Recent Publications
Protecting Generational Wealth: The Status of African American Property Ownership
“Forty acres and a mule” was a promise made during the Reconstruction Period after the United States Civil War with the intention to provide former enslaved Black people a means for self-determination and economic independence. This promise went unfulfilled with the...
“If We Are Heedless, None of Us Shall Escape the Consequences:” The Kerner Commission and the Effects of Inaction
In 1968, the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders—more commonly referred to as the Kerner Commission—established by President Lyndon B. Johnson, released an unprecedented exposition detailing the cause of the 1967 race riots that engulfed American cities,...
DEI DOA: America’s Regression to the Mean of White Supremacy
On June 29th, 2023, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in favor of Students for Fair Admissions, INC in the court cases Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. (SFFA) v. President & Fellows of Harvard College (Harvard) and SFFA v. University of North...
Making it Happen: How Black Folks Work in America
Work occupies a special place in the Black-American tradition. Novelist Toni Morrison captures a major element of Black thinking on the value of work in her book, Song of Solomon. "Stop picking around the edges of the world. Take advantage, and if you can’t take...
Toward Achieving 100% Electrification: How Rwanda Can Leverage the Power of its Community-Oriented Culture to Electrify Rural Households
In Rwanda, the journey toward universal access to essential services has been marked by remarkable achievements, often rooted in the country's strong community-oriented culture. One such triumph is the Mutuelles de santé, a community-based health insurance scheme that...
Making Illinois a True Sanctuary for All People
As Trump intensifies ICE raids and strips sanctuary protections, Illinois Democrats must seize their supermajority to codify sanctuary zones and shield undocumented families from federal overreach.At a time when undocumented Illinoisans must fear ICE raids that can...