Research and commentary

Race, Prosperity, and Inclusion Initiative

Research and commentary

The Race, Prosperity, and Inclusion Initiative (RPII) at Brookings aims to advance concrete policy solutions that combat systemic racism and build a more equitable society for all Americans, with a particular focus on poor, low-income and communities of color. The initiative encompasses scholarship from Brookings’s Economic Studies, Governance Studies, and Brookings Metro programs.

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Rosa Parks giving fingerprints

Race in Public Policy Rosa Parks: Lessons learned for the future of civil rights

Keon L. Gilbert, Nicol Turner Lee

December 10, 2025

Portrait of Rosa Parks

Race in Public Policy Rosa Parks: A mother of the movement and the Black community

Jasmine C. Jackson

December 9, 2025

Sheila Watkins (right) and her daughter ride a restored Montgomery bus from the Rosa Parks Museum—the same model Parks rode—after paying their respects at St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church in Montgomery, Alabama, on Oct. 29, 2005.

Race in Public Policy Honoring Rosa Parks’ life and legacy: Black women’s roles in social movements and civic engagement

Nadia E. Brown, Christine M. Slaughter

December 8, 2025

Officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Los Angeles immigration enforcement operation on June 10, 2025. Some Angelenos rounded up by federal immigration agents have already been deported, according to a new report, as a fuller picture emerges of the immigrants arrested during raids in Los Angeles that have triggered a wave of protests there and in other cities across the US. Other federal agencies are believed to have contributed to the increase in detentions alongside Ice, including the FBI, US Customs and Border Protection, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Immigrant advocacy groups say they have information that more than 200 people were detained and that many do not have criminal records.

Demographics & Population Racial profiling by ICE will have a marked impact on Latino communities

Gabriel R. Sanchez, Edward D. Vargas

October 16, 2025

Race in Public Policy

market shopper

Children & Families The cost of being poor is rising. And it’s worse for poor families of color.

Jeffrey C. Fuhrer

July 29, 2024

Protest attendees call for investments in prevention instead of a new prison.

Crime, Justice & Safety Front-end criminal justice reforms are key to addressing systemic inequities

Howard Henderson, Mikayla Wallace

March 11, 2025

Police detain a protester at a rally to protest the death of Freddie Gray who died following an arrest in Baltimore, Maryland April 25, 2015. More than 1,000 demonstrators chanting "shut it down" marched through Baltimore on Saturday to protest the death of a black man who died after being taken into police custody.

Race in Public Policy How police violence reshapes community health and trust

Rashawn Ray, Keon L. Gilbert, Alyasah Ali Sewell, Jennifer D. Roberts

December 3, 2024

Social Equity & Inclusion

Emma Joy (R), 16, and her sister Quinn, 12, pack feminine products for delivery at their home in South Orange, New Jersey March 6, 2016. The South Orange, New Jersey, residents got the idea for their charity, Girls Helping Girls Period, when Emma learned that federal assistance programs for the indigent do not cover menstruation products, leaving many low-income and homeless women to cope with their cycles on their own.

Demographics & Population Period poverty and its reach across the US

Anne Sebert Kuhlmann, Ifeoma Obionu

November 27, 2024

Young African American farmer walking in stable with flock of sheep and carrying bucket full of water.

Race in Public Policy How Black farmers are sowing seeds of racial justice, liberty, and equity

Keon L. Gilbert

February 26, 2025

People cheer a speaker during a demonstration marking the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. The event was hosted by National Action Network and the Drum Major Institute to both commemorate the 1963 march and call for continued work toward racial equality in the United States.

Demographics & Population Black women on the mic during the 1963 March on Washington

Keesha Middlemass

June 26, 2024

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