Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery. It’s been 155 years since June 19, 1865, but Black people still aren’t free. Black people are still demanding equal rights, equal treatment, and full access to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Whether it's coronavirus, the racial wealth gap, or the killing of Black people at the hands of law enforcement, the call to action on this Juneteenth must be focused on structural reform. This pandemic has not only highlighted structural problems in our health care and economic systems, it has exacerbated racial and ethnic disparities that have long been pushed aside. The recent killings of Black people has done the same—further showcasing the need to focus on the criminal justice system as a whole instead of focusing on bad apples. To effectively remove systematic racism, we must be unafraid to change our country’s economic, social, and civic intuitions.The following products highlight some of our work focused on these issues and on structural reform.
The United States needs policies that challenge structural racism in order to close the persistent unemployment gap between African Americans and whites.
New federal data shows high default rates for newer borrowers despite increased use of income-driven repayment plans.
Women of color—a diverse and increasingly active voting bloc—are a growing force in American politics.
The United States must reckon with the racism built into its housing system in order to ensure that all Americans have the opportunity to build wealth.
In order to address centuries of collective harm to African Americans, the United States must acknowledge the impacts of slavery and make an intentional choice to rebuild itself in an equitable manner.
Most policy interventions, even those that are seemingly large or ambitious, are insufficient to close the racial wealth gap.
Inclusive progressive solutions are key to addressing the structural racism of previous U.S. farm policies—something that nearly wiped out black farmers.
Big-time college sports distort the reality of black male students’ experience on college campuses, so much so that black male athletes represent a sizable chunk of black men in Power Five schools.
The system of mass incarceration is perhaps the clearest manifestation of structural racism in the United States—with particularly damaging effects for black women and infants.
The already large racial wealth gap between white and black American households grew even wider after the Great Recession. Targeted policies are necessary to reverse this deepening divide.