High School Graduations Increase But a Racial Gap Persists
In 2017, there were still 2.7 million African American adults that had not graduated from high school. Another 700,000 Black adults who were not born in the United States but now live here, also did not possess a high school credential.
University of Southern California Report Examines Race in the Hollywood Film Industry
The data shows that in 2017, 20 percent of the 100 top-grossing films had no Blacks whatsoever in speaking roles. There were 43 films in the 100 top-grossing films that had no speaking roles for Black women.
A Check-Up of Black Students In Nursing Degree Programs
Nationwide about 12 percent of the working nurses are African Americans. But data from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing shows that the Black percentage of students in bachelor's degree programs is declining. But there have been big gains by Blacks in graduate nursing programs.
University Study Finds Higher Tobacco Advertising in Ethnic Neighborhoods
The study lead by a researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, found that tobacco products are more aggressively marketed in Black and Latino neighborhoods of the city of Milwaukee than is the case in White neighborhoods. It appears that children are often the targets of the marketing.
New Database to Document Poverty Rates by Race at the Neighborhood Level
The National Equity Research Database (NERD) will be able to show poverty rate data by rate for specific neighborhoods. Preliminary data for the Boston area has been analyzed by researchers at Brandeis University showing the Black poverty rate is as high as nine times the rate for Whites.
How Student Loan Debt Impacts the Racial Wealth Gap Years After Students Complete College
The study of nearly 1,500 young adults, led by a professor of social work at the University of Illinois, found that Black and Hispanic students who had accumulated student loan debt during their college years had, at age 30, $36,000 less in net worth than their peers who did not have student loan debt.
Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro Aim to Preserve Slave Records
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro has undertaken a research project entitled "People Not Property." The goal of the project is to digitize slave deeds in 26 counties across North Carolina. These deeds contain information about the slaves' names, age, family, and skills.
Scholar Looks to Improve Data Science for Analyzing the Language Used by African Americans
Su Lin Blodgett's research is focused on improving English language parsing tools relating to words, phrases, and alternate spellings used by millions of African Americans on social media.
Counties Where Lynchings Occurred Have Higher Mortality Rates Today for Blacks and Whites
The study estimates that living in a high-lynching county is associated with 34.9 additional deaths per hundred thousand per year for White males, 23.7 deaths for White females, and 31 deaths for African American females. African American male death rates today were not affected.
How Greater Diversity in the Physician Workforce Would Reduce Racial Health Disparities
After conducting a randomized clinical trial among 1,300 Black men in Oakland, the researchers found that the men sought more preventive services after they were randomly seen by Black doctors for a free health-care screening compared to non-Black doctors.
New Evidence That Early Child Education Programs Can Have Long-Term Positive Benefits
Early studies have shown that early childhood education programs have initial benefits but that the positive effects slipped away when children entered elementary school. But new data shows that the long-term effects may be positive.
Teacher Education Programs That Are Producing a Diverse Pool of Graduates
A majority of teacher education programs studied by researchers at the Urban Institute had a disproportionately large share of White students, relative to their universities, and a disproportionately small share of Black students.
Undergraduate Institutions That Feed the Most Black Students to U.S. Medical Schools
In the 2017 academic year, 118 graduates of Howard University in Washington, D.C., applied to U.S. medical schools. This was the most in the nation. Xavier University of Louisiana, with a much smaller number of total graduates, ranked second and had 103 students apply to medical schools.
University of Pittsburgh Study Documents Narrowing of Racial Gap in Premature Death
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public Health used “years of life lost” to measure premature death by summing the number of years each death occurs before a “target” age to which all people could be expected to live.
Ohio State University Study Finds Racial Differences in Media Coverage of Mass Shootings
The study by three doctoral students at Ohio State University examined media coverage of 219 mass shootings. The data showed that White shooters were 95 percent more likely to be described as mentally ill than Black perpetrators.
A Racial Employment Gap for Students Entering Two-Year Colleges
A new report from the U.S. Department of Education shows that slightly more than 14 percent of entering Black students at two-year colleges were employed full-time, compared to 20.5 percent of entering White students at these institutions. Whites were also more likely than Blacks to hold part-time jobs.
Huge Racial Disparities in Incarceration Rates Have Created a Public Health Crisis in Black...
A new study by researchers at the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago finds that young adults whose parents have been incarcerated during their childhood are less likely to obtain quality healthcare and are more likely to participate in unhealthy behaviors.
Study Finds Link Between Residential Racial Segregation and Firearm Homicide Rates
A new study by researchers at the Boston University School of Public Health finds that states with a higher degree of residential racial segregation have higher racial disparities in homicide rates by firearms. This remains true even when other racial inequalities are accounted for, according to the authors.
New Report Reveals Racial Differences in Occupations Four Years After College
A new report from the U.S. Department of Education finds that 8 percent of African Americans who graduated from college in 2008 were employed in STEM fields in 2012. For Whites the figure was 11.4 percent.
University of Pennsylvania Research Uncovers Its Early Ties to Slavery
Research has shown that no fewer than 75 of the university’s early trustees owned at least one enslaved person. The labor of enslaved people was used to support and care for Penn faculty and students.
Academic Study Finds Church-Going African Americans Suffer Fewer Mental Health Issues
A new study by researchers at the University of Michigan and Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, finds that religion is a major beneficial factor for African Americans in helping them deal with the pressures of American life.
Racial Stereotypes Influence Teacher Perceptions of Parental Involvement in Children’s Education
A new study finds that school teachers believe that mothers and fathers of immigrant or minority students are less involved in their children's education. The authors believe that such perspectives hamper the academic trajectory of those students.
University of Massachusetts Study Examines Workforce Diversity in Silicon Valley Firms
The report found that on average, Black men make up less than 1.5 percent of employees in professional, managerial, and executive posts. Black women are rare in all professional, management and executive jobs. There are 10 firms with no Black women at all.
America’s Churches Are Becoming More Racially Integrated, But Have a Long Way to Go
A study by scholars at Baylor University and North Park University, finds that the percentage of multiracial church congregations in the United States nearly doubled between 1998 and 2012. Yet, one third of all congregations still were composed of worshipers from a single race or ethnic group.
Racial Differences in Risky Behaviors of High School Students
A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention examines current rates and historical trends of youths' experiences regarding risky behaviors. This data can be useful to college student affairs personnel as they plan programs to address risky behaviors on campus.
Why Do Black Men Have Among the Poorest Health of Any Group in America?
A new report from the Working Group on Health Disparities in Boys and Men of the American Psychological Association finds that racial health disparities can be explained in part by systemic oppression and discrimination targeting these men.
Study Finds That Blacks Become Disabled From Chronic Conditions Faster Than Whites
The study investigated whether the risk of becoming functionally limited – the condition of becoming unable to perform simple, physical tasks – is more accelerated in African-Americans compared to Whites.
The Education Trust Examines African American Degree Attainments by State
Just over 40 percent of Black adults in New Mexico have earned a higher education degree, the highest rate in the nation. The state with the lowest level of degree attainment for African American adults is Louisiana.
New Report Shows HBCUs Are Preparing Their Students for Success in Life After College
A new report from the American Council on Education finds that some 20 percent of graduates of HBCUs moved from the lowest two income quintiles to the top two income quintiles. This is more than double the rate of non-minority serving institutions.
University of Southern California Study Examines Diversity of Film Critics
The data shows that 64 percent of all movie critics are White men and 18 percent are White women. Fourteen percent of critics were men from underrepresented groups and 4 percent were women from underrepresented groups.
Racial Differences in Tobacco Usage Among School Students
The good news is that young African Americans are far less likely to use tobacco products than Whites. In 2017, 14.2 percent of young Blacks and 22.7 percent of young Whites reported that they used any type of tobacco product.
The Large Gender Gap in Awards of Degrees and Certificates to African Americans
In the 2016-17 academic year, Black women received 66.9 percent of all associate's degrees, 64.1 percent of all bachelor's degrees, 70.1 percent of all master's degrees, and 68 percent of all research doctorates awarded to African Americans.
New Study Shows Racial Health Gap in HIV Cases Remains Wide
In 2016, Blacks were 8.4 times more likely than Whites to be diagnosed with HIV, whereas in 2005 they were 7.9 times more likely. The number Black men diagnosed with HIV increased from 9,969 in 2005 to 12,890 in 2016.
How Does the Environment Impact Racial Disparities in Breast Cancer?
A new study by researchers at the University of Illinois finds that the environmental conditions associated with low-income neighborhoods – rather than race itself – increases women’s risks of dying from breast cancer.
Racial Status Threat May Produce Backlash Against Federal Assistance Programs
A new study finds that when White Americans are made aware that their demographic group will no longer be majority of the population of the United States, they become more resentful of minorities and are less likely to support federal entitlement programs like welfare.
Study Finds That Increasing Educational Opportunities May Narrow the Racial Health Gap
After examining 30 years of data on cardiovascular health behaviors such as smoking, diet and physical activity, researchers found that income and educational level influenced the differences in health behaviors between racial groups more than other variables.
