The Black Tax

The Cost of Being Black in America

By: Shawn D. Rochester

Narrated by: Derrick E. Hardin

Length: 3 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's Summary

While Black Americans have long felt the devastating effects of anti-black discrimination, they have often had great difficulty articulating and substantiating both the existence and impact of that discrimination to an American public who is convinced that it no longer exists. Professionals in academia, the media, and the business community, along with people in the general public have struggled to explain the significant and persistent gaps (in wealth, employment, achievement and poverty) between Black and White communities in what they perceive to be a post racial America. 

In his new book The Black Tax: The Cost of Being Black in America, Shawn Rochester shows how "The Black Tax" (which is the financial cost of conscious and unconscious anti-black discrimination), creates a massive financial burden on Black American households that dramatically reduces their ability to leave a substantial legacy for future generations. Mr. Rochester lays out an extraordinarily compelling case which documents the enormous financial cost of current and past anti-black discrimination on African American households. 

The Black Tax, provides the fact pattern, data and evidence to substantiate what African Americans have long experienced and tried to convey to an unbelieving American public. Backed by an exceptional amount of research, Mr. Rochester not only highlights the extraordinary cost of the discrimination that African Americans currently face, but also explores the massive cost of past discrimination to explain why after 400 years Black Americans own only about 2% of American wealth. He then establishes a framework that Black Americans and other concerned parties can use to eliminate this tax and help create the 6 million jobs and 1.4 million businesses that are missing from the Black community.

©2017 Shawn D. Rochester (P)2020 Shawn D. Rochester

Powerful Statistical & Historic Truth on Black Economic State in America

Excellent comprehensive analysis on the economic state Afro Americans in the United States. As an Afro American male, late 30s, I have mostly seen a large wealth gap (my family included) between blacks and whites and have always wondered to myself, why this is the case. Mr. Rochester provides the analytical and statistical evidence proving the plight of the Afro American is the direct result of systemic and intentional explicit and implicit anti-black bias, leading to The Black Tax designed to financially and politically disempower blacks from having any real wealth nor power.

To think that the collective black person’s defeated position has been controlled and undermined simply because of the pigmentation of one’s skin is a depressing ‘nightmare reality’ for more than half of millennium. (Slavery goes beyond 400 years, hint Papal Bulls)

Despite these historical and statistical facts, I strongly believe we can overcome these challenges with a concentrated effort towards wealth accumulation guided by Mr. Rochester’s solutions. We have to be intentional and focused, because the agenda is real to keep blacks down below the 2% market share in every single wealth accumulation category. (There are news articles circulated with the past 5 years suggesting that Blacks will have zero to negative net worth by the year 2053)

Awesome Read, Get your PHD

This book provides a wonderful fact based summary of the historic events that is the Black Tax, its economical impacts, and the capital and tools we have within our community to overcome the wealth gap suffered by Black Americans. Get your PHD and equip your sphere of influence and the next generation.

Eye Opening!

This is a must read book to learn how Black Americans have been held back and how Black Americans can move forward.

Powerful and Sobering!

Powerful and Sobering! this was a great approach to quantifying the tremendous impact of Slavery, Re-construction, Seperate But Equal, Jim Crow, block busting, red-lining, white flight, gentrification.

Must Read

This is a short but very well written book. Life changing. It is important to inspire and new paradigm of economic priority to change the condition in our community.

Framing and Summation of Black Disenfranchisement

I have to get the book, thought the audible was great. The information in this book was contextually comprehensive as well as numerically detailed towards the itemization of the cost (tax) of being black across the full span of US History. The fundamentals for the economic development of the black individual and black community was well developed and connected. This is a must listen and read for all black families, and those who would advocate for all sectors of the black community.

Financial Racial Warfare and Espionage

A most excellent look into the historically successful assault on the negroid through financial espionage to create white supremacy.

Awesome Book! Thank You for my Awakening!!

Thank you brother Shawn for sharing this great information! It will change my life! Awesome!

Reparations are over due

Here's the research said needed for reparations. I would like to hear more expounding on student loans and incarceration.

Eye Opening Read

Required Reading 📚


When People Ask What Part They Can Play to Assist in the Years of the Disenfranchised People of (So Called) Color... This Book Would Be an Amazing Start..

Informative, insightful and practical 👏

I would highly recommend this book to anybody who is interested in supporting the black community. The book offers insightful information and practical solutions to encourage economic empowerment within the black community. I am glad I bought this book.