Joint Center Releases State of the Dream 2026 Report on Black Economic Regression in Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King’s Birthday

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dec. 19, 2025

Contact:
Kennedy Fortner, kennedy.fortner@jointcenter.org

Joint Center Releases State of the Dream 2026 Report on Black Economic Regression in Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King’s Birthday 

New report examines 2025 federal policy changes amid declining policy equity and warning signs of Black economic recession 

WASHINGTON — The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies released State of the Dream 2026: From Regression to Signs of a Black Recession, a report published in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday and the Black freedom struggle his life and death represent. The report examines economic conditions facing Black communities in 2025, a year marked by rising Black unemployment and economic regression.

By December 2025, Black unemployment was 7.5 percent, a level that, if seen nationwide, would indicate a recession. Last year, 271,000 federal jobs were also lost, an estimated 200,000 of them held by Black women, severely impacting Black workers. In addition to the increase in Black unemployment, there has been an overall attack on policies and institutions historically intended to combat racial inequality.

Additional findings document the dismantling of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, shifts in cryptocurrency and digital asset regulation, the cancellation of the Digital Equity Act, changes to broadband pricing transparency requirements, and notes the persistence of a nearly 30-percentage-point racial gap in homeownership, with Black homeownership at 45 percent compared to 74 percent for white households.

This report is both a warning and a call to action to reverse course before regression hardens into generational loss.

“The data in State of the Dream 2026 shows that 2025 represented both a regression and a recession for African Americans,” said Dedrick Asante-Muhammad, president of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. “Rising Black unemployment, the elimination of federal jobs, and the withdrawal of protections and investments that have historically helped Black communities weather economic shocks point to the urgent need for deliberate action to reverse course. I am grateful to continue ensuring that the dream Dr. King articulated remains both measurable and achievable for Black Americans.”

State of the Dream 2026 provides analysis on 11 key issues:

• Black Employment and Unemployment

• Black Federal Employment

• Tax Policy

• Black Entrepreneurship

• Financial Deregulation, Crypto Markets, and Digital Assets

• Broadband Policy

• Artificial Intelligence Policy

• Social Media Policy

• Workforce Policy and Black America

• Black Homeownership and Housing Policy

• Deletions of Black Heroes and History

This report is the product of a collaborative effort drawing on the expertise of Joint Center staff, fellows, and external partners, including United for a Fair Economy, the Center for Economic Policy Research, the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, and the Onyx Impact Group.

It builds on work led more than two decades ago by United for a Fair Economy and reflects a shared commitment to rigorous analysis and public education.

To read the full report, click here.

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About the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, America’s Black think tank, provides compelling and actionable policy solutions to eradicate persistent and evolving barriers to the full freedom of Black people in America. We are the trusted forum for leading experts and scholars to participate in major public policy debates and promote ideas that advance Black communities. We use evidence-based research, analysis, convenings, and strategic communications to support Black communities and a network of allies.