nonfiction One Writer’s Love Letters to the Forces That Shaped Him “Black Folk Could Fly,” a posthumous book of Randall Kenan’s collected essays, provides a window into his life and heart. 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