Boston University Center for Antiracist Research will be receiving a $1.5 million grant from The Rockefeller Foundation to support continued efforts to analyze and provide research on race relations and economic disparities in the United States. The data collected by the Center will be used by policymakers to formulate ways to increase equity and economic opportunities for impoverished and racially diverse communities.
“Racism is finally at or near the top of America’s agenda,” says Otis Rolley III, Senior Vice President of The Rockefeller Foundation’s U.S. Equity and Economic Opportunity Initiative. “The racial wealth gap in America is both striking and durable, as a result of systemic racist policies and practices. It takes wealth to make wealth, and Black and Brown Americans have largely been excluded from inter-generational access to capital and finance. The Center for Antiracist Research will help provide solutions to these systemic issues that have long restricted BIPoC people from obtaining wealth, and will work toward equity and justice for all.”
The grant will enable the Center to further research systemic and historical inequalities experienced by low-income Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPoC). Funding will also enable the Center to develop a Racial Data Tracker that will “track, visualize, and analyze racial inequities while also training generations of racial data scientists.”
The Boston University Center for Antiracist Research conducts research and data analysis to breakdown the intricacies of race-related issues. The resulting research and data support ongoing initiatives for innovative policymaking, narrative changes, and educational and advocacy campaigns.
The Rockefeller Foundation funds initiatives that work to solve global challenges through the advances of science, technology and research. The Foundation has enlisted Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, historian and founder of the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research, to advise on internal Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and racial equity work.
Within the last year, the Foundation has awarded grants to increase voter turn out, provide tax filing assistance, protect immigration law, and reduce COVID-19 infections. The Foundation is based in Washington, D.C., New York City, Bellagio Center, Italy, Nairobi, Kenya, and Bangkok, Thailand.
