Dear Mr./Madam President, 

Imagine a family in poverty barely able to put food on their table. Well you don't have to imagine it because it’s happening all over the United States. Mr./ Madam president raise the minimum wage for the greater good of America. Once you decide to raise the minimum wage it will reduce racial inequality and bring Americans out of poverty.

When you raise the minimum wage you will bring Americans out of poverty. The real value of the minimum wage has fallen by a third since its peak in 1968. The minimum wage today can’t even support a family of two let alone a family of three or four. Raising the minimum wage to $10.10 would raise more than 900,000 people out of poverty. If raised higher could bring millions over the poverty line.

People are always saying that if we raise the minimum wage it will hurt the economy and businesses won't be able to afford it. Both of these arguments are falsely proven in studies. The minimum wage was increased 23 times in the past. Every time it was raised it was opposed by some few who said “it is going to lose jobs and wreck the economy” which is factually untrue as study after study has proven. Also businesses claim they can afford to raise the minimum wage. Recently it has been proven that three out of five companies can raise the minimum wage to 12.15.

If you raise the minimum wage it will decrease racial inequality. Structures of racial oppression and inequality share a long and bad history in the U.S. However, raising the minimum wage, an effort that would lift six million workers above the federal poverty line 60 percent of whom are people of color. This presents an amazing opportunity for the U.S. to take a step toward dismantling these structures and addressing the inequality of opportunity faced by communities of color. This another reason why you should raise the minimum wage, Mr./Madam president.

Mr./Madam president, it is crucial to raise the minimum wage. You will bring a lot of Americans out of poverty and decrease racial inequality for the greater good of America.

Works Cited

By Cap Action War Room / Think Progress. "10 Reasons to Raise the Minimum Wage (with Charts)." Alternet. Web. 04 Nov. 2016.

"Minimum Wage - ProCon.org." ProConorg Headlines. Web. 04 Nov. 2016.

Quigley, Bill. "Top Ten Arguments for Raising the Minimum Wage." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com. Web. 04 Nov. 2016.

"Raise the Wage." The White House. The White House. Web. 04 Nov. 2016.

Region/Country, By. "Minimum Wage Mythbusters." United States Department of Labor. 09 Dec. 2015. Web. 04 Nov. 2016.