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.

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.

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.

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.

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...

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.

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.

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 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.

New ACE Report Presents Data on College Presidents Who Are Black

The American Council on Education report finds that the college presidency remains older, White, and male. But, Blacks or African Americans were 13.6 percent of college or university presidents, approximately equal to the percentage of Blacks in the U.S. population.

Racial Disparities in Working From Home Before and After the Pandemic

In 2019, Whites were 80.5 percent of all people who worked from home. Blacks made up 7.8 percent of all home-based workers. By 2021, Whites were 66.8 percent of all home-based workers and Blacks made up 9.5 percent of this group.

Nursing Staff Shortages at Some Hospitals May Impact the Black Maternal Mortality Rate

A new study found that hospitals serving more patients at risk for complications during childbirth are less likely to have enough nurses to care for patients. This may be contributing to poor maternal health outcomes in the U.S. for the most vulnerable childbearing populations, including Black mothers.

Special Education Teacher Shortage Has Huge Impact on Black Students

A new study finds that special education is the No. 1 teacher shortage area in 48 states. At the same time, a growing number of students of color have been identified as having a disability.

Zillow Study Finds Racial Disparities in Rental Applications and Security Deposits

The report found that on average Blacks had a $150 higher security deposit than Whites. About 93 percent of renters of color had to pay a security deposit last year, while 85 percent of white renters had to post a security deposit.

Blacks Make Up a Large Share of Students With Some College Credits But No...

A new report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center finds that Black students made up 13.8 percent of all enrolled undergraduate students but 19.4 percent of all students who entered college in 2013 or later and who have not earned a credential.

Report Examines Racial Diversity in the Nation’s Newsrooms

A new study from the Pew Research Center finds that only 6 percent of all reporting journalists in the United States are Black. Only 3 percent of all journalists whose primary beat is science are Black. Blacks are 2 percent of all reporters whose primary focus is on the environment or energy.

The Presence of Black Physicians in a County Boosts Black Life Expectancy

In a study by the Association of American Medical Colleges, researchers found that there were no Black primary care physicians in more than half of all counties in the United States. They also found that a 10 percent increase in Black primary-care physician representation in a county was associated with a higher life expectancy for Blacks of 30.61 days.

Black Mothers With Advanced Degrees Have a Higher Rate of Preterm and Low-Weight Babies

The study, presented recently at the Pediatric Academic Societies in Washington, D.C., found that nearly 10 percent of Black mothers with a graduate degree had low birth-weight babies compared to 3.6 percent of White mothers with a master's or doctoral degree.

African American Voting Statistics in the 2022 Midterm Elections

For Blacks who did not vote, 25.8 percent said they were too busy or had conflicting schedules. Nearly 16 percent said they were not interested, a lower rate than for White non-voters. Nearly 10 percent of Blacks who did not vote said they forgot to do so, 8 percent said they were away from home, and 13.4 percent said they were sick or disabled.

HBCUs Receive Only a Tiny Fraction of Higher Education Grants From Major Foundations

From 2015 to 2019, the eight Ivy League schools received a combined $5.5 billion in philanthropic dollars from major foundations compared to HBCUs’ $303 million. The average Ivy League institution received 178 times more foundation funding than the average HBCU.

Report Looks at Reasons for Declining Enrollments in Higher Education

Black students are more likely than White students to say it was difficult for them to remain enrolled in their programs. Some 43 percent of Black students say they considered stopping out in the past six months — up from 37 percent in 2021. The cost of higher education is cited as the main reason for stopping out.

Brookings Institution Study Examines the High School Graduation Rate Gap by Race and Gender

In some states, the on-time high school graduation rates for specific sub-groups are quite low. In Michigan, for example, only 61 percent of Black boys graduate high school on time, compared to 75 percent of Black girls, 81 percent of White boys, and 87 percent of White girls.

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 alter their admissions practices.

Racial Differences in Employment Status of College Students and Recent Graduates

For people 20 to 29 years of age, Blacks made up 11 percent of all students who earned a bachelor’s degree in 2022. Some 83.6 percent of these recent African American college graduates were employed compared to 81.1 percent of Whites. But 8.7 percent of 2022 African American college graduates in this age group were unemployed, compared to 5.5 percent of White college graduates in this age group.

Study Finds That Black Consumers Brush Off Poor Customer Service Because They Are Used...

White, Hispanic, and Black testers who sought out small business loans at local banks reported similar levels of satisfaction during encounters with bank employees. But a a analysis of videos of these encounters showed that Blacks were given significantly less time than White participants, waited longer to see a bank employee, and experienced other subtle forms of discrimination.

How to Stem the Alarming Decline in Black Enrollments in Higher Education

A new report finds that over the last 20 years, the nation has lost 300,000 Black learners from the community college system, with participation rates among Black students lower today than they were 20 years ago. If we look at higher education as a whole, Black enrollments are down 600,000 students.

Land Conservation Measures May Be Widening the Racial Wealth Gap

A new study by researchers at the University of Rhode Island and the University of Illinois finds that protecting open space from development increases the value of surrounding homes. But a disproportionate amount of that newly generated wealth goes to high-income White households.

New Report Examines Racial Differences in Early Signs of Dementia

An estimated 6.5 million persons aged 65 years and over in the United States live with Alzheimer's disease, the most common dementia. This number is projected to double by 2060, with African Americans projected to have among the largest increases. College education was associated with a lower prevalence of subjective cognitive decline among all racial and ethnic groups.

Racial Inequality and the Staggering Toll on Life Expectancy

A new study led by researchers at Yale University reveals a staggering disparity in life expectancy between Black Americans and their White counterparts. The results show that there were 1.63 million excess deaths in the Black population compared with White Americans in the 1999-2020 period, representing more than 80 million excess years of potential life lost.

The Small Racial Gap in College Aspirations

A new survey by YouthTruth looks at the college plans of the high school class of 2023. They found very little difference in the college aspirations of Black and White high school seniors. But aspirations and reality do not always meet. Also, the report found that In 2019, 79 percent of Black high school graduates said they wanted to go to college. This year, the figure has dropped to 74 percent.

New Report Finds That African Americans Face Significant Financial Hurdles

About one in five Black Americans report that their financial situation is poor, about a third report that their financial situation is neither good nor bad, and the remaining 45 percent report that their financial situation is good. Respondents with college degrees are more likely to say that their financial situation is good.

A Snapshot of the Racial Diversity of the Faculty at Johns Hopkins University

Johns Hopkins University reports that in 2021, there were 281 Black or African American faculty at the university. They made up 5.4 percent of the more than 5,200 faculty members. In 2017, Blacks were 4.3 percent of all faculty at Johns Hopkins.

Study Examines How Race Played a Major Factor in the Creation of the Minneapolis...

Throughout the first half of the 20th century, real estate developers partnered with the Minneapolis Park Board to build new parks in neighborhoods blanketed with racial covenants that restricted occupancy to “Whites Only.” Neighborhoods that historically had racial covenants today have higher tree canopy cover, more park acreage, and cooler temperatures.

Rutgers University Study Examines Gun Ownership in the Black Community

A new study by scholars at the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center at Rutgers University finds that Black adults – particularly Black women – with higher levels of education and experiences of discrimination and crime are more likely than other African Americans to own a firearm.

New Report Examines the Economic and Educational Status of Afro-Latinos in the U.S.

A new report published by the Latino Policy & Politics Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles finds that the Afro-Latino population in...

HIV Infections Are Down, But Huge Racial Gaps Remain

Most new HIV infections in 2021 were among gay and bisexual men, the majority of whom were Black or Hispanic/Latino. About one-fifth of new HIV infections in 2021 were among women, and over half of those were among Black women.

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