Race in American Public Policy

Brookings’s experts are contributing research on the historic racial inequalities found in American public policy— from housing to education to banking and beyond.

Atlanta Police officer J. Coleman, left, and protester Elijah Raffington give each other a fist bump while an Atlanta Police bicycle unit blocking Marietta Street at Centennial Olympic Park Drive kneels down with protesters outside the CNN Center at Olympic Park during a sixth day of protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody on Wednesday, June 3, 2020. Photo by Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution/TNS/ABACAPRESS.COM

Report

New Jersey ARRIVE Together program could reform policing as we know it

Thursday, March 16, 2023

image of a black male warehouse worker carrying boxes.

Labor Policy & Unemployment

Historical unemployment for Black women and men in the United States: 1954-2021

Tiffany N. Ford

Monday, February 13, 2023

newspapers on a shelf

Beyond the headlines: 8 issues we’re tracking in 2023

Amy Liu, Chris Meserole, Molly E. Reynolds, Rashawn Ray, Keon L. Gilbert, Carol Graham, Richard G. Frank, Jenny Schuetz, Tonantzin Carmona, Glenn D. Rudebusch, and John W. McArthur

Monday, February 6, 2023

March 1, 2022; Washington, DC, USA; President Joe Biden, flanked by Vice President Kamala Harris, delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, March 01, 2022 in Washington, DC. Mandatory Credit: Jabin Botsford/Pool via USA TODAY NETWORK

FixGov

Biden State of the Union 2023: Biden has good news, but Americans are in a bad mood

Friday, February 3, 2023

Race in American Public Policy Videos

Three protesters embrace each other during a peaceful protest against police violence organized by the San Francisco LGBT Community Center in San Francisco, California December 24, 2014. An 18-year old black teen was fatally shot by police at a gas station late on Tuesday in a St. Louis suburb near where unarmed teen Michael Brown was killed by a white officer in August. REUTERS/Stephen Lam (UNITED STATES - Tags: CRIME LAW CIVIL UNREST)

Up Front

Racial gaps in hope, ill-being, and deaths of despair

Thursday, February 27, 2020

Patient Sharon Dawson Coates (L) has her knee examined by Dr. Nikhil Narang at University of Chicago Medicine Urgent Care Clinic in Chicago June 28, 2012. REUTERS/Jim Young (UNITED STATES - Tags: EDUCATION HEALTH)

USC-Brookings Schaeffer on Health Policy

There are clear, race-based inequalities in health insurance and health outcomes

Christen Linke Young

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Building_ShermanPark

The Avenue

Discriminatory housing practices are leading to the devaluation of Black Americans

Thursday, February 13, 2020

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Research

A colorful sunset of yellow, orange and blues in the Louisiana swamps along the Mississippi River with clouds in the blue sky and reeds in the foreground.

Essay

The case for climate reparations in the United States

Manann Donoghoe and Andre M. Perry

Thursday, March 2, 2023

Diverse people, multiracial, multicultural crowd of men and women, side view portraits.

Report

Recognizing Black and Latino-majority cities is the first step to finding a real world Wakanda

Andre M. Perry and Manann Donoghoe

Thursday, January 26, 2023

Photo of a white realtor showing a Black couple information about their house.

Report

How racial bias in appraisals affects the devaluation of homes in majority-Black neighborhoods

Jonathan Rothwell and Andre M. Perry

Monday, December 5, 2022

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Blog Posts

Rear View Of High School Students Walking Into College Building Together

Higher Education

College enrollment gaps: How academic preparation influences opportunity

Sarah Reber and Ember Smith

Monday, January 23, 2023

augusta state capital floor

Gender

The case for a Commission on Boys and Men: Will Washington state lead the way?

Richard V. Reeves

Friday, January 13, 2023

A voter walks past a sign during the 2022 midterm elections, in Harlingen, Texas, U.S., November 8, 2022. REUTERS/Callaghan O'Hare

FixGov

Latinos support Democrats over Republicans 2-1 in House and Senate elections

Gabriel R. Sanchez

Friday, November 11, 2022

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Events

Transcending and thriving: Civil rights in Black America

2:30 PM - 3:30 PM EST

Understanding the threat of white Christian nationalism to American democracy today

10:00 AM - 11:30 AM EST

Examining racial bias in home appraisals: Documentary screening

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM EST

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Experts

Andre M. Perry

Senior Fellow - Brookings Metro

Nicol Turner Lee

Senior Fellow - Governance Studies

Director - Center for Technology Innovation

Richard V. Reeves

John C. and Nancy D. Whitehead Chair

Senior Fellow - Economic Studies

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Multimedia

People attend a rally against student debt outside the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C. on April 4, 2022. Members of the Debt Collective, which describes itself as a borrowers' union, called for President Joe Biden to abolish all student loan debt by executive order, with a pandemic-era pause on payments set to end in May. (Photo by Alejandro Alvarez/Sipa USA)No Use Germany.

Podcast Episode

What will student loan forgiveness mean for Black students and families?

Andre M. Perry and Adrianna Pita

Friday, August 26, 2022

Toy figures standing on stacks of coins.

Monetary Policy

Monetary policy and racial inequality

Alina Kristin Bartscher, Moritz Kuhn, Moritz Schularick, and Paul Wachtel

Wednesday, March 23, 2022

Robert Brox, center, and his wife, Jolie Brox, co owners of Fit 4 You MKE discuss their lavender lemonade and health products at their booth set up as part of the annual Kwanzaa celebration at the Wisconsin Black Historical Society on West Center Street in Milwaukee on Sunday. The annual celebration of African American culture featured speakers, various food vendors and dancing and drumming.Kwanzaa 4310

Podcast Episode

Valuing Black assets in Black communities

Andre M. Perry and Fred Dews

Friday, February 4, 2022

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More on Race in American Public Policy

African American Accountant Doing Accounting And Tax

Black tax: Evidence of racial discrimination in municipal borrowing costs

Ashleigh Eldemire, Kimberly Luchtenberg, and Matthew Wynter

Wednesday, November 9, 2022

Medicaid form

Medicaid reimbursement rates are a racial justice issue

Tiffany N. Ford

Monday, October 31, 2022

African American doctor and patient

Engaging voice to support racially equitable policymaking

Tiffany N. Ford

Monday, October 31, 2022

People walk on the esplanade of La Defense, in the financial and business district, west of Paris, France, October 6, 2017. REUTERS/Charles Platiau - RC1B9BB86D30

Class Notes: Housing assistance benefits, gender roles in Australia and more

Richard V. Reeves and Simran Kalkat

Wednesday, October 19, 2022

Challenges in moving toward a more inclusive democracy

10:00 AM - 11:30 AM EDT

July 26, 2020, Boston, Massachusetts, USA: A Black Lives Matter protester holds "Black Lives Matter" sign during a rally at Nubian Square in Boston. (Photo by Keiko Hiromi/AFLO) No Use China. No Use Taiwan. No Use Korea. No Use Japan.

Black Lives Matter at 10 years: 8 ways the movement has been highly effective

Wednesday, October 12, 2022