Speech Recognition Systems Make Double the Mistakes on Words Spoken by Blacks
Research led by scholars at Stanford University found that on average, the speech recognition systems developed by Apple, Amazon, Google, and others misunderstood 35 percent of the words spoken by Blacks but only 19 percent of those spoken by Whites. Error rates were highest for African American men.
University Study Shows How the Slave Trade Has Lingering Effects on African Businesses
Businesses in countries that were active in the slave trade are more often tightly controlled by individuals or families — often because they have limited access to equity funding and shared ownership. Meanwhile, businesses in African countries less affected by the slave trade have more diversified ownership structures.
Racial Differences in the Gender Wage Gap
A new report from the Center for America Progress finds that White women earn 79 percent of what is earned by White men. But African American women earn only 62 cents to the dollar compared to the earnings of White men.
How Racism Impacts African Americans’ Decisions to Seek Self-Employment
Two sociologists at Rice University in Houston, Texas, found that working Black adults with “racial capital,” or high awareness of the systemic nature of racism, were seven times more likely to pursue self-employment than those with low awareness.
Academic Study Finds a Growing Racial Divide in Autism Disorders
While autism disorders in wealthy counties of California have decreased since 2000, the study found incidence among Blacks has increased rapidly across California, marking the highest rates among any ethnic or racial group.
Active Learning Improves Academic Performance of Black Students in Undergraduate STEM Courses
The study found that the achievement gap between overrepresented and underrepresented students - in courses where active learning techniques were used - narrowed on exam scores by 33 percent and course passing rates by 45 percent.
Cornell University Study Finds Racial/Ethnic Differences in Perceptions of Environmental Issues
The survey found that there were, in fact, demographic differences in how people viewed environmental issues, with racial and ethnic minorities and lower-income people more likely to consider human factors such as racism and poverty as environmental issues.
University Study Finds Racial Bias in Selection of Patients for Cancer Clinical Trials
Examples of the stereotypes discovered in the interviews of medical school researchers included perceptions that African Americans were less knowledgeable about cancer research studies, less likely to participate out of altruism or simply less likely to complete all facets of the research study.
The Racial Gap in Four-Year High School Graduation Rates
In all 50 states, the graduation rate for White students was higher than the rate for Black students. In Wisconsin, the Black student high school graduation rate was 24.1 percentage points lower than the White rate. The states with the smallest racial gaps in graduation rates between Blacks and Whites included Alabama, Hawaii, West Virginia, and Rhode Island.
Single-Parents Do Not Impede Educational Success for Blacks as Much as They Do for...
Black kids face significant obstacles to educational success including poverty, discrimination, racial segregation, etc. The fact that they are more likely to live in a single-parent home than White children does not matter as much as the other obstacles they face.
Report Examines Graduation Rates and Academic Tracks of Black High School Students in New...
Black students are disproportionately tracked into the Career Development & Occupational Studies graduation pathway that was not designed to lead to college readiness. Black students were 4.3 times as likely as White students to be tracked into this academic pathway.
Brookings Institution Study Shows Majority Black Colleges Boost Social and Economic Mobility
A new report from the Brookings Institution finds that colleges and universities where Blacks make up a majority of the student body have shown a great deal of success in graduating students who go on improve their socioeconomic standing.
The New Racial Segregation in Public School Occurs at the Classroom Level
Within-school segregation plays a sizable role in overall school segregation, especially in middle school and high school. Moreover, it appears to offset variations in the degree of between-school segregation: when one is low, the other tends to be high.
University of Minnesota Study Examines Relationship of Young Black Men and Police
A new study conducted by researchers at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health sought to examine the relationship between police and young Black men by speaking to Black male youths, parents, educators, police officers, and staff of youth-services organizations.
Survey Finds Persisting Mistreatment of African American Medical School Students
A new study lead by researchers at the Yale School of Medicine finds that more than one third of medical students reported experiencing at least one episode of mistreatment by faculty, peers, or clinical staff. Women of color reported the highest level of mistreatment.
How the Aging of American Faculty Will Affect Racial Diversity in Academia
As older, predominantly White faculty retire and lower level academics move up the ladder, it can be expected that the percentage of Black faculty in higher education will rise. But the authors warn that this will not happen unless concerted efforts are made by colleges and universities to retain Black faculty.
Vanderbilt University Looks to Battle Hypertension at Black-Owned Barbershops
In Nashville, patrons from eight local barbershops who have uncontrolled hypertension will be invited to enroll in the study, where they will meet with a study pharmacist in the barbershop on a regular basis for six months.
Study Finds Where You Went to College Can Impact the Interest Rate You Pay...
A new report from the Student Loan Protection Center finds that graduates of historically Black colleges or universities who seek out a private lender to refinance their student loan debt, tend to pay higher fees and interest rates than graduates of predominantly White institutions.
Teachers Rate Black Students’ Academic Abilities Lower Than Whites With Same Test Scores
The study found that teachers rated Black students lower in math skills compared to White students with identical non-cognitive abilities and test scores. Teachers penalized Black students relative to White students exhibiting similar approaches to learning.
University of Washington Study Discovers a Huge Racial Gap in Eviction Rates
A new University of Washington study of eviction rates in Washington State found that Black adults are almost seven times more likely to be evicted from their homes than White adults. The authors of the study state that "this severe racial disparity makes evictions a civil rights issue."
White Supremacists Are Increasingly Targeting College Campuses to Spread Their Propaganda
Approximately one-fourth (630) of the total (2,711) White supremacist propaganda incidents in 2019 took place on campus – nearly double the 320 campus incidents counted in 2018. During the 2019 fall semester, ADL counted 410 incidents on campus – more than double any proceeding semester.
Black Men’s Encounters With Police Have a Negative Effect on Their Mental Health
Adversarial encounters with police have a powerful, negative effect on Black men’s mental health, as do efforts to avoid such encounters, according to a study led by Lisa Bowleg, a professor of psychology at George Washington University.
Racial Discrimination Directed Against Children Can Impact Their Mothers’ Health
The study found that when biological and environmental factors affecting women's health are accounted for, there tends to be a decline in a middle-aged woman's health corresponding to the level of discrimination experienced by their children.
The Dwindling Number of Black Tenured and Tenure Track Faculty at Penn State
In 2004, there were 83 tenured or tenure-track Black faculty at Penn State. By 2018, the number dropped to 68. In 2004, tenured and tenure-track African American faculty comprised 76.1 percent of all Black professors, however by 2018 this proportion had decreased to 60.7 percent.
Report Finds That a Lack of Trust Impacts Retention Rates of Black Teachers
If only new teachers are considered, African American teachers with two years or less experience were 2.5 times as likely to leave Wisconsin public education as White teachers (27.9 percent compared to 11 percent).
Study Finds Prosecutor Bias May Not Be a Major Factor in Criminal Justice Inequities
The study examined whether prosecutors charged a felony, whether they chose to fine the defendant or seek a prison sentence, and the proposed cost of the fine or length of the sentence. The results showed little or no differences between Black and White defendants.
Income-Based Affirmative Action Is Not a Good Substitute for Race-Sensitive Admissions
The report shows that Black students from the highest-income groups are still far less likely than Whites from the same income groups to attend and graduate from selective colleges and universities.
Report Examines the Higher Education Experience of Students Who Were in Ninth Grade in...
The report found that for those ninth graders in 2009 who later enrolled in higher education, 57.3 percent of Black students took at least one remedial course in college. Slightly more than a third of White students took a remedial course.
Black Workers’ Perceptions of Racial Discrimination Differ by Job Status
A new study led Aida Harvey Wingfield, a sociologist at Washington University in St. Louis, finds that wherever Black workers are positioned in an organization — top, middle or bottom — informs and shapes their impressions about workplace racial discrimination.
Report Examines Recruitment and Retention of Black Students in Physics and Astronomy
According to the report from the American Institute of Physics, "The persistent underrepresentation of African Americans in physics and astronomy is due to the lack of a supportive environment for these students in many departments, and the enormous financial challenges facing them."
Study Finds Persisting Racial Discrimination in Mortgage Lending
A new study led by a sociologist at Northwestern University, finds that discrimination in the housing market has decreased significantly. However, researchers also found that discrimination in loan denial and cost has not declined much over the previous 30 to 40 years.
Exposure to Racism May Lead to Premature Aging Among African Americans
A new study led by a scientist at Auburn University in Alabama, presents evidence that not only is racism a pressing social and moral dilemma, it is also a public health issue.
The Racial Gap in High School Completion Rates No Longer Exists
The status completion rate is the percentage of 18- to 24-year-olds who have left high school and who hold a high school credential. For the first time in 40 years, the status high school completion rate for Black 18- to 24-year-olds was not measurably different from that of White 18- to 24-year-olds.
African Americans and the Mountain of Graduate Student Loan Debt
According to a new report from the Center for American Progress, nearly 80 percent of Black students completing their graduate degrees in the 2015-16 academic year had accumulated federal debt for their graduate education and the median amount of this debt was more than $51,000.
A College Education Continues to Pay Economic Dividends to Black Graduates
A new report from The College Board shows that a college education continues to provide widespread economic benefits to those who obtain the credential. This is particularly true for African Americans.
Report Finds That Black Students Do Not Have Equal Access to Advanced K-12 Courses
A new report from The Education Trust finds that Black students across the country experience inequitable access to advanced coursework opportunities. As a result, these students are missing out on critical opportunities that can set them up for success in college.
