“Summer of Soul” producers on battling Black erasure to make the film

Jul 22, 2021
Why the Harlem Cultural Festival, known as “Black Woodstock,” was forgotten for decades.
The 5th Dimension performs at the Harlem Cultural Festival of 1969, as seen in the new documentary "Summer of Soul."
Courtesy Searchlight Pictures

Why the words of America’s first Black economist resonate today

“She was prescient in many ways,” says Nina Banks, editor of a new book on the speeches and writing of Sadie T. M. Alexander.
Sadie T. M. Alexander, the first African American to receive a Ph.D. in economics in the United States, reads a comic book to children in 1948.
University Archives and Records Center, University of Pennsylvania.

3 Federal Reserve leaders discuss the need for diversity among economists

May 31, 2021
An excerpt from a Federal Reserve conference series about race and the economy focused on diversifying the profession itself.
"We want to be top form, and to do that, we have to be diverse. We have to be inclusive," said Loretta J. Mester, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

How boards can influence corporate diversity

May 20, 2021
Economist Dambisa Moyo on the evolving roles and responsibilities of corporate boards
Global economist Dambisa Moyo said corporate boards are "critical" in helping businesses adapt to the changing demands of the 21st century economy.
Rodger Bosch/AFP/Getty Images

A Baltimore church grapples with its racist past

Apr 27, 2021
A personal connection to slavery sparked a reckoning that lead to reparations.
Deacon Natalie Conway stands in front of Memorial Episcopal Church in Baltimore.
Amy Scott/Marketplace

Many younger Black Americans started investing in the stock market during the pandemic

Apr 20, 2021
According to a recent survey, 30% of Black investors under 40 first got into the market in 2020.
Black Americans who didn't grow up talking about investing are now able to pass on information they never had to their own friends and family.
kate_sept2004 via Getty Images

Is the tax code racist?

Mar 23, 2021
Professor Dorothy Brown of Emory University became a "detective," searching for data on how the tax code impacts Black Americans.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

New PPP plan aims to level playing field for smallest businesses

Feb 24, 2021
Smaller businesses owned by women and people of color often lack the banking relationships that larger companies have.
President Biden announced changes Monday to the Paycheck Protection Program aimed at helping smaller businesses owned by women and people of color to qualify for federal loans due to the economic impact that has been caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Alex Wong/Getty Images

Aunt Jemima rebrands as Pearl Milling Company

Feb 10, 2021
It's part of a reappraisal of brands long criticized for their demeaning or racist roots.
Aunt Jemima has rebranded itself as Pearl Milling Company.
PepsiCo

The “afterlife” of mass incarceration

Feb 1, 2021
In a new book, sociologist Reuben Jonathan Miller explores the punishments formerly imprisoned people face after their release. Read an excerpt here.
Inmates worship during Christmas Mass at Men’s Central Jail in Los Angeles. In a new book, sociologist Reuben Jonathan Miller examines the effects of incarceration after it ends.
Mario Tama/Getty Images