“What we are looking to address at Merit America is the issue of 53 million Americans who are disproportionately people of color, including Black people who are stuck in low-paying jobs, and many of those jobs don’t offer the opportunity for career or economic mobility, and many of them don’t pay a family sustaining wage,” Barksdale explained. “So, we think that it’s important to provide a pathway for all Americans, regardless of what educational opportunities or other opportunities that may have or may have not been available to them.”
