In prior work, Darity and colleagues documented the scope of disparities affecting Black youth, developed a theory of change by which reparations could reduce these disparities, and estimated the impact of direct wealth transfers to Black families on children’s academic outcomes. With this award, Darity will examine a wider range of outcomes for youth ages 16-25, providing a more thorough understanding of reparations’ potential as a policy lever to reduce inequality for Black youth. Leveraging the same data infrastructure and methodology used for a 2025 paper, Darity will estimate how wealth transfers impact racial disparities for young adults ages 16-25 along the following outcomes: 1) college persistence and completion; 2) student debt burden; 3) labor market entry outcomes (e.g., wages, access to benefits and retirement accounts); 4) wealth accumulation; 5) contact with the criminal-legal system; and 6) mental health outcomes. In addition to supporting the work itself, the grant will support the transfer of the Samuel DuBois Cook Center from Duke University to Howard University.
This award will support a nuanced examination of the potential for Black reparations to reduce racial inequality in youth outcomes in the United States.
