Photo Credit: Brittney Spinner for the Urban Institute
On June 19, 1865, federal troops finally arrived in Galveston, Texas, delivering the news that the 250,000 enslaved African Americans in the state had been freed from bondage—two and a half years earlier.
Though this day remains a cause for celebration, the late news in Galveston reflects an enduring pattern of decisionmakers excluding Black people from the many tables where policies and practices that affect their lives are plotted.
Timely, effective community engagement is no less important today. Explore analyses and tools that can help ensure the descendants of enslaved Black people and other historically marginalized groups are at those tables and their voices are heard.
What would it take to equip federal lawmakers with the data tools needed to predict the racial equity impact of proposed legislation? Urban Institute and PolicyLink’s Equity Scoring Initiative works to inform legislative action, media analysis, and issue advocacy.
Urban’s new Office of Race and Equity Research is a highly collaborative policy research and practice hub created to drive equity through innovation in research, policy, and practice.
African American museums share lessons from the past that can inform today’s racial equity efforts in communities and beyond. Read the first-ever evaluation of the 15-year-old federal grant program supporting these museums.
