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While the longest shutdown in U.S. history leaves millions of Americans with missed paychecks and mounting bills, this piece explores why we must build wealth for all, especially for communities that have been historically kept from economic opportunity.

Despite living in one of the world’s wealthiest nations, millions of Americans remain financially vulnerable, with stark racial disparities in who has enough emergency savings to weather even a brief crisis.

While the government shutdown left us without recent economic data, the rising Black unemployment rate reveals essential truths about the state of our economy.

Dēmos and Dēmos United announce that they have reached a voluntary recognition agreement effective November 4, 2025.

In May, Dēmos held a national convening of financial justice leaders to reimagine our financial systems and build community wealth through public banks. These are our top takeaways.

For decades, labor market data has shown a difficult truth: Our economy has never worked for everyone—especially Black women. 

Amid ongoing attacks on worker protections and enforcement, worker-driven social responsibility programs offer alternative, scalable pathways to building collective power for workers across industries.

Structural imbalances—not immigrants—are what keeps working people from seeing their fair share of economic gains.

Trump’s attack on the Bureau of Labor Statistics and, more broadly, on facts, marks another step closer to authoritarianism.

With this decision, the Court has further eroded our norms and beliefs regarding democracy, our rights under the Constitution, and the courts’ role in upholding those rights. 

Instead of spending trillions to widen disparities, Congress could have made childcare more affordable, improved the nation’s crumbling housing stock, and created a much-overdue program for paid family and medical leave.

Dēmos’ 25th anniversary is more than a milestone. It’s a call to action.

On the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, we honor those who strived for that victory by defending its true legacy—one that demands not just political participation, but economic justice as well.

A strong economy cannot be measured by stock market performance; it must be assessed by everyday people’s ability to meet their basic needs and achieve economic security.