Future of Work
The Joint Center’s future of work program is focused on identifying the challenges and opportunities of the changing nature of work for Black communities. See below for research, analysis, and activities related to the future of work for Black communities.
Joint Center Joins Panel on the Future of Work for Black Workers in the Rural South at SXSW EDU
Joint Center President Spencer Overton joined SXSW EDU’s panel entitled Will Robots Displace Workers of Color? The panel’s discussion focused on how the increased use of automation, AI, and robotics may displace Black workers in the rural South, and how to ensure Black workers are prepared to succeed during the changing nature of work. Panelists…
Joint Center Presents on Digital Infrastructure in the Black Rural South
Joint Center Technology Policy Director Dr. Dominique Harrison presented research on the importance of broadband access in the Black Rural South for the SC Digital Equity Collaborative. The Joint Center’s research on the future of work in the Black Rural South can be found here.
Joint Center Joins Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester’s Panel at the CBCF Annual Legislative Conference
Joint Center President Spencer Overton joined Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester’s (D-DE) panel at the CBCF Annual Legislative Conference on how COVID-19 affects the future of work for African Americans. Other panelists included The Aspen Institute Future of Work Initiative Executive Director Al Fitzpayne and LinkedIn Chief Economist Karin Kimbrough.
Joint Center President Joins AARP’s Panel on ‘Equity, Inclusion, and a New World of Work’ at The Atlantic Festival
Joint Center President Spencer Overton joined AARP’s panel, Equity, Inclusion, and a New World of Work, at the virtual Atlantic Festival. During the discussion, Spencer spoke about digital technologies that are transforming work, increased utilization of autonomous robots, and the significance of digital skills and remote work especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Other panelists included…
Sustain Black Businesses
Black businesses have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, with a 26% decline in the number of active Black business owners between February and May 2020.1 The federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program—which issues forgivable loans to keep businesses open and employees on payrolls—failed to adequately support Black businesses, in part through its design. Policymakers…
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 President Joins Virtual ABFE Conference Panel on ‘The Future of Learning & Work in Black Communities’
On April 16, Joint Center President Spencer Overton joined a panel session at the virtual ABFE Conference entitled The Future of Learning and Work in Black Communities. Other panelists included Duke University Sanford School of Public Policy Professor Dr. William Darity Jr., National Black Worker Project Center Executive Director Tanya Wallace-Gobern, and Lumina Foundation Strategy…
Joint Center on Impact on Black Southerners of Premature Opening of Southern States
On April 23, Joint Center President Spencer Overton participated in a Virtual Press Conference hosted by Black Voters Matter responding to plans by Southern Governors to open their economies despite the continued threat of the coronavirus in their states. Spencer pointed out that 55% of African Americans live in the South, and that they are…
Apr. 13 COVID-19 Policy & Black Communities Roundup
This roundup reviews recent COVID-19 policy developments that affect Black communities. Click here for our COVID-19 policy page, which is constantly updated. Last week, the Washington Post published the Joint Center’s op-ed calling on the CDC to release racial data on COVID-19 deaths, and the Administration acknowledged that the coronavirus is hitting Black communities particularly hard. Survey…
Joint Center Hosts Briefing with FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks on COVID-19 & the Digital Divide
On Tuesday, April 7, the Joint Center convened a panel of experts and key stakeholders for an online policy forum with FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks to discuss the concept of a “connectivity stimulus” to ensure that people in all communities in the United States are connected and have access to online education and economic opportunities…