Publications

Federal Legislative Solutions to Curb Qualified Immunity for School Resource Officers & Other School Officials

This report examines the inconsistent application of qualified immunity doctrine in courts around the country and how it impacts Black children — often leaving them vulnerable to having their constitutional rights violated in schools without recourse.

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The Clean Slate Act: A Pathway to Criminal Justice Reform

This brief looks at The Clean Slate Act, a federal bipartisan bill, and how it can provide a second chance to Americans with low-level and nonviolent federal convictions.

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The Power of Rest: Examining the Racial Disparities of Sleep & its Connections to Black Health Outcomes

Sleep plays a critical role in helping our bodies recover from the day and prepare for the next. This publication explores the systemic barriers impacting Black sleep health and how policymakers can help.

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NREI Fact Sheet: Inflation Reduction Act & Black America

This fact sheet outlines the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act and how it addresses the climate, health, and economic challenges disproportionately impacting the Black community.

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NREI Research Op-Ed: HBCUs Should Receive More than 1% of Federal Research Funding

This research op-ed explores the importance of federal research dollars, disparities in federal research funding, implications of HBCU federal research funding gap, and provides suggestions on how policy can help to support the research activities and personnel at HBCUs.

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The Black Dollar Part 2: Cooperative Economics

This report explores how Black communities have collaborated to sustain themselves and their economies throughout histories. Despite generations of forced migration and intentional disruption of community building, the African diaspora in the United States facilitated cooperative systems to supply community needs and improve their outcomes.

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Exploring the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

Over the next 5 years, more than $1 trillion in government funding will be poured into infrastructure projects across the country including roads, bridges, public transit, clean water, airport upgrades, energy grid upgrades, passenger and freight railways, coastal resiliency, clean school buses, and small business growth. This fact sheet highlights how the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act impacts Black communities.

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Heart of the Matter: The Social Justice Fight Against Heart Disease

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Common conditions such as hypertension (high blood pressure), obesity and diabetes—prevalently experienced in Black communities—increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. This report addresses the societal factors related to heart disease in the Black community and how policymakers can help through legislation.

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The Cycle: How Motor Vehicular Tickets, Fines, and Fees Exacerbate Poverty and Contribute to Mass Incarceration

While a person’s inability to pay a ticket, fine, or fee arguably does not threaten public safety, today, states across the country respond to this offense by revoking the privilege to drive. This report explores how debt-based driving restrictions disproportionately impact Black people, contribute to financial instability, and threaten the safety of their communities.

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NREI 2021 Annual Report

This 2021 Annual Report provides an overview of the National Racial Equity Initiative for Social Justice (NREI) to capture our progress on priorities since the inception of NREI and to provide context to the evolution of NREI to date. As we enter NREI’s second year of operations, we inspirationally look to the work ahead in 2022.

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