Data & Research
Opportunities and Challenges of AI for Black Workers in the Rural South
The report, Opportunities and Challenges of AI for Black Workers in the Rural South, examines how artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and data center development are reshaping economic opportunities and challenges…
The 2026 Midterms and Why Representation Is an Economic Issue
By Sydney Dowd, Student at University of California, Santa Barbara & Former Joint Center Intern Introduction As the 2026 midterm elections approach, questions about political representation are moving back to…
The Child Tax Credit, Black Families, and the Cost of Conditional Support
This brief, The Child Tax Credit, Black Families, and the Cost of the Conditional Support, examines how earnings requirements, adult-status restrictions, and caregiver eligibility rules limit access to the Child…
Forward Together: The Black Policy Playbook for an Equitable America – The 2026 Addendum
Forward Together: The Black Policy Playbook for an Equitable America was created in 2025 to provide evidence-based policy recommendations for advancing equity and opportunity for Black Americans. Developed by the Congressional…
The State of the Black Labor Market
The brief, The State of the Black Labor Market, analyzes U.S. labor market data for Black workers from January to August 2026. The first eight months of 2026 produced three…
Opening a Retirement Account Is Not Enough to Close the Black Retirement Divide
Racial economic inequality follows Black Americans across the life course. In 2022, 22 percent of Black children lived in poverty, compared with 10 percent of white children. Among adults ages…
Digging Deeper: 2026 Senate Democratic Caucus Diversity Numbers
On July 31, 2026, the Senate Democratic Caucus released an update of its demographic data on Democratic staff (find 2026 numbers here and 2025 numbers here). The analysis below ranks…
How OBBBA is Changing Higher Ed Access for Black Students
In July 2025, Congressional Republicans passed, and President Donald Trump signed, a partisan budget reconciliation package that will reshape the American economy and further erode the social safety net. These…
The Reality of Racial Economic Inequality for Black Retirees
Racial economic inequality has shaped the lives of most African Americans, and it continues into the “golden years” of retirement. In 2022, the typical white family held about $285,000 in…
Unrepresented: Black and Latino Leadership Among Senate Committee Top Staff
While senators make the final decisions for their offices, top committee staff wield significant influence due to their deep subject matter expertise in specific policy areas. Corporations, advocacy organizations, news…