Honk If You Want to End Poverty

In a master’s thesis written at Portland State University, Kerri Sullivan, now a planner in the department of transportation in Washington State, presents evidence that car ownership is a key factor in moving out of poverty. Sullivan’s research found that car ownership increased the likelihood of employment by 80 percent. People with cars had average weekly wages that were $275 higher than people without cars. Research has shown that car ownership could alleviate 45 percent of the black-white employment gap.

Copyright © 2006. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. All rights reserved.