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

Examining preferences for weight loss interventions among black men and women with overweight or obesity: A qualitative study

Authors: Snehaa Ray, Christie I. Idiong, Rachel Anderson, Kate Killion, Curtis Antrum, Michael Puglisi, Jolaade…

ICE’s Budget Surge Is A Public Health Crisis

Authors: Emily Dauria,  Kathryn Nowotny,  Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein Journal (blog): Health Affairs Forefront Introduction: As health…

Health & justice 10th anniversary: looking ahead after a decade of progress

Authors: Faye S. Taxman, Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein, Lior Gideon & Wendy P. Guastaferro Journal: Health & Justice Excerpts…

Social Preference Parameters Impacting Financial Decisions Among Welfare Recipients

Authors: Jorge N. Zumaeta Journal: Journal of Risk and Financial Management Abstract: This research study focuses…

Root Causes of the Racial Wealth Gap: A Critique of the Fed View

Authors: William A. Darity Jr. and Stephan Lefebvre Journal: AEA Papers and Proceedings Abstract: We address…

A framework and policy case for black reparations to support child well-being in the USA

Authors: Lisa A. Gennetian, Christina Gibson-Davis, & William A. Darity Jr. Journal: Nature Human Behavior…
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Social contexts and black families’ engagement in early childhood programs

Authors: Jane Leer, Imari Z. Smith, Zoelene Hill, and Lisa A. Gennetian Journal: PLOS One…
1917, Old Steel Mill

Gains from factory electrification: Evidence from North Carolina, 1905–1926

Author: Will Damron Journal: Explorations in Economic History Abstract: Between 1900 and 1930, the share…

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…
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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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Racial Disparities in Household Wealth Following the Great Recession

Authors: Fenaba R. Addo and William A. Darity Jr. Abstract: Wealth inequality across racialized groups…
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Is this the “Golden Age” of Behavioral Genetics?

Authors: Evan Charney Abstract: The search for genetic risk factors underlying the presumed heritability of…
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A Fair Shake for Black Workers

Authors: Valerie Wilson and William A. Darity Jr. This report, published in the Winter 2021 issue…
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Oil and Blood: The Color of Wealth in Tulsa, Oklahoma

Authors: C. Aujean Lee, Randall Akee, Raffi E. García, Lauren Russell, Jorge Zumaeta, and William…

Still Running Up the Down Escalator: How Narratives Shape our Understanding of Racial Wealth Inequality

Authors: Natasha Hicks, Fenaba Addo, Anne Price, and William Darity Jr. Executive Summary: This new…
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The Color of Wealth in Baltimore

Authors: Aaron Colston, William “Sandy” Darity Jr.,  Raffi E. García, Lauren Russell, and Jorge Zumaeta…
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Race, Phenotype, and Economic Disparities: Evidence from Los Angeles, California

Authors: Aaron Colston, William “Sandy” Darity Jr.,  Raffi E. García, Lauren Russell, and Jorge Zumaeta This research is…
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Baltimore Study: Credit Scores

Authors: Mónica García-Pérez, Sarah E. Gaither, and William A. Darity Jr. This research is supported…

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…