Research

Displays celebrating Durham African American History

Advancing Social Equity Research

Within the Center’s rich interdisciplinary community, our research scholars pursue projects across various fields of inquiry as well as with researchers and scholars throughout the world.

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Research Themes

The Cook Center organizes its research, programmatic, and scholarship activities into the following domains:

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01

Class, Wealth, & Social Mobility

Documenting the magnitude of racial and ethnic disparities in wealth in the United States.
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02

Health Equity

Investigating the sociocultural, economic, and structural indicators of health to eliminate health-related racial/ethnic and gender disparities.
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03

Education Equity & Policy

Exploring the complex educational challenges facing various subgroups ranging from Pre-Kindergarteners to postsecondary students.
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04

Policing Enforcement & Justice

Advancing research on the mechanisms that produce and maintain inequities within the criminal legal system and its broader consequences on society.
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05

Environmental Justice

Focusing on the behavioral, social, cultural, and technological aspects of the global climate crisis for meaningful incorporation into environmental policy and decision making.
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06

Visual Narratives of Inequality

Amplifying marginalized voices, highlighting inequitable systemic practices, and advancing social justice in North Carolina and beyond. 
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07

Artificial Intelligence & Inequality

Understanding the ethical and sociopolitical stakes of technological developments, automated systems, and artificial intelligence.

Journal Articles

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Telemedicine services in higher education: a review of college and university websites

Authors: Adam Hollowell, Jonas Swartz, Evan Myers, Al Erkanli, Clarice Hu, Andrew Shin, and Keisha…
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Depression in the African American Christian Community: Examining Denominational and Gender Differences

Authors: Melissa J. Scott, Paul A. Robbins, Eugenia Conde, and Keisha L. Bentley‑Edwards Abstract: Depression…
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The Cumulative Costs of Racism and the Bill for Black Reparations

Authors: William Darity Jr., A. Kirsten Mullen, and Marvin Slaughter Abstract: Two major procedures for…

Responding to Health Disparities in Behavioral Weight Loss Interventions and COVID-19 in Black Adults: Recommendations for Health Equity

Authors: Loneke T Blackman Carr, Caryn Bell, Candice Alick, and Keisha L Bentley-Edwards Abstract: COVID-19…
Black man with back towards camera facing an empty congregation in a church

Shades of Black: Gendered denominational variation in depression symptoms among Black Christians

Authors: Paul A. Robbins, Keisha L. Bentley-Edwards, Loneke T. Blackman Carr, Eugenia Conde, Richard Van…
Black student studying in library

The Effect of Stereotypes on Black College Test Scores at a Historically Black University

Authors: Mackenzie Alston, William A. Darity Jr., Catherine C. Eckel, Lawrence McNeil, Rhonda Sharpe  Abstract:…
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Racial Differences in Time at Work Not Working

Authors: William A. Darity, Jr., Darrick Hamilton, Samuel L. Myers Jr., Gregory N. Price, and…
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Disparate Recoveries: Wealth, Race, and the Working Class after the Great Recession

Authors: Fenaba R. Addo and William A. Darity Jr. Abstract: What does it mean to…

Books and Book Chapters

With Faith in God and Heart and Mind: A History of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity

Authors: Maurice J. Hobson, Eddie R. Cole, Jim C. Harper, and Derrick P. Alridge Book…
W. E. B. Du Bois

Book chapter – Redress or Socialism? W. E. B. Du Bois’s Silence on Black American Reparations

Chapter Authors: James B. Stewart and William A. Darity, Jr. Book: The Oxford Handbook of…

Book Chapter – Considering Multiracial Youth: Identity Challenges and Health Outcomes

Authors: Brenda Straka and Sarah Gaither Abstract: Health professionals who care for children will find…
The Black Reparations Project

The Black Reparations Project: A Handbook for Racial Justice

Overview This groundbreaking resource moves us from theory to action with a practical plan for…
vital and valuable

Vital and Valuable: The Relevance of HBCUs to American Life and Education

Overview Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are a crucial element of higher education in…

Book Chapter – Stratification Economics: A Primer and an Explanation on Opposition to Affirmative Action

Chapter Authors: Lucas Hubbard and William A. Darity Jr. Book: Handbook on Economics of Discrimination…
Pandemic Divide book cover

The Pandemic Divide: How COVID Increased Inequality in America

Overview As COVID-19 made inroads in the United States in spring 2020, a common refrain…
A dream defaulted book cover

A Dream Defaulted: The Student Loan Crisis Among Black Borrowers

About the book A Dream Defaulted explores how the student loan crisis disproportionately affects Black borrowers…

Reports, Briefs, and Essays

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Black Reparations and Child Well-Being: A Framework and Policy Considerations

Authors: Lisa A. Gennetian, Christina Gibson-Davis, & William A. Darity Jr. Journal: National Bureau of…

Gender Differences in Remote Learning amid COVID-19

Authors: Sungmee Kim and Tim Sass Publisher: Andrew Young School of Policy at Georgia State…

Teacher Recruitment and Retention Trends Across North Carolina and the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Authors: Lauren Fox, Sara Howell, Ashley Kazouh, Elizabeth Paul, and Jessica Peacock Research Advisors: Keisha…

What the Durham Police Department Can Do to Enhance Safety and Earn Trust

Authors: Ajenai Clemmons Summary: This report contains the findings of an academic study Ajenai Clemmons…

Income Supplements versus Building Assets and the Racial Wealth Gap: Tax Policies

Authors: William A. Darity Jr, William Gale, Mónica García-Pérez, and Nora Cahill Executive Summary: The…

Understanding the Effects of Windfalls: What People Do with Financial Payouts, and What It Means for Policy

Authors: Katherine Rodgers, Sydney A. Grissom, Lucas Hubbard, and William A. Darity Jr. Abstract: What…
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Prison Hospital Data Is Omitted From Federal Data Sets

Authors: Michael Forrest Behne, Joshua A. Barocas, Josiah D. Rich, and Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein Abstract: Given…
two headshots of W. H. Hutt and James Buchanan

Setting the Record Straight on the Libertarian South African Economist W. H. Hutt and James M. Buchanan

Authors: William Darity Jr., M’Balou Camara, and Nancy MacLean Abstract: In their stormy response to…

Research News

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…

Professional headshot of Omer Ali

New paper from Omer Ali on Race and Home Values

Faculty Affiliate Omer Ali is an Assistant Professor of economics at the University of…

Sandra L. Barnes publishes multiple studies examining faith, sexuality, and well-being among Black youth

Faculty Affiliate Sandra L. Barnes, the C.V. Starr Professor of Sociology at the Brown…

Joaquín Alfredo-Angel Rubalcaba Co-Authors New Study on Farmwork, Mixed-Status Families & Mental Health

Faculty Affiliate Joaquín Alfredo-Angel Rubalcaba, Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Policy at…

Joaquín Alfredo-Angel Rubalcaba Co-Authors Study on Immigration Enforcement and U.S. Agricultural Labor Supply

Faculty Affiliate Joaquín Alfredo-Angel Rubalcaba, Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Policy at…

Loneke Blackman Carr

New report from Loneke Blackman Carr on 2022 NIH Workshop

Faculty Affiliate Loneke Blackman Carr, Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at…

New paper from Loneke Blackman Carr and Kristen Cooksey Stowers on weight loss interventions among black men and women

Faculty Affiliates Loneke Blackman Carr, Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at…

Lauren Brinkley Rubenstein

Two new articles on Health and Justice from Lauren Brinkley-Rubenstein

Faculty Affiliate Lauren Brinkley-Rubenstein, Professor of Population Health Sciences at Duke University, recently contributed…