By Deborah Bailey,
Contributing Editor
You would expect higher income and education levels to relate to longer life spans for Black people in America.
You might have even assumed correctly that communities with higher levels of Black home ownership and Black business ownership resulted in places where Black people enjoy lives well into their senior years.
But would you have imagined that being born in a country other than the United States is the most important predictor for life expectancy among Black people? Aside from income, a college degree, or whether you buy or rent, simply being born Black in America significantly impacts life expectancy.
Still shocked? I wouldn’t have predicted that either.
This is an example of the complex information now available to the public through the Black Progress Index, a new research tool that developers at the Brookings Institute say examines the “social factors that influence Black Well Being.”
The Black Progress Index is the first of several tools developed from a new collaboration between the NAACP and the Brookings Institute, one of the nation’s foremost research institutions. The Black Progress Index examines the Black community’s assets and opportunities in health, business, housing, employment, and education.
The partnership between the NAACP and Brookings Institution will create a series of projects to “address the deep-rooted ills that have plagued our nation for far too long,” said Derrick Johnson, CEO and president of the NAACP.
The distinction between the Black Progress Index (BPI) rests in the report’s emphasis on the strengths within the nation’s many diverse Black communities. It also recognizes that everyone from community organizers to public officials need current reliable data to make decisions that advance Black communities.
Research stemming from this interactive data tool, focuses on areas where the Black community thrives with respect to health, business, housing, employment and education rather than community deficits, too often created out of racism’s devaluation of Black life, according to the report.
“The primary goal of this tool is to empower local leaders with information to excite civic action,” said Brookings Metro Senior Fellow Andre M. Perry, who leads research products produced by the partnership.
“Data and research must be at the core of any strategy designed to make an impact. It is foundational and necessary for success in civic engagement,” Johnson added.
Each year, the NAACP and Brookings Institute will present A Black Assets Index, a co-branded research report and publicly accessible dashboard, released annually at the NAACP national convention and produced by Brookings Metro Senior Fellow Andre Perry and his team.
“Truth is the twin sister of justice,” said Perry. “From issues of student debt cancellation and taxation, to healthcare and economic development, we will generate data that will inform important policy decisions,” he said of the report’s value to policy-makers, advocates, community members and funders. The Brookings Metro Division will house the work of the Brookings and NAACP collaborative. Other work of the collaborative includes. The new interactive Black Progress Index can be viewed here: https://www.brookings.edu/interactives/black-progress-index/
Help us Continue to tell OUR Story and join the AFRO family as a member – subscribers are now members! Join here!