This episode discusses the servicemen’s readjustment act, better known as the GI Bill. This remarkable program, forged by World War I vets to help World War II vets transition back to civilian life is widely heralded as ushering in an American economic boom. But there is another part of this story, one where the unequal application of this program compounded systems of structural inequality, and, according to our guest Dr. J Philip Thompson, ultimately had an order of magnitude greater impact on the black/white wealth gap than did slavery. 

Dr. Thompson is an associate professor of urban politics at the Massachusetts institute of technology. He has written extensively on this subject and other topics related to race and economic opportunity. He just completed his second stint as a deputy mayor of New York City, where he managed a diverse portfolio ranging from the office supporting woman-owned and minority-owned businesses, the department of veterans affairs, and the public engagement unit, to name a few areas of focus. Previously in the Dinkins administration, he ran the housing office. 

But before he was on the MIT faculty or working to make New York City a more equitable place, he was a kid in Philadelphia, living both the opportunity and disparate impact that the GI Bill offered his family. This conversation is focused on that story, Phil’s story, of unequal opportunity in America.