Research & Studies

Thurgood Marshall College Fund Report Examines the Research Capacity at HBCUs

“The question is not whether HBCUs can produce rigorous science. They already do,” said M.C. Brown II, executive director of the Dr. N. Joyce Payne Research Center. “The question is whether we — the research enterprise and the nation — will choose to invest in them as the strategic national assets they are.”

Are Medical Schools Still Practicing Race-Sensitive Admissions?

April Bleske-Rechek of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and Jukka Savolainen of Wayne State University in Detroit argue that Black students are overrepresented in U.S. medical schools because they represent a small share of top-performing high school students in Advanced Placement STEM exams.

Analysis of Police Body-Cam Footage Reveals Significant Racial Disparities in Officer Interactions

In an analysis of recordings from New York Police Department body-worn cameras, researchers found that encounters with Black and Hispanic civilians that are documented as low-level encounters more often resemble detentions in their language, including direct commands in interactions that should be voluntary.

The Racial Gap in Maternal Mortality Rates by Education Level

For Black women with a college degree, the maternal mortality rate in 2019 was 26.21 per 100,000 women. This was more than four times the rate for White women with a college degree.

Fatal Police Shootings Are More Common in Counties With Greater Income Inequality

According to a new study, areas in the United States with greater income inequality experience a significantly higher rate of fatal police shootings. This pattern is particularly pronounced among Black Americans.

Report Discusses How to Prevent AI From Widening the Racial Wealth Gap

Yvette Pappoe of the University of the District of Columbia is the lead author of a new report that outlines how companies and policymakers can establish transparency and accountability in artificial intelligence algorithms used in housing, lending, and employment.

UCLA Study Analyzes HIV-Criminalization Among Black Americans

Compared to other Americans, Black Americans are more likely to live with HIV and experience greater police surveillance. Together, these twin epidemics have placed Black Americans living with HIV at an increase risk of criminal justice system involvement.

Pew Research Center Examines How Black Americans Define Family

Black Americans are more likely than other adults in the United States to say their family includes at least one person who is not a direct relative. They are also more likely to feel close to extended family members and more likely to provide their family members with financial support.

Changes to Cannabis Laws Have Not Reduced Racial Disparities in Arrests

Notably, legalization has substantially reduced the volume of cannabis-related arrests in the United States, but it has not changed the relative differences in arrests between Black and White Americans.

Recent National Institutes of Health Grant Terminations Disproportionately Impacted BIPOC Scientists

“When funding disruptions disproportionately affect researchers who focus on health disparities, the consequences go far beyond individual careers,” said Rebecca Fielding-Miller, associate professor at the University of California, San Diego. “They also shape which scientific questions get asked, and whose health ultimately receives attention.”

Eliminating Legacy Preferences in Admissions Does Not Guarantee Increases in Student Diversity

In an examination of seven cases of legacy preference bans in higher education admissions, scholars from Vanderbilt University have found these bans are not enough to increase campus diversity. Instead, these bans often replace wealthy legacy applicants with other students from high-income backgrounds.

Students Who Take Ethnic Studies Courses Experience Broader Overall Academic Achievement

A new study has linked enrollment in ethnic studies courses to higher GPAs, reduced course failure, and better math and science performance for middle and high school students, with Black and Latinx students experiencing the largest gains.

Study Shows Racial Diversity in Business and Law Schools Leads to Higher Salaries for Graduates

“Our results indicate that policies promoting racial diversity boost salaries for the entire cohort of students,” said co-author Peter Golder, professor of marketing at Dartmouth College. “The key implication of our study is pretty clear, namely that efforts to reduce racial diversity by outlawing affirmative action and dropping DEI initiatives will make us all poorer.”

Study Finds AI Models Are Less Likely to Give Constructive Criticism to Black Students

A team of scholars at Stanford University asked four AI chatbots to provide feedback on essays by middle school students of different races. Essays by Black students were given more praise, while White students' essays received more constructive criticism to improve their writing skills.

Racism and Socioeconomic Distress May Alter Pregnancy Biology in Black Women

Scientists at the University of Cambridge have found three key physiological processes linked to pregnancy complications that are more prevalent in Black women than White women. Notably, these processes cannot be explained by genetic differences, suggesting these outcomes are likely driven by socio-environmental stressors.

Study Finds Racial Differences in How Parents Talk to Their Children About the Police

“Simply put, the fact that families must have these conversations is stressful,” said lead author Ashley Jackson. “Thus, it’s important for practitioners – teachers, clinicians – to be aware of the structural inequities that their clients must navigate and be thoughtful when offering their clients advice about who to turn to for help in emergent situations.”

Racial Disparities in Mortality Risk Linked to Black American’s Greater Lifetime Exposure to Stress

Using 20-years-worth of data from blood draws, surveys, and retrospective reports of childhood experiences, a study from scholars at Washington University revealed Black participants experienced more stress throughout the lifetime and had higher levels of inflammation compared to White participants, which may explain Black-White disparities in mortality risk.

Racial Differences in How Teens Use Social Media

Black teens are significantly more likely than their peers to use social media to get news. Nearly six-in-ten Black teens say they use TikTok to get news, compared to less than half of Hispanic and White teens. Black teens are also almost twice as likely to post daily on the video-sharing app.

UNCF Report Examines Wealth-Building Opportunities for HBCU Students, Faculty, and Staff

“America stands at a defining moment. The racial wealth gap, though centuries in the making, need not be centuries in closing,” the report authors write. “The tools, knowledge, and commitment exist—but they must be aligned through institutions with credibility and reach. HBCUs have both.”

Research Shows a Small Increase in the Share of Black Administrators in California Schools

From 2019–2020 to 2023–2024, Black representation among California administrators rose from 7.62 percent to 8.04 percent. Notably, there is a greater representation of Black administrators compared to the share of Black students and Black teachers across the state.
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