"Middle-class and low-income individuals who make up most of the population in our state aren't earning enough to buy the goods and services that the economy is capable of producing. The result is a shrinking middle class. Middle-class families, defined as households earning 50 percent below and above the median income, are earning less than middle-class families did in 1989. The decline in high-paying jobs is pushing more families into the lower class, thus widening the gap between rich and poor." This article explores the level of income inequality present in Richmond, the city with the highest income inequality in Virginia and one of the highest in the United States. One in four individuals live on or below the poverty line. Segregation, racism associated with banking, and highway construction limited the poverty level to specific areas of the city. There is no transportation provided beyond city lines, forcing the average-middle class to take the incentive to live in the country as opposed to the city. This forces the lower class to live within the city. The article discusses how stable well-paying jobs have disappeared and not been replaced, causing the American middle class to shrink. The lack of high paying jobs is currently pushing more families into the lower class, widening the gap between rich and poor.

"The children of the more affluent and less affluent are raised in starkly different ways and have different opportunities. As a result, poorer kids are less likely to participate in voluntary service work that might give them a sense of purpose and responsibility. Their test scores are lagging. Their opportunities are more limited." This article explains the differences between the social classes of America, and their relation to education. Families who have a larger income than others tend to invest more time and money into their children. Kids who come from families who are wealthier are roughly twice as likely to participate in after school sports, and be members of nonsporting activities, also receiving better test scores and a sense of purpose and responsibility. Those with a larger amount of money are exposed to a plethora of opportunities which open doors to countless others, while those who are not so lucky do not get the same chance. Affluent individuals are more likely to raise children with other prosperous individuals in self-segregated areas where they are not exposed to those who do not share the same blessing. This is the reason for the lack of equality in the nation, as stated by the article, making the societal opportunity gap wider and wider.