Pain Index highlights inequality in Silicon Valley

SAN JOSE, Calif. - San Jose State University Human Rights Institute on Tuesday released the Silicon Valley Pain Index to address white supremacy and income, wealth inequality. 

The new research looks at the disparities between white, Black, Latino and Asian populations. The report's authors gathered in front of Martin Luther King Jr. Library on campus to release their findings. 

The report finds bias can be found in nearly all of the institutions and systems in Santa Clara County. That includes criminal justice, heath care, education and housing. 

"I think all of these numbers are extremely devasting. I think it reveals a lot about what's going on in the community past what the eye can see," said Briena Brown, a current SJSU student and president of the SJSU Student Homeless Alliance, on KTVU's The Four.

Brown said she herself could relate to the statistics as a Black woman who works closely with homeless populations. She spoke of the importance of the statistics. "It's important to know the numbers on it because we're doomed to repeat history if we don't know it." 

The Pain Index reveals that the top 10 Silicon Valley moguls have a combined net worth of $248 billion. They are all white, yet the number of Black women employed at the top 10 large tech companies in Silicon Valley is zero. 

"That money definitely needs to be distributed in better ways," said Brown. The Pain Index is designed to give ideas on what areas need the most attention. 

The Pain Index includes the average per capita income for Latino households at $28,960, African Americans at $40,886 and Asians at $63,136. By comparison this figure is at $82,810 for whites.

"What this report shows, is that the entire playing field that is the whole system is tilted to advantage whites over Asians, Blacks Latinos and Native Americans," said SJSU Professor Scott Myers-Lipton PhD., member of Human Rights Working Group. 

The report also finds that only 1% of the $19 billion of venture capital generated in Silicon Valley went to African American startups.