Political Studies
Racial Diversity Among Top Senate Staff
Today, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies released Racial Diversity Among Top Senate Staff. The report is critical to understanding diversity among top staff in the U.S. Senate, including chiefs of staff, legislative directors, and communications directors in Washington, DC personal offices of U.S. Senators, as well as staff directors assigned to committees. Data reflect Senate…
August 11 COVID-19 Policy & Black Communities Roundup
Stimulus Negotiations Stalled Stimulus legislation negotiations between Republicans and Democrats collapsed late last week, as many Americans face economic hardship and evictions (the $600 per week supplemental federal unemployment insurance benefit expired July 31 and the moratorium on evictions from federally-backed rental properties expired July 25). House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that the Trump Administration…
August 5 COVID-19 Policy & Black Communities Roundup
Congress and Administration Continue to Negotiate Coronavirus Relief Democrats and the Trump Administration continued their negotiations in the wake of an economic crisis fueled by the July 31 expiration the $600 weekly federal unemployment benefit enjoyed by millions of Americans, the July 24 expiration of the federal moratorium on evictions, and new spikes in unemployment…
Protect Our Democracy
Due to COVID-19’s devastating impact on state and local tax revenues, states need resources to implement both accessible vote-by-mail systems and safe in-person voting options. Absent intervention from federal policymakers, the pandemic could diminish Black voter participation and unnecessarily expose those who do vote in person to the virus. Black communities already face disproportionately high rates…
Pandemic Relief Priorities for Black Communities
By LaShonda Brenson Ph.D., Jessica Fulton, and Spencer Overton While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disproportionately harm Black communities in the United States, Congress and the Trump Administration have failed to come to an agreement on a fourth legislative package that will bring relief to millions in our nation.1 Granted, the relief package should direct…
Joint Center Vice President Joins Washington Center for Equitable Growth Panel on Economic Inequality
Joint Center Vice President Jessica Fulton joined a panel at a virtual convening co-hosted by the Washington Center for Equitable Growth, the Ford Foundation, and the Omidyar Network. The panel, Addressing the Fragilities and Structural Barriers that Exacerbate Economic Inequality and Weaken Our Economy, explored “the ideas and policies that will help level the playing…
July 28 COVID-19 Policy & Black Communities Roundup
Senate Republicans Release Stimulus Plan Which Democrats Call “Woefully Inadequate” Yesterday Republicans released key parts of their stimulus plan—the HEALS Act (health, economic assistance, liability protection, and schools). Instead of including a flat $600 per week federal unemployment benefit (which is set to expire this Friday), the bill would set the sum at $200 per…
Joint Center Senior Fellow of Diversity and Inclusion Discusses Hill Diversity at Women in Government Relations D&I Virtual Summit
On July 14, Joint Center Senior Fellow of Diversity and Inclusion Dr. LaShonda Brenson spoke on a panel at Women in Government Relations’ Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Virtual Summit. At the summit, LaShonda joined prominent thought leaders on a panel to discuss why having diverse congressional staff is critical at this moment. She also provided…
Joint Center Briefing on Voting, Black Communities, and the Next Stimulus with Congresswoman Marcia Fudge (D-OH)
On Wednesday, July 8, the Joint Center convened a panel of experts for an online policy forum with Congresswoman Marcia Fudge (D-OH) to discuss safe and fair elections in the midst of a pandemic, opportunities to increase Black voter turnout, and preserving the integrity of elections. In addition to Congresswoman Fudge, Chair of the U.S.…
Digging Deeper: 2020 Senate Democratic Caucus Diversity Numbers
On July 8, 2020, the Senate Democratic Caucus released an update of the demographic data (find 2020 numbers here) on the staff of Democratic Senators (find 2019 numbers here). The analysis below ranks the offices on their total diversity in the following categories: Top Three Racially Diverse Staff in Personal Offices Senator Cory Booker…
The Joint Center Releases Joint Statement with Several Civil Rights Organizations on Facebook’s Civil Rights Audit
On July 8, the Joint Center released a joint statement with The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and several other civil rights groups on Facebook’s civil rights audit: “This audit has laid bare what we already know — Facebook is a platform plagued by civil rights shortcomings. Facebook has an enormous impact on our…