AWS2050/60: Research in Africana-World Studies: Selected Web Resources

Founded in 1996, The African American Policy Forum (AAPF) is an innovative think tank that connects academics, activists and policy-makers to promote efforts to dismantle structural inequality. We utilize new ideas and innovative perspectives to transform public discourse and policy. We promote frameworks and strategies that address a vision of racial justice that embraces the intersections of race, gender, class, and the array of barriers that disempower those who are marginalized in society. AAPF is dedicated to advancing and expanding racial justice, gender equality, and the indivisibility of all human rights, both in the U.S. and internationally.

The AFL-CIO's constituency groups — the A. Philip Randolph Institute, Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, Coalition of Labor Union Women, Labor Council for Latin American Advancement and Pride At Work — are unions' bridge to diverse communities, creating and strengthening partnerships to enhance the standard of living for all workers and their families. The groups also promote the full participation of women and minorities in the union movement and ensure unions hear and respond to the concerns of the communities they represent.

The Association of Black Psychologists sees its mission and destiny as the liberation of the African Mind, empowerment of the African Character, and enlivenment and illumination of the African Spirit. The Association is organized to operate exclusively for charitable and educational purposes, including but not limited to: (a) promoting and advancing the profession of African Psychology; (b) influencing and affecting social change; and (c) developing programs whereby psychologists of African descent (hereafter known as Black Psychologists) can assist in solving problems of Black communities and other ethnic groups.

Founded in May of 1999, the Black AIDS Institute (BAI) is the only national HIV/AIDS think tank focused exclusively on Black people. The Institute’s mission is to stop the AIDS epidemic in Black communities by engaging and mobilizing Black leaders, institutions, and individuals, in efforts to confront HIV. BAI disseminates information; advocates for sound, inclusive, culturally responsive public and private sector health policies; offers training and capacity building; provides health screening for HIV/STI/Hep C and other chronic and/or infectious diseases, and linkage to comprehensive HIV care: and conducts advocacy and mobilization from a uniquely and unapologetically Black point of view.

The Labor Center's research examines how the black community has fared since the end of the Great Recession, both in terms of employment rates and job quality. We also provide technical assistance to support the creation and growth of black worker centers throughout the country, and provide labor education to unionists active in the black community.

Founded in 2002, CSI’s mission is to catalyze community, government, and other institutions to dismantle structural racial inequity and create equitable outcomes for all. We craft and apply strategies and tools to transform our nation’s policies, practices, and institutions, in order to achieve racial equity.

The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank created in 1986 to include the needs of low- and middle-income workers in economic policy discussions. EPI believes every working person deserves a good job with fair pay, affordable health care, and retirement security. To achieve this goal, EPI conducts research and analysis on the economic status of working America. EPI proposes public policies that protect and improve the economic conditions of low- and middle-income workers and assesses policies with respect to how they affect those workers.

The Equal Justice Society aims to transform the nation’s consciousness on race through law, social science, and the arts. Its legal strategy aims to broaden conceptions of present-day discrimination to include unconscious and structural bias by using social science, structural analysis, and real-life experience. Currently, EJS targets its advocacy efforts on school discipline, special education, and the school-to-prison pipeline, race-conscious remedies, and inequities in the criminal justice system. The Oakland, Calif.-based nonprofit also engages the arts and artists in creating work and performances that allow wider audiences to understand social justice issues and struggles.

Green For All works to build an inclusive green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty. Its goal is to make sure people of color and working families have a place and a voice in the climate movement. That neighborhoods are strong, resilient, and healthy. That as the clean energy economy grows, it brings jobs and opportunity to all communities. Neighborhood activists. National organizations. Hip Hop Artists. Clergy. Elected officials. Business leaders and civil rights advocates. Green For All works with the best and brightest in America to fight for a healthy environment and strong communities.

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. that creates ideas to improve the socioeconomic status and civic engagement of African Americans. Founded in 1970 to support newly-elected Black officials who were moving from civil rights activism into governance, the Joint Center quickly evolved into America’s Black think tank. It became the policy hub of government officials and public intellectuals concerned about the future of African American communities, such as Maynard Jackson, Shirley Chisholm, John Hope Franklin, Mary Frances Berry, and William Julius Wilson.

The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES) serves as a comprehensive resource for issues related to gender and race in amateur, collegiate and professional sports. The Institute researches and publishes a variety of studies, including annual studies of student-athlete graduation rates and racial attitudes in sports, as well as the internationally recognized Racial and Gender Report Card, an assessment of hiring practices in coaching and sport management in professional and college sport. The Institute also monitors some of the critical ethical issues in college and professional sport, including the potential for exploitation of student-athletes, gambling, performance-enhancing drugs and violence in sport.

The mission of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is to secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons.

The National Association of Black Social Workers, Inc., comprised of people of African ancestry, is committed to enhancing the quality of life and empowering people of African ancestry through advocacy, human services delivery, and research.

The National Black Women’s Justice Institute (NBWJI) works to reduce racial and gender disparities across the justice continuum affecting Black women, girls, and their families, by conducting research, providing technical assistance, engaging in public education, promoting civic engagement, and advocating for informed and effective policies. NBWJI works independently and in collaboration with a number of universities and organizations to improve outcomes for women and girls impacted by criminalization and economic marginalization.

The National Coalition on Black Civic Participation is a 501 (c) 3 non-partisan civic engagement organization that strives to cultivate institutional base-building capacity and intergenerational leadership models at the local, state and national levels. NCBCP is committed to nurturing a climate where new thinking, innovative and traditional strategies of empowerment are respected and freely expressed; and strategic partnerships and alliances are welcomed. By educating, motivating, organizing and mobilizing our communities, the NCBCP seeks to encourage full participation in a barrier-free democratic process. Through technology, educational programs and civic leadership training, the Coalition works to expand, strengthen and empower Black communities to make voting and civic participation a cultural responsibility and tradition.

The National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) is a non-profit organization founded in 1935 with the mission to advance the opportunities and the quality of life for African American women, their families, and communities.

NCCD promotes just and equitable social systems for individuals, families, and communities through research, public policy, and practice. It conducts research and data analyses that help jurisdictions reform their policies and services. It develops and supports web applications that assist caseworkers and agencies. It provides training and technical assistance to service providers to help them make consistent, equitable, and just decisions that lead to beneficial actions for vulnerable individuals.

The National Equity Project's mission is to dramatically improve educational experiences, outcomes, and life options for students and families who have been historically underserved by their schools and districts. It works to build culture, conditions, and competencies for excellence and equity in districts, schools, classrooms, nonprofits, and communities. It works with partners across the U.S. and is always seeking new partners who are committed to achieving equity in education. It offers deep, authentic, and supportive partnership, meeting its clients where they are through a range of customized coaching and consulting services.