BLACK COLLEGE ENROLLMENTS 2023-2024, BEFORE & AFTER U.S. SUPREME COURT ENDS AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN HIGHER EDUCATION | In June 2023 the Supreme court effectively ended affirmative action in college admissions, ruling that race-conscious admissions policies at Harvard and the University of North Carolina violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The decision reverses decades of legal precedent and within the first year led to a dramatic drop in Black student enrollments in higher education. The infographic shows the acute decline in Black and African American enrollments within a sample of nearly 60 schools categorized by their admissions rates in red, white and blue. These lines of demarcation cut across the backdrop of the 1963, “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom” in which Martin Luther King gave his iconic “I have a Dream” speech. In the image we see the image of the march and dream being redacted along the lines of declining enrollment. The steepest declines are elite schools such as Harvard, MIT and Yale which just a year previously ranked amongst the highest percentages of Black college student enrollments.

BLACK TEACHERS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS BY MINORITY STUDENT POPULATION | Across classrooms, schools and communities American students are far more diverse than their teachers. Some 79 percent of U.S. teachers are white compared to 44 percent of students. Studies have shown Black students academic and life outcomes are better when they have a same-race teacher. In fact, some research has shown that being assigned a Black teacher produced better outcomes for students of every race, compared to being assigned a white teacher. The infographic updates two of Du Bois’s original works that focus on populations of Black students and teachers in public schools. In our time, the study of these demographics have deepened beyond the count and have reached into the qualitative aspects of learning exposing fundamental bias in hiring Black teachers and the effects that may have on young learners. The image appropriates the curious ladder like form in the Du Bois entitled, “Illiteracy” which shows a reduction in the percentage of Black illiteracy over time after Emancipation. As basic literacy in the Black community is less severe Villalongo and Ramani propose a question about challenges to thriving for Black communities. At the same time the infographic shows how many black teachers their are, while exposing the challenges they face.

BLACK CHILDREN ENROLLED IN PUBLIC, CHARTER AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS | This infographic updates Du Bois’s original “Negro Children Enrolled in the Public Schools”. The dawn of Public Schools in the U.S. may have been the only success story of post-Emancipation “Reconstruction”. Du Bois’s original shows a beacon of hope as young Black learners increase significantly over the course of a few decades. The Public School system became the face of arguments over desegregation in the 60s. Today, Public Schools remain the place where the majority of young people of all races receive K-12 education, but in recent decades enrollments are trending down. Many factors account for this. Today Public Schools are the most segregated they have ever been since the Brown vs. Board of Education decision. Challenges in allocating enough funding to public schools and increased competition for those funds with Charter Schools are having a huge impact. For Black families of means, Private Schools are an increasing option to secure a competitive future for their children. However, the rise of Charter Schools is the biggest factor for declining Public School enrollments. Particularly, in cities where Charter Schools are expanding.

VISUALIZANDO LA AFRODIGNIDAD: DISTRIBUTION OF SKIN TONES IN TEXT BOOKS COMPARED TO PUERTO RICANS | Isar P. Godreau and Mariluz Franco-Ortiz utilize a color scale to compare skin color representation in Puerto Rico to depictions of skin tones in the island’s elementary school textbooks. They utilize the Jose Caraballo-Cueto and Isar P. Godreau color scale study which makes a compelling argument that the ethno-racial categories provided by the U.S. Census are not representative of how Puerto Ricans see themselves and are inadequate to assess the impact of racial inequalities. When applied to a range of socio-economic characteristics the scale exposes the systemic colorism that has a disproportionate effect on those who are darker-skinned in puerto rico. The Godreau and Franco-Ortiz study entitled, “Examinando Los Libros de Textos de Estudios Sociales en Escuela Elemental en Puerto Rico para la Equidad Racial (2022-2025) is depicted with an illustration of Puerto Rico next to a school girl. Following the gradient reveals the Island sees itself significantly more diverse compared to its representation in elementary books. This brings into focus how early systemic colorism begins to operate in a child’s life.

JUSTICE OREGON FOR BLACK LIVES: CHANGE MAKERS IN BLACK COMMUNITIES | Oregon and its capital city Portland have reached national fame for their incredibly low Black populations. Even as systemic racism touches all aspects of life in the 21st Century, this fact still stands out. Historically, this was not always the case. Portland and Oregon like many northern states and cities became a destination for Black migration after Emancipation. Portland, in particular, has a history of thriving Black businesses and communities. Over the course of the 20th Century this would go into a decline of historic proportions. Many factors began to make the state inhospitable to Black families such as Oregon’s “sundown towns”, which some feel remain in subtle ways. The development of Interstate 5 and other large development projects in Portland would claim eminent domain over large portions of Black neighborhoods displacing families and whole communities. Instead of presenting this well known fact as an infographic we chose to inquire about stories of growth and building. After nationwide protests of George Floyd’s murder and the emergence of the Black Lives Matter Movement many cities, states and institutions began evaluating their role in historical anti-Blackness. Albeit underreported, some business leaders and community organizations around the country have been standing up, investing and finding ways big and small to address historical discrimination of Black communities. his infographic highlights local organizations partnering with even smaller orgs to advocate for and develop much needed resources for Oregon’s existing Black communities. Their efforts were emboldened by the “Justice Oregon for Black Lives” initiative created by Meyer Memorial Trust in Portland, OR. The initiative is a $25 million investment and is the largest initiative in the organization’s history. The image shows these collaboratives amongst the stars. It suggest satellites or beacons working to build back Oregon's Black communities.