Workforce Policy

Joint Center Talks Black Rural South and Future of Work at CBC Institute USDA Session

On August 8, Spencer presented on the Joint Center’s current work on the “Future of Work and the Black Rural South” at the USDA session at the Congressional Black Caucus Institute’s Mississippi Policy Conference in Tunica, Mississippi.

After quickly reviewing the role of Black enslaved persons in establishing U.S. economic dominance, Spencer explained how the significant rate of displacement through automation combined with negative job growth could result in increased unemployment, poverty, and racial inequality in the Black Rural South. Click here for a 4-page summary of the work with graphs.

The Joint Center also surveyed conference participants on potential solutions and obtained significant feedback.

The session was moderated by the USDA’s Dr. Homer Wilkes, and other speakers included Congressman Bennie Thompson, several USDA. officials, and others from the non-profit sector.