Rethinking Policy for Black America

Systemic racism is baked into every aspect of American life. These policies can help dismantle inequities in education, housing, health, policing, and more.

Last summer, millions of Americans took to the streets across the country to protest the violence Black Americans have suffered at the hands of police. It sparked what has been called the largest civil rights movement of our time — one that saw worldwide demonstrations, new demands placed on lawmakers, and white people and non-Black people of color pledging to speak up against injustice, to no longer turn the other way. It felt like the United States might finally be ready to do the work to be less racist.

But after the protests petered out and the anti-racism books were read, many also wondered: Now what?

How do we make up for the 400 years of racism and inequities that Black people have endured in this country? How do we start to fix the systemic problems that have deliberately disadvantaged Black Americans when it comes to acquiring wealth, quality education, and clean air to breathe? This series hopes to start that conversation — and to lay the groundwork for the federal government to take action.

For Rethinking Policy for Black America, Vox talked to policy wonks, lawmakers, researchers, activists, and the communities impacted by these injustices to lay out some of the best policy plans that address inequities in housing, health, economics, education, policing, and the environment. Some are familiar; some are ambitious; not all can be packaged up and sent to Congress for approval today. But they are a beginning, and if enacted, they would help create a truly anti-racist future in America.

CREDITS
Reporters: Fabiola Cineas, Sean Collins, Jerusalem Demsas, German Lopez, Anna North, Rachel Ramirez, and Li Zhou
Editor: Jessica Machado
Visuals editor and graphics designer: Christina Animashaun
Engagement editors: Nisha Chittal and Kaylah Jackson
Copy editors: Elizabeth Crane, Kim Eggleston, Tanya Pai, Kelli Pate, and Tim Williams
Communications: Charmaine Crutchfield