Racism and the Mechanisms Maintaining Racial Stratification in Poverty and Material Hardship for Families with Children

In this study, Williams will investigate structural mechanisms, rather than individual characteristics, that sustain poverty among Black, Latino, and White families. Specifically, the study examines whether state-level structural racism, defined as racial inequalities in life chances, and tract-level racialized space, defined as the percentage of a census level tract that is different racial groups, are mechanisms that maintain inequality. In three phases, this study aims to assess the dynamics of poverty over time through a critical race lens, elucidate how individual and family characteristics, state-level structural racism, and tract-level racialized space maintain racial stratification in poverty and examine whether and how state-level structural racism may moderate the effects of individual and family characteristics on poverty. Williams is a family sociologist with expertise in family theory and dyadic analyses. David Brady, Professor in the School of Public Policy at the University of California, Riverside, will provide mentorship on multilevel modeling. Tyson Brown, Associate Professor of Sociology at Duke University, will provide mentoring on measuring racism.