University of Washington Study Finds That African Americans Face Increased Risk From Air Pollution
A new study by researchers at the University of Washington reports that fine particulate matter from power plants producing electricity is responsible for 16,000 premature deaths each year in the United States. And African Americans are more likely than Whites to be exposed to this pollution.
Education in the Arts Can Provide a Way Forward for Formerly Incarcerated Black Men
The University of Houston study found that formerly incarcerated Black men enrolled in an alternative school with arts-based programming showed healthier social and emotional development and higher academic achievement as they transitioned to adulthood.
Black Enrollments at Ivy League Law Schools
Black students make up at least 11 percent of total enrollments at all five Ivy League law schools. Leading the group is Columbia University in New York where there are 39 Black students out of a total enrollment of 124. Thus, Blacks are 31.2 percent of the total enrollments.
The Racial Gap in College Participation Rates in the United States
If we look only at those students who graduated from high school in the spring of 2018, we find that 64.1 percent of Black students had enrolled in postsecondary education by October 2018. For 2018 non-Hispanic White high school graduates, the college participation rate was 71.3 percent.
JBHE’s Annual Checkup of Black Students at Medical Schools in the United States
In 2019, 21,869 students enrolled in medical school for the first time, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. Of these, 1,916, or 8.8 percent, were Black. The number of Black matriculants was up 3.2 percent from 2018 and by 37.2 percent from 2013.
University of Michigan Study Examines Young Black Women’s Access to Birth Control Resources
A new study found that young African American women tend to live closer to pharmacies than White women, but those pharmacies are less likely to provide easy access to condoms and other resources relating to reproductive health.
Economist Finds Speech Patterns Impact Wages, Particularly for African Americans
A new University of Chicago study found that speech patterns strongly affect a person’s wages, particularly for African Americans. The study found that workers with racially and regionally distinctive speech patterns earn lower wages compared to those who speak in the mainstream.
Black Enrollments at the Law Schools at Historically Black Universities
At Howard University's law school in Washington, D.C., there were 122 Black students enrolled in 2019. They made up 76.3 percent of the total enrollments in juris doctorate programs. This is the highest percentage of Black enrollments at any of the six law schools at HBCUs.
The Huge Gender Gap in Black Enrollments at HBCU Law Schools
All told there are 123 Black men enrolled at the six law schools at HBCUs. At these six schools, there are 438 Black women enrolled. Thus, among Black enrollments at these law schools, Black women make up 78 percent of all Black enrollments.
Study Finds That 93 Percent of Confederate Monuments Still Remain in Place
A new study by researchers from the University of Oklahoma found that over the past three years, 108 statutes or other monuments honoring the Confederacy have been taken down. But the authors found that 93 percent of all Confederate monuments remain in place. Seven states have passed laws banning their removal from public spaces.
Women of Color Get Snubbed in Offers to Present at a Major Earth Science...
The study found that at the fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union women from ethnic minorities were invited to give fewer talks, invited to give talks less often, and opted for poster presentations more than researchers who were not from underrepresented minorities.
New Report Documents an Alarming Rise in Suicide Rates Among Black Youth
Self-reported suicide attempts rose by 73 percent between 1991-2017 for Black high school students. The suicide rate for Black children ages 5-12 is roughly twice that of White children of the same age group.
Black Teens Daily Exposure to Racial Discrimination Is a Public Health Problem
The researchers surveyed a large group of Black youth between ages 13 and 17 each day for two weeks about their experiences with racial discrimination. The teens reported an average of more than five experiences per day.
Harvard Study Finds That People of Color More Likely to Be Exposed to Ads...
In recent, months there has been a great deal of research published on the dangers of vaping. Exposure to vaping advertisements can increase the likelihood of taking up the habit. A new study by researchers at Harvard University finds that people of color are more likely than Whites to be targeted.
Black Girls Face Harsher School Discipline
From Kindergarten to 12th grade, Black girls are seven times more likely to be suspended from school as White girls, and four times more likely to be arrested at school. Congressional Representative Ayanna Pressley is leading an effort to confront this inequity in school discipline.
Northeastern University Study Find Racial Differences in Views on the First Amendment
The authors speculate that the First Amendment is increasingly invoked - especially online - as a defense for extreme speech and hate speech. This may explain the data that shows Black students are more willing than White students to support restrictions on free speech rights.
The Diminishing Returns of a College Education on Wealth Generation for African Americans
Researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis find that the benefits of a college education as it relates to wealth are far less than has been the case in the past. This is particularly true for African American college graduates.
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.
University of Minnesota Study Finds High Premature Death Rates in Rural Black Counties
The authors stated that socioeconomic factors, such as low household income and high unemployment, are strongly associated with higher premature death rates in counties that are largely non-Hispanic Black.
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.
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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."
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.
