Like many Black families, Johnson and her husband are bearing the brunt of inflation – with prices rising to the highest rates the US has seen in more than 40 years. Researchers say Black families will suffer the worst effects of rising inflation because they lag behind their White counterparts in income, wealth, financial savings and home ownership. “When you see Black families earning 15% less than the average White family and you see them shopping because they are living in food deserts near these convenience stores where everything is priced higher than it would at a supermarket … then it costs more money to be poor.”