Algernon has conducted research and writing on issues of race and racial inequality 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 has an interest in social housing, infrastructure, racial wealth inequality, and other topics at the intersection of race and the economy.
Austin has a PhD in sociology from Northwestern University, and he taught sociology as a faculty member at Wesleyan University. He has held positions at the Economic Policy Institute, the Center for Global Policy Solutions, Dēmos, and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. He has discussed racial inequality on PBS, CNN, NPR, and other national television and radio networks.
All from Algernon Austin
Reduce Inequality to Address Affordability
Over the past 50 years, the wealthiest Americans have increased their share of total income. An affordability agenda must tackle this growing inequality.
Trump Accounts Will Increase Wealth Inequality
Trump Accounts — boosted in a recent Super Bowl commercial — will widen income inequality.
Trump Gets Spectacularly Richer While Putting the Country on a Path to Poverty
Increasing his family’s wealth is the one policy Donald Trump appears to care most about — and it is having severely negative consequences for everyone else.
Can Anyone Stop Trump from Waging a Senseless War?
Donald Trump’s reckless pursuit of Greenland makes very little sense. Can anyone stop him?
The Black Jobs Deficit Cost Black America $87 Billion in 2025
In 2025, the Black jobs deficit grew to 1.8 million — a disparity that costs Black workers roughly $87 billion in lost income.
How the Affordable Rental Housing Crisis is Hurting Hispanics
The failure to pass meaningful affordable housing policies means that an increasing number of renters are cost-burdened.
Does the Trump Administration Care About the Most Common Victims of Hate Crimes?
After Charlie Kirk’s murder, the White House professed concern for curbing political violence. The data on hate crimes tells us who is most frequently targeted for attack; are these victims the ones the Trump administration seeks to protect?
If Trump Cared About Crime, He Would Have Kept the Office of Gun Violence Prevention
The White House has deployed National Guard troops to the streets of DC, supposedly to combat crime — while slashing funding for programs that actually reduce crime.
The Racial Preference for White African Immigrants
In the wake of Donald Trump’s absurd claims about a ‘white genocide’ in South Africa, it is worth examining the advantages that White African immigrants have in the US labor market over their Black counterparts.
The GENIUS Act Provides Profits for the Crypto Industry, Financial Risk for Everyone Else
The crypto industry got what it wanted with the GENIUS Act — a law that increases the likelihood of broader crises in the financial system.
