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.
Persistent pay disparities demand intentional, concrete policy solutions to combat bias and systemic barriers in order to expand opportunities for black women.
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.
Both black mothers and women have long been devalued in American society, and racism must be acknowledged and confronted in the effort to reduce black maternal mortality.
The United States has a failing record on responsiveness to communities of color following natural disasters—a record that has only worsened under the Trump administration.
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.
Mayor Landrieu speaks honestly about the consequences of ignoring race in our nation’s history as he removes Confederate monuments in New Orleans.