Research & Studies

How to Maintain Racial Diversity If the Supreme Court Prohibits Race-Sensitive Admissions

A new report from the Center on Education and the Workforce in the School of Public Policy at Georgetown University finds that the racial and ethnic diversity of students at the nation's most selective colleges and universities will decrease significantly unless these colleges fundamentally altered their admissions practices.

Faculty From Underrepresented Groups Come Up Short in Tenure Appointments

Half of all faculty from underrepresented groups were part-time in 2021 compared to 44 percent of White faculty and 26 percent of Asian faculty. Some 37 percent of all faculty from underrepresented groups held tenure, compared to 45 percent of White faculty and 47 percent of Asian faculty.

How the COVID-19 Pandemic Impacted Black Church Attendance

Black Protestants remain the U.S. religious group most likely to be viewing services virtually. At the height of the pandemic, two-thirds of Black Protestants reported they participated in virtual services over the past month. In the most recent survey, 54 percent of Black Protestants say they participated in services online or on TV in the last month.

Black Patients Change Their Appearance and Behavior to Avoid Bias by Healthcare Providers

A new study by the California Health Foundation finds that many Black Californians report adjusting their appearance or behavior — even minimizing questions — all to reduce the chances of discrimination and bias in hospitals, clinics, and doctors’ offices.

A Rise in Simultaneous Alcohol and Marijuana Use Among African American College Students

A new study led by researchers at Tulane University in New Orleans finds that simultaneous alcohol and marijuana use among college students is on...

Study Finds a Huge Racial Disparity in Newborn Drug Testing

A new study led by researchers at the University of Michigan finds that clinicians ordered drug tests to be performed on Black newborns at nearly four times the rate of other children. In total, 24 states and the District of Columbia consider substance use during pregnancy to be child abuse under civil child-welfare statutes.

Attending an HBCU Can Have Long-Term Mental Health Benefits for Some Students

Researchers at the University of Minnesota tracked a large group of African Americans from their high school years until many years after they attended college. They found no overall association for lower symptoms of depression for HBCU students compared to their peers who attended predominantly White schools But for some subsets of HBCU students, there was a positive impact.

The Racial Disparity in Incarceration Rates Has Declined but Remains Large

In 2020, Black adults were imprisoned at 4.9 times the rate of White adults, down from 8.2 times in 2000. Much of the decline was due to a reduction in prison time for drug-related offenses. However, in 2020, Black individuals comprised approximately 13 percent of U.S. residents but accounted for 56 percent of homicide victims and 39 percent of those arrested for homicide.

Police Reports on Facebook Overrepresent Black Suspects Relative to Actual Arrest Rates

Researchers analyzed 100,000 posts from nearly 14,000 Facebook pages maintained by law enforcement agencies in the United States that reported on the race of individuals suspected of or arrested for crimes. Black suspects were described in 32 percent of Facebook posts but represented just 20 percent of all people arrested.

Research Published in the Journal of the National Medical Association Is Largely Ignored

The National Medical Association was established in 1895 because physicians of color were not permitted to be members of the American Medical Association. Today, the National Medical Association has 30,000 members. A recent study finds that articles published in the association's medical journal are almost never cited in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Many Black Americans Have a Very Dim View of Capitalism

In an August 2022 survey by the Pew Research Center, 54 percent of Black adults said they had a very or somewhat negative impression of capitalism, up from 40 percent in May 2019. Four-in-ten Black adults held a very or somewhat positive view of capitalism in 2022, down from 57 percent in 2019.

New Study May Help Reduce the Vast Racial Disparity in Prostate Cancer

Black men are more than twice as likely as other men to die from prostate cancer. A new study led by researchers at the University of Southern California identified nine new genetic risk factors for prostate cancer, seven of which are found either largely or exclusively in men of African ancestry. This new information can help patients understand their cancer risk and decide how early and often to get screened.

Boston University Study Finds Racism Is a Factor in High Rates of Heart Disease Among Black Women

A team of researchers who followed more than 48,000 Black women over 22 years found those who reported experiencing interpersonal racism in employment, housing, and in interactions with the police had a 26 percent higher risk of coronary heart disease than those who did not.

Black Scholars Are Underrepresented Among “Super Principal Investigators” on NIH Grants

Super principal investigators have three or more concurrent grants from the National Institutes of Health. In 2020, just 1 percent of all Black principal investigators were super principal investigators. For Whites, 4.1 percent of all principal investigators were super principal investigators.

Blacks Are Making Progress in Leadership Positions at Athletic Powerhouse Universities

But the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES) at the University of Central Florida notes that Blacks are only 9.9. percent of the head football coaches at the 131 colleges and universities that make up the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. African Americans made up 49 percent of the football players at these schools.

More Than One in Five Black Students in Higher Education Say They Face Discrimination Regularly

A new survey by the Gallup Organization for the Lumina Foundation finds that 21 percent of all Black students currently enrolled in U.S. higher education say they feel discriminated against “frequently” or “occasionally” in their program. The problem is most severe at private, for-profit institutions, according to the survey.

Yale Study Finds Racial Disparity in Uterine Cancer Testing and Diagnosis

Patients who receive an early diagnosis of uterine cancer, have a 95 percent chance to survive for at least five years. But Black patients are less likely than their White counterparts to receive diagnostic testing and for those who do receive the recommended procedures, Blacks are more likely to experience delays in testing and diagnosis.

Survey Explores Black American Adults’ Opinions on Equal Rights for Women and Feminism

A new survey by the Pew Research Center finds that among Among college-educated Black adults, 61 percent believe that the feminist movement has helped Black women. Only 45 percent of Black adults with only a high school education agree. Only 16 percent of Black adults believe that feminism has helped Black women a lot.

The Persistent Racial Gap in Educational Attainment in the United States

In 2022, 27.6 percent of African Americans over the age of 25 had obtained at least a bachelor’s degree. For non-Hispanic Whites, the figure was 48.2 percent. Some 10.1 percent of Black adults held a graduate or professional degree compared to 15.7 percent of non-Hispanic Whites.

Study Shows How High Incarcertation Rates Among Black Men Impact Their Families

More than 1.1 million African American men are imprisoned in the United States, and about 500,000 are fathers. Many of their fathers also served time in jail or prison, and studies have shown that it is likely that many of their children will as well.

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