A Quest to Thrive: Economics of Slavery & Portsmouth’s Early Black Community

Since the pandemic, experts pointed to the bold action President Franklin D. Roosevelt took during the Great Depression as an example of the scale and scope the pandemic response should achieve. The New Deal put millions of desperate Americans to work, created massive job programs, and established a safety net for the unemployed and elderly. However, these programs did not benefit everyone who needed help. Black people, Hispanics, and women were disproportionately excluded from access. With an eye on the…