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 at Duke and scholars throughout the world.

Learn More

Research Themes

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

cartoon icon outlines of four people in a circle
01

Class, Wealth, & Social Mobility

Documenting the magnitude of racial and ethnic disparities in wealth in the United States.
cartoon icon of plus/health sign
02

Health Equity

Investigating the sociocultural, economic, and structural indicators of health to eliminate health-related racial/ethnic and gender disparities.
cartoon icon of book with brain overlapped
03

Education Equity & Policy

Exploring the complex educational challenges facing various subgroups ranging from Pre-Kindergarteners to postsecondary students.
cartoon icon of police badge
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.
cartoon icon of outdoor landscape
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.
cartoon icon of scale
06

Visual Narratives of Inequality

Amplifying marginalized voices, highlighting inequitable systemic practices, and advancing social justice in North Carolina and beyond. 
cartoon graphic icon of brain with wires
07

Artificial Intelligence & Inequality

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

Journal Articles

Photo of doctor and mom with child

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…

How epigenetic inheritance fails to explain the Black-White health gap

Authors: Evan Charney, William Darity Jr., and Lucas Hubbard Journal: Social Science & Medicine Abstract:…

Intentionality and Congruence Cues Shape Young Children’s Perceptions of Identity-Based Group Membership

Authors: Brenda C. Straka, Adam Stanaland, and Sarah E. Gaither Journal: Developmental Science Abstract: As…

Testing the generalizability of minimal group attitudes in minority and majority race children

Authors: Brenda Straka, Ashley E. Jordan, Alisha Osornio, May Ling Halim, Kristin Pauker, Kristina R….

Editorial – Caste, class, race, and inequality: insights for economic policy

Authors: William A. Darity and Isabel Ruiz Journal: Oxford Review of Economic Policy Abstract: Disparities…

I am not (your) superwoman, Black girl magic, or beautiful struggle: Rethinking the resilience of Black women and girls

Authors: Keisha L. Bentley-Edwards and Valerie N. Adams Journal: American Psychologist Abstract: The concept and…

Ain’t I a Migrant?: Global Blackness and the Future of Migration Studies

Authors: Jean Beaman and Orly Clerge Journal: International Migration Review Abstract: In the wake of…

Books and Book Chapters

Book Chapter – Black Boys And Their Racial Identity: Learning How They Fit Into Society And In Your Classroom

Chapter Authors: Paul A. Robbins, Leann V. Smith, and Keisha L. Bentley-Edwards Book: The Guide for…
from here to equality book 2

From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-First Century, 2nd. ed.

Overview Racism and discrimination have choked economic opportunity for African Americans at nearly every turn….

You Mean It or You Don’t: James Baldwin’s Radical Challenge

Overview After a speech at UMass Amherst on February 28, 1984, James Baldwin was asked…
from here to equality book cover

From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-First Century

Overview Racism and discrimination have choked economic opportunity for African Americans at nearly every turn….
Kings of Mississippi front book cover

The Kings of Mississippi: Race, Religious Education, and the Making of a Middle-Class Black Family in the Segregated South

Overview Kings of Mississippi examines how a twentieth-century black middle-class family navigated life in rural…
roses for the soul

Roses for the Soul: Celebrating the Life and Achievements of Dr. Samuel DuBois Cook

About the book “On the evening of his retirement from the presidency of Dillard University…
Citizen Outsider front book cover

Citizen Outsider: Children of North African Immigrants in France

Overview While portrayals of immigrants and their descendants in France and throughout Europe often center…
The Hidden Rules of Race front page book cover

The Hidden Rules of Race: Barriers to an Inclusive Economy

Overview Why do black families own less than white families? Why does school segregation persist…

Reports

Stack of 100 dollar bills with key on top

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…
shadow of prison bars

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

Study Reveals Black Families’ Hesitancy Toward Home Visiting Programs Due to Surveillance Concerns

A research team, including Cook Center affiliates Imari Z. Smith and Lisa A. Gennetian,…

Professional Headshot of William Darity

Cook Center Research and William A. Darity Jr mentioned in article on Funding for Reparations Research

The Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity and Director William “Sandy” Darity Jr….

professional headshot of Will Damron

Will Damron published in Explorations in Economic History

Cook Center Postdoctoral Associate Will Damron was recently published in the Explorations in Economic…

Cook Center Researchers Investigate the Effect of Historical Trauma on the Black-White Health Gap

DURHAM, N.C. – The Black-white health gap is one of the most striking examples…

Sarah Gaither headshot

Sarah Gaither contributes to study on the Minimal Group Effect in Young Children

Associate professor in the Department of Psychology & Neuroscience at Duke University and Cook…

Sarah Gaither headshot

Sarah Gaither contributes to study on Young Children’s Perception of Identity-Based Group Membership

Associate professor in the Department of Psychology & Neuroscience at Duke University and Cook…

professional headshot of Jim C. Harper, II

Jim Harper II co-authors book on the history of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

The University of North Carolina Press announced a new book, With Faith in God…

Eric Griffith Leads Health Equity Researchers in paper on Quality of life, religion/spirituality, and dementia risk among Black people in the US

Cook Center Research Affiliates Eric Griffith, Paul Robbins, and Keisha Bentley-Edwards recently published a…