Racial Justice

Woodcut print of a family in the 1800s.

America as it actually was

“Teaching Independence: Bridging the Communications Gap,” took an in-depth look at the challenges of teaching the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution, and the nation’s founding in the current political climate.

From Penn GSE ・

Side-by-side portraits of two smiling women

35th annual Women of Color at Penn award

The Women of Color at Penn held their 35th annual award ceremony with a virtual celebration hosted by the African American Resource Center. This year’s awards honored six women who have fostered and supported community.

Kristina García ・

Group of people wearing masks at a vigil in Philadelphia.

Viewing 2021 through a lens

Photojournalist Kylie Cooper’s annotated photo essay about the liminality of 2021 captured the Capitol insurrection, the Ground Zero commemoration of the 20th anniversary of 9/11, and more.

From Annenberg School for Communication ・

TV camera in front of a crowd of people.

Racial justice protests influenced local news reporting

A new Media, Inequality, and Change Center report finds that news coverage of policing did become more inclusive and less dehumanizing, but was still heavily slanted toward a police perspective.

From Annenberg School for Communication ・



In the News


Philadelphia Inquirer

Philly hospitals and key insurers plan novel effort with the city to improve health equity

Raina Merchant of the Perelman School of Medicine spoke about Accelerate Health Equity, a public health coalition aiming to improve racial equity in health care in Philadelphia.

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WHYY (Philadelphia)

Advocates urge action on bill to establish Asian American and Pacific Islander curriculum in N.J. schools

Jessica Kim, a doctoral student in the School of Social Policy & Practice, is organizing a demonstration in support of a bill to require New Jersey schools to teach students about the history and contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the U.S. “Education is critical,” she said.

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WHYY (Philadelphia)

Yelp reviews may provide key insights into patient experiences with racism

Jason Tong and Anietie Andy of the Perelman School of Medicine studied Yelp reviews of hospitals to better understand racial disparities in health care. “Racism within health care can be pervasive and can occur in a variety of both clinical and nonclinical spaces,” said Tong. “Hopefully [we] can create a composite metric of racism that can be used for targeted quality improvement initiatives for hospitals.”

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Philadelphia Inquirer

Yelp reviews could help hospitals target racism, Penn study finds

Perelman School of Medicine researchers found that online reviews of hospitals could help evaluate patients’ experiences with racism. “It’s powerful because it’s anonymous—it reduces the fear of reporting, it’s familiar, and it’s open-ended,” general surgery resident Jason Tong said. “It allows consumers to comment on what matters to them.”

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Times Higher Education

US medical schools found to be falling short on equity promises

In an analysis of inequality in medical education, Penn experts, including UPHS CEO Kevin Mahoney, said, “courage is needed to move forward. This courage, though, is most needed from leaders and colleagues in positions of privilege.”

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Philadelphia Inquirer

Decades of Penn research shows how structural racism affects Black children with type 1 diabetes

Research co-authored by Terri Lipman of the School of Nursing and Colin Hawkes of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia found that disproportionately poor health outcomes for Black children with Type 1 diabetes are predominately caused by structural racism. “There’s certainly an element of blame, when it’s proposed that patients need to be better or behaviors need to change,” she said. “The focus needs to be on the health care team.”

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