A new report from the state’s advisory committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights has pointed out an ugly truth: There is an alarming unemployment disparity between white and nonwhite Minnesotans.

The report specifically shows black and Native American residents of our state are far more likely to be unemployed than white residents, and businesses owned by people of color face discriminatory lending practices compared to white-owned businesses. According to the report, Minnesota is third-highest in the nation when it comes to unemployment rates between whites and Native Americans between 25 and 54 years old.

While we do not agree with everything in the report — one of the potential solutions the report suggested involved the state giving mandatory preferences to person of color-owned businesses seeking government contracts, for example — we see this latest finding as further proof of the need to address racial bias in the workplace.

Austin already has serious employment issues — despite unemployment rates at less than 4 percent, 19 percent of residents are living at or below the federal poverty level. What’s more, we have an increasingly diverse, growing population.

We need to pay attention to reports like these, especially when we see other examples of racial bias in Minnesota, from the horrid racial gap in academic achievement to the disappointing gap between white and nonwhite homeowners. Perhaps the most disappointing fact of all is none of these gaps are new revelations. These trends have only gotten worse as Minnesota has become increasingly diverse over the past 40 years or so. That’s one of the reasons why we hope Vision 2020 succeeds in its plans to transform Austin over the next few years, as the actions of a few could boost everyone’s quality of life.

We do not believe specific policies that boost one race over another are good solutions, but we cannot ignore the gross negligence with which we treat our neighbors. It is long past time to acknowledge the racial bias within ourselves, our community and our state, and start talking about solutions — any and all of them — to such a growing problem.