Past
Is Black Full Employment Possible Without Affirmative Action and DEI?
- 1:00 pm – 2:15 pm EDT
- Streaming
To commemorate the 62nd anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) held a webinar on the question, “Is Black Full Employment Possible Without Affirmative Action and DEI?”
One of the demands of the March on Washngton was for “a massive federal program to train and place all unemployed workers — Negro and white — on meaningful and dignified jobs at decent wages.” Today, this demand is more relevant than ever: The employment situation for Black America is steadily worsening, and the Trump administration is proving to be the most hostile to Black economic opportunity and civil rights since the Jim Crow era.
How can Black full employment as well as the other economic demands of the March — for good jobs, a living wage, and decent housing — be achieved today?
Discussion Resources
- We Need More State Climate Corps Jobs Open to More Young People
- The Union Advantage for Black Workers: Wages, Benefits, and the Unfinished March
- Breaking Down the South’s Economic Underperformance: Rooted in Racism and Economic Exploitation: Part Two
- July 2025 Jobs Day Analysis – Joint Center
- Mostly Economics Podcast #18: Beyond ‘I Have a Dream’ – The Forgotten Economic Demands of 1963
Moderator
Charles Bell
As Vice Chair for the National Jobs for All Network, Bell advocates for a federal job guarantee and full employment for all at living wages.
Presenters
Algernon Austin
Dr. Austin directs CEPR’s research on race and economic justice. He has conducted research on a wide variety of racial inequality topics for over 20 years. His current primary focus is on the low rate of employment in Black America, one of the three major labor market challenges facing this population, and on using subsidized employment as a tool to address this problem. Austin also maintains an interest in social housing, infrastructure, racial wealth inequality, and other topics at the intersection of race and the economy.
Chandra Childers
Chandra Childers is a senior policy and economic analyst with the Economic Analysis and Research Network (EARN) at the Economic Policy Institute. Her work is primarily focused on supporting EARN’s state and local policy research and advocacy network in the Southern United States. Childers is committed to economic justice and ensuring that all workers have a voice in their workplaces and that they experience real economic security independent of race, sex, or economic status.
Dedrick Asante-Muhammad
Dedrick Asante-Muhammad is the president of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. For the past 20 years, Asante-Muhammad has dedicated his career to understanding and tackling racial and economic inequities. Asante-Muhammad has had senior leadership positions at many of the nation’s top racial justice advocacy organizations including the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, Prosperity Now, the NAACP, and the Institute for Policy Studies. Over the years, Asante-Muhammad has also become a thought leader in diversity, inclusion, and procurement. He has served and serves on various advisory committees and boards, including The Racial Equity Subcommittee of the Joe Biden Economic Policy Committee, Better Markets, the Advancing Black Strategists Initiative, and the Council of US Financial Health Network.
Hayley Brown
Hayley Brown is a research associate with CEPR. Her research spans a wide range of subject matter, including labor and worker power, disability, inequality, and public health. Hayley recently served as president of the Nonprofit Professional Employees Union, which represents the staff at CEPR and many other nonprofits throughout the United States. She previously worked in the Research, Markets, and Regulations division of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and for the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program. She studied geographical sciences and philosophy at the University of Maryland, College Park.
Co-Sponsors
