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Professional Headshot of William Darity

William Darity Jr. Co-Authors New BMJ Article Outlining a Viable Plan for Reparations

Founding Director William Darity Jr. co-authored a new literature review in The BMJ that directly addresses one of the most persistent critiques of reparations: the claim that no feasible plan exists. The proposal outlines direct monetary payments as the clearest economic measure of the cumulative and intergenerational effects of white supremacy. The article argues that…

William Darity Jr. to Speak at NYS Reparations Commission Hearing on Economic Development

Cook Center Director William A. Darity Jr. will be among the featured speakers at an upcoming public hearing hosted by the New York State Community Commission on Reparations Remedies (NYSCCRR) on Saturday, March 21st, 2026, in Staten Island, New York. The hearing, titled “Economic Development: Quantifying Harms,” is part of the Commission’s statewide effort to…

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Sarah Gaither Co-Authors Research Examining How Demographic Forms Shape Identity

New research co-authored by Faculty Affiliate Sarah Gaither, Associate Professor of Psychology & Neuroscience at Duke University, explores how something as routine as demographic forms can influence feelings of inclusion and identity among marginalized communities. Published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, the study—“Enumeration or Exclusion? Demographic Forms and Latine Identity”—investigates how demographic questions may…

Carliss Chatman quoted in Marketplace on Corporate DEI Rebranding

Faculty Affiliate Carliss Chatman, Professor at SMU Dedman School of Law, was quoted in a story by Marketplace examining how companies are quietly rebranding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The article explores how some corporations are scaling back or reframing public-facing DEI language amid political scrutiny. And, that the broader landscape is more nuanced…

William A. Darity Jr. Works on Report for NYC Health Department Studying Racial and Ethnic Inequities in Wealth and Health

February 20, 2026 — A new first-of-its-kind study of nearly 3,000 adults in New York City finds significant inequities in wealth and health outcomes across the 11 most common racial and ethnic groups, showing that Black and Latino New Yorkers have less wealth and unfairly worse health outcomes compared to others. Conducted in June 2024 by…

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New paper from Omer Ali on Race and Home Values

Faculty Affiliate Omer Ali is an Assistant Professor of economics at the University of Pittsburgh, and previous postdoctoral fellow a the Cook Center. Ali is the lead researcher on a new article published in Regional Science and Urban Economics this month examining the relationship between race and home values in Durham, North Carolina. The study…

Professional headshot of William Darity

William A. Darity Jr. and Other Economists Flag Potential Inequality in Trump’s Newborn Investment Accounts

Founding Director William A. Darity Jr. provided comments in a new article from Quartz examines President Donald Trump’s proposal to create investment accounts for children born during his second term, and the plan could ultimately widen the wealth gap. While the policy would provide every eligible child with a government-seeded account, it also allows families,…

Nancy MacLean speaks at Columbia Law about Why Authoritarians Fear Democracy

Today, Faculty Affiliate Nancy MacLean, William H. Chafe Professor of History and Public Policy Emerita at Duke University, will speak with Professor Carol Anderson, Janai Nelson, and Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw at Columbia Law School. She will be apart of a panel, presented by The Center for Intersectionality and Social Policy Studies  and the African American…

Carliss Chatman writes Bloomberg Law column on how Tesla’s move to Texas reshapes shareholder rights

Faculty Affiliate Carliss Chatman, Professor at SMU Dedman School of Law, wrote a column on how Tesla’s move to Texas is testing just how far modern corporate law will lean in favor of management. In 2024, Tesla strategically moved its legal home from Delaware to Texas. A move that positioned the company to benefit from…

Keisha Bentley-Edwards to deliver 2025 Payne Lecture in Faith, Justice, and Health Care

Faculty Affiliate Keisha Bentley-Edwards, Associate Professor of Medicine at Duke University, will deliver the Richard Payne Lecture in Faith, Justice, and Health Care this Friday. The event is hosted by the Theology, Medicine, and Culture Initiative at Duke Divinity School. Her lecture, titled Black Women’s Religion and Their Health: When Individual and Institutional Factors Intersect, represents…