The Hidden History of Taxes: How Taxes Keep Black Folks from Stackin’ Paper + What Can Be Done About It with Tax Law Professor & Author Dorothy A. Brown

Tax Day is creeping up on us! Ever wondered, why doesn’t anyone say Happy Tax Day? Cause doing taxes suck!

With tax day right around the corner you could be doing one of these three things;(1) chillin, cause you have your ish together and already submitted your taxes, (2) scrambling to get your ish together to just make it to the deadline by the skin of your teeth,Or (3) throwing up your hands, thinking,”fuck it” and buying yourself more time by submitting to get an extension until October.

No matter what position you’re in right now, it’s always good to know more about the tax system, how it works and more importantly, learn who benefits from tax policies and who suffers aka how it affects YOU. 

Like did you know that Black people are 3 to 5 times more likely to get audited? Yep, tax policies are kinda racist, so let’s learn how the IRS, aka the Tax police, are keepin’ Black folks from building wealth.

In this episode of That Wasn’t In My Textbook, your favorite historian(me) along with bad-ass tax law professor, author, researcher and tax policy expert, Dorothy A. Brown will:

• Walk you through why we have taxes and how they work
• Give you a brief overview on how taxes are apart of the creation of America
• Draw the connection of how Black people were seen as property that needed to be taxed, and how this practice continued after the abolition of slavery
• Learn different tax policies that continues to disadvantage Black people, like the mortgage deduction 
• Solutions that can help right the wrongs of the tax policy system so Black people are no disadvantaged

Join me as we speak with Dorothy A. Brown, a law professor at Emory University, and top expert who sheds light on how the U.S. tax system unfairly disadvantages Black Americans by giving preferential treatment to wealthy White individuals through various policies.

Put down that stuffy, boring textbook, grab your earbuds, and get into the most lit history lesson EVER! And don’t forget to rate and subscribe!

Stay in Touch:

• Visit our website. Follow the podcast on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, and feel free to donate. 
• To learn more about the podcast host Toya, visit ToyaFromHarlem.com. Connect with Toya on Instagram and Twitter, or buy her a coffee.
• To learn more about today’s guest Dorothy A. Brown,  check out her website, Twitter, and book. 

The episode was researched and scripted by host Latoya Coleman (Toya From Harlem).