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Minoritized communities have long engaged in collective resistance against racism and other forms of injustice in schools. In this article, we highlight the discursive strategies of one such case o...

Student debt in the United States has had a disproportionate negative impact on black and Latinx borrowers. We argue that analyses of plans proposing student debt cancellation should therefore foreground their potential impact on racial equity. To do so, we use data from the 2019 Survey of Consumer Finances and model the impact of debt cancellation on four key policy outcomes (reach, impact on the most vulnerable borrowers, borrower wealth gains, and impact on racial wealth gaps). We examine universal policy designs as well as designs that incorporate an income eligibility threshold as a means of targeting benefits toward less affluent borrowers. We find that cancellation amounts ranging from $50,000 to $75,000 yield the most desirable outcomes, especially when paired with a relatively low household income eligibility cutoff at between $100,000 and $150,000. Such policies would cancel roughly half of all outstanding student debt without substantially expanding the racial wealth gap, while still reaching a large majority of borrowers and leading to substantial wealth gains, especially for black households.

What exactly is a “racial health disparity”? This article explores five lenses that have been used to answer that question. It contends that racial health disparities have been presented—by researchers both within academia and outside of it—as problems of five varieties: biology, behavior, place, stress, and policy. It also argues that a sixth tradition exploring class—and its connection to race, racism, and health—has been underdeveloped. The author examines each of these conceptions of racial disparities in turn. Baked into each interpretive prism is a set of assumptions about the mechanisms that produce disparities—a story, in other words, about where racial health disparities come from. Discursive boundaries set the parameters for policy debate, determining what is and is not included in proposed solutions. How one sees racial health disparities, then, influences the strategies a society advocates—or ignores—for their elimination. The author ends by briefly discussing problems in the larger research ecosystem that dictate how racial health disparities are studied.

Background A failure to ensure racial equity in response to the COVID-19 pandemic has caused Black communities in Canada to disproportionately be impacted. The aim of the current study was to determine the needs and concerns of Black communities in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and to highlight the importance of collecting race-based COVID-19 data early on to address these needs. Methods Six qualitative interviews were conducted with local community health centre leaders who serve a high population of racialized communities within the GTA. Content analysis was used to extract the main themes and concerns raised during the interviews. Results The findings from this study provide further evidence of the disproportionate impact COVID-19 has had on Black and other racialized communities. Difficulty self-isolating due to overcrowded housing, food insecurity, and less social support for seniors were concerns identified by community health leaders. Also, enhanced financial support for front-line workers, such as Personal Support Workers (PSWs), was an important concern raised. In order to lessen the impact of the pandemic on these communities, leaders noted the need for greater accessibility of testing centres in these areas and a greater investment in tailored health promotion approaches. Conclusions Overall, our findings point to the importance of collecting race-based data to ensure an equitable response to the pandemic. The current “one size fits all” response is not effective for all individuals, especially Black communities. Not all populations have access to the same resources, nor do they live in the same conditions (Kantamneni, J Vocal Behav 119:103439, 2020). A deeper consideration of the social determinants of health are needed when implementing COVID-19 policies and responses. Also, a lack of attention to Black communities only continues to perpetuate the under-acknowledged issue of anti-Black racism prevalent in Canada.

Influenza and pneumonia account for substantial morbidity in the United States and show a demonstrated racial inequity. Detailed race-specific analysis at the city level can be used to guide targeted prevention efforts within the most at-risk communities. The purpose of this study is to analyze city-level data of influenza/pneumonia mortality rates and racial disparities across the 30 biggest U.S. cities over time. We assess racial inequities in influenza/pneumonia mortality in the 30 biggest cities and compare city-level trends overtime through age-adjusted overall and race-specific mortality rates calculated from public death records for the years 2008–2017. The national influenza/pneumonia mortality rate significantly decreased as did 45% of the cities included in the study. Nationally, the Black mortality rate was 16% higher than White mortality rate, and a significant disparity was seen within about one-third of the biggest cities. Over half (56%) of the cities showed reductions in both Black and White mortality; however, there was no overall trend in racial equity with some cities reducing the inequities between the Blacks and Whites and others increasing the inequities. Elevated mortality rates in communities of color can be traced to structural racism, social factors, and access to treatment and prevention services. We recommend an approach utilizing community outreach administered through localized public health organizations and supported by data at the city level.

Racial equity which, at minimum, is defined as the state in which health, social, and economic outcomes are no longer predicted by race has become a critical issue for social workers who work with and advocate for the rights of marginalized communities. Despite its importance, it remains to be seen if field instructors and the agencies they work for understand racial equity as a human rights issue. Through an anonymous survey, we assessed field instructor's racial equity awareness, knowledge, and understanding and examined actions agencies have taken to address and advance racial equity. It was hypothesized that field instructors who view racial equity as a human right would report promoting and advancing these important concepts with their students and organizations. A total of 170 field instructors accessed the survey through an emailed link in this exploratory effort. Descriptive analyses found that field instructors believe that racial equity is a significant human rights issue and that their agency's culture views racial equity as important; however, issues with time, resources, funding, and expertise to promote racial equity initiatives create obstacles to bring about change. The discussion emphasizes the importance of building capacity among field educators to address racial equity through a human rights lens, which is integral to advancing the collective social work goals of social justice and dismantling systemic oppression.

This study examined the relationships between school-level school climate and race differences in student grades, accounting for school sociodemographic composition. We found that schools with more positive school climates had smaller race differences in student self-reported grades. The moderating effect of school climate remained after accounting for the sociodemographic composition of the school and students’ own perceptions of climate at their school. This moderating effect was confounded by school grade band (i.e., elementary, middle, or high) since perception of positive school climate was lower in middle and high schools than in elementary schools. Despite the difficulty of disentangling school climate from grade band, the findings suggest school improvement strategies focused on school climate may promote racial equity in academic outcomes. School practitioners’ efforts to improve the school climate may also contribute to racial equity in academics.

The spring of 2020 represented a watershed-moment-in-the-making, as broad, inclusive discussions on how to best cultivate discursive and policy mechanisms towards racial equity presaged a reckoning...

This case study follows a district racial equity initiative from policy formulation through implementation, and finally to the review of a high school discipline measure. The initiative had a consistent theme of addressing implicit bias. However, over time, district equity champions expanded the definition of implicit bias beyond its conventional meaning of subconscious prejudices and perceptions that may influence action. These champions came to identify policies, practices, and curriculum that presumed and privileged underlying White norms, and were thus implicitly biased. Hence, implicit bias became evident in powerful structural racism across the school system.

This article assesses (a) the extent to which state landlord–tenant legislation may influence local evictions and (b) whether those laws may influence eviction-related outcomes within communities o...

Multicultural behavior analysts must stand together to address the issues of systemic racism collectively, show solidarity, and support Black lives. This article discusses the role of culturally and linguistically diverse behavior analysts, the mechanisms underlying barriers to showing solidarity, and the mechanisms required for cultural evolution to promote a compassionate and nurturing approach to racial equity. It is critical that non-Black people of color actively participate in antiracist advocacy to express solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.

Vast health inequities persist in cities across the United States. Although recommendations exist to guide governmental public health institutions seeking to advance population health equity, local contexts are likely to influence how these pursuits take shape. We review recommendations for pursuing equity that were developed from an environmental scan conducted in the city of New Orleans. The recommendations, which are based on perspectives provided by city and state public health leaders, leaders from other city governmental departments, and community-based health department partners, center around the enduring impact of systemic racism, working across sectors, and prioritizing community engagement.

This article theorises and historically contextualises the racialised experiences of a Black male who has attempted to do racial equity work with white teachers in a suburban Minnesota school distr...

In ShortLegal decisions have changed affirmative action policy in ways that sidestep attention to race by requiring a focus on diversity and providing a rationale that encourages universities not t...

In ShortDerrick Bell called for a White leader able to free White people of racism; this article expands on Bell’s idea.Whiteness will always resist the undoing of itself; thus, feelings of guilt, ...

In ShortThe case for racial equity in higher education cannot be made in isolation from the communities in which our institutions reside.Building a racial equity ecosystem will lead to challenges, ...

In the context of ongoing antagonism on college campuses, attacks on Critical Race Theory, and widespread backlash against racial justice initiatives, this paper underscores the growing need to recognize co-optation and other counterinsurgent strategies used against racial justice to make room for transformative scholarship. By presenting qualitative interviews from 15 white HBCU students, we illustrate how diversity research, advocacy, and organizing previously used to advocate for racial justice has instead constructed distorted understandings of race and racism and has been used to expand ideologies of whiteness. The findings show what CRT scholars have cautioned about for decades—when left uninterrupted, ahistorical approaches to racial diversity programming and research may lend to the co-optation of justice-focused diversity language and the appropriation of BIPOC strategies of resistance. This not only inhibits and detracts from racial justice work, but can function to expand white supremacy. We relate these narratives to an emerging racial backlash whereby white people attempt to distort understandings of structural racism to claim a “persecuted” status—a delusion that we argue warrants a new ideological frame. We posit this work lays the foundation for advancing equity in one of the most counterinsurgent eras in higher education (Matias &amp, Newlove, 2017).

Educators have shown reluctance to implement interventions aimed at improving racial equity in school disciplinary practice. Mixed methods were applied to assess and improve the acceptability of a new intervention designed to reduce racial disparities in school discipline. A descriptive concurrent parallel design was used to assess U.S. educators’ perceptions of the acceptability of the intervention. Quantitative findings from professional development workshops introducing the intervention to 118 educators were corroborated with qualitative findings from a separate sample of 4 teachers who implemented it in their classrooms. Quantitative findings indicated that the intervention was acceptable to a broad range of potential implementers, and qualitative findings were used to modify the intervention to further improve its utility. The strengths, limitations, and implications of embedding mixed methods approaches to assess school-based interventions are also discussed.

It has been 47 years since Billingsley and Giovannoni penned a pointed analysis of child welfare’s failure of Black children the United States. This conceptual paper asserts that this failu...

Police–community relations are strained in the United States, especially along racial lines. This paper assesses community perceptions of crime and the police before and after the implementation of...

Introduction: In the wake of George Floyd’s murder, White faculty in our department began to express the desire to gain a greater understanding of structural racism and racial inequity. To facilitate this learning, support allyship, and mitigate the emotional labor and taxation that frequently falls on faculty of color to respond to these appeals, we developed AWARE (Allies Welcomed to Advance Racial Equity), a faculty seminar series primarily designed for and led by a majority White faculty to tackle the topics of structural racism, Whiteness, and Anti-racist action. Methods: We developed a 6-session seminar series, identifying 5 White faculty as lecturers and a cadre of Black and White volunteer facilitators, to lead 60-minute sessions comprised of lecture, facilitated small group reflection, and large group sharing, that reviewed key topics/texts on structural racism, Whiteness, and Anti-racism. Results: Attendance ranged from 26 to 37 participants at each session. About 80% of faculty participated in at least 1 session of the program. The majority of participants (85%) felt “more empowered to influence their current environment to be more inclusive of others” and were “better equipped to advocate for themselves or others.” Most (81%) felt “more connected to their colleagues following completion of the program.” Ultimately, faculty thought highly of the program upon completion with 26/27 (96%) stating they would recommend the program to a colleague. Discussion: We offer a reproducible model to improve departmental climate by engaging in the shared labor of educating our colleagues and communities about structural racism, Whiteness, and Anti-racism to create a point of entry into reflection, dialogue, and deliberate actions for change.

Josh Seldess provides an honest look at hiring practices in schools through an equity lens, suggesting that schools have a moral obligation to hire and retain a racially diverse workforce. He offers five key concepts towards deepening racial consciousness around your school’s hiring practices that support the broader work of systemic racial equity transformation in schools. Seldess argues that making sure we have racially conscious educators, and effective processes for hiring them, is one small, but important, step toward institutional racial equity transformation.

Guided by a 5-year strategic plan, the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine’s (STFM’s) new antiracism initiative seeks to advance racial equity and reduce the prevalence of racism in academic family medicine. This initiative was developed in alignment with the STFM policy against

Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election largely due to support from White Americans. This win created a new sociopolitical reality in which White Americans as a group became associated with Trump and his anti-egalitarianism. Four studies ( N = 3,245) explored how liberal-leaning White Americans negotiate their racial identity to contend with group-image threat arising from the association between their racial ingroup and Trump. Trump-related group-image threat (i.e., White Americans’ support for Trump’s anti-egalitarianism or his continuation in office) led liberal-leaning White Americans to disidentify from their racial ingroup. In turn, racial disidentification predicted greater signaling of egalitarian beliefs (i.e., expressing intentions to advocate for racial equity and supporting policies designed to benefit racially minoritized groups) and behaviors (i.e., donating money to racial equity-focused organizations). These results suggest that the process of negotiating Trump-related group-image threat has implications for both White Americans’ racial identities and ongoing efforts to achieve racial equity.

Background Racial inequities in mortality and readmission for heart failure (HF) are well documented. Inequitable access to specialized cardiology care during admissions may contribute to inequity, and the drivers of this inequity are poorly understood. Methodology This prospective observational study explored proposed drivers of racial inequities in cardiology admissions among Black, Latinx, and white adults presenting to the emergency department (ED) with symptoms of HF. Surveys of ED providers examined perceptions of patient self-advocacy, outreach to other clinicians (e.g., outpatient cardiologist), diagnostic uncertainty, and other active co-morbid conditions. Service census, bed availability, prior admission service, and other structural factors were explored through the electronic medical record. Results Complete data were available for 61/135 patients admitted with HF during the study period, which halted early due to coronavirus disease 2019. No significant differences emerged in admission to cardiology versus medicine based on age, sex, insurance status, education level, or perceived race/ethnicity. White patients were perceived as advocating for admission to cardiology more frequently (18.9 vs. 5.6%) and more strenuously than Black patients (p = 0.097). ED clinicians more often reported having spoken with the patient's outpatient cardiologist for whites than for Black or Latinx patients (24.3 vs. 16.7%, p = 0.069). Conclusions Theorized drivers of racial inequities in admission service did not reach statistical significance, possibly due to underpowering, the Hawthorne effect, or clinician behavior change based on knowledge of previously identified inequities. The observed trend towards racial differences in coordination of care between ED and outpatient providers, as well as in either actual or perceived self-advocacy by patients, may be as-yet undemonstrated components of structural racism driving HF care inequities.

Despite efforts to advance diversity, postsecondary institutions globally have found themselves in the midst of campus protests. Central to increased activism is the failure of postsecondary institutions to create decolonised spaces both in and out of the classroom where minoritised students can engage in learning that suggest their lives and lived experiences really matter. This chapter presents a conceptual framing for decolonised academic spaces that move beyond diversity to promote racial equity and inclusion. We address four guiding concepts: (1) decolonising the mind through ways of knowing and knowledge construction; (2) decolonising pedagogy; (3) decolonising structures, policies and practices; and (4) reimagining the academy from a decolonised lens. Thereafter, we discuss what these may look like in praxis and the implications on decolonising academic spaces.

There have long been concerns regarding racial disproportionality in the U.S. child welfare system: Black children are represented in foster care systems at levels much higher than their numbers in the overall population. Calls for reform have grown louder in recent months, as the nationwide push to re-examine structural racism in institutions has reached the child welfare system. An increasingly popular reform seeks to reduce disproportionality by eliminating perceived implicit biases in the decisions of child welfare workers. This program, known as "blind removals," works off of the following premise: if demographic information is unknown to professionals deciding whether or not to remove a child, then implicit biases will not impact foster care placement decisions. We conduct the first quantitative analysis of blind removals and derive two main findings. First, we show that the over-representation of Black children in most foster care systems is almost entirely driven by the fact that Black children are roughly two times more likely than White children to be investigated for child maltreatment to begin with. Conditional on initial rates of investigation, investigators remove White and Black children at similar rates. Specifically, we calculate that equalizing the removal probabilities of White and Black children would only reduce overall disproportionality by 4.5 percent. Thus, policies that target racial disparities in the removal decision have limited scope for impacting racial disproportionality in most foster care systems. Second, we find no evidence that blind removals had any effect on the already small racial disparities in the removal decision but they substantially increased time to removal. These findings yield an important insight for the multiple states and local child welfare agencies currently considering implementation of blind removals: the policy is not well-suited to reduce racial disproportionality in most foster care systems.

Racial disproportionality and disparities have been observed in the child welfare system for nearly 50 years, yet persist as unresolved problems. Although progress has been made, attention to disproportionality and disparities has decreased in recent years and what has been observed as a problem for decades is now viewed by some as an acceptable status quo. This is due in large part to debates about the underlying causes of racial disproportionality, with some contending that this is caused largely by poverty and other risk factors external to child welfare systems, while others contend that issues of racial bias within child welfare systems lead to these persistent inequities. This debate has not only hindered efforts to address disproportionality, it has distracted from the real problem of racism that supports and maintains disproportionality, both within child welfare systems and within broader society. This chapter discusses how the understanding of disproportionality and disparities has evolved over time, and presents a framework for understanding disproportionality and disparities that focuses on racism as the overarching cause of these problems. This understanding of racism as the overarching cause of disproportionality and disparities is essential to focus our attention on the real problem we must address in our efforts to achieve racial equity in child welfare systems.

Dependency courts across the country have adopted a goal to reduce or eliminate racial disparities and disproportionality in child welfare. For some, this has meant the creation of a committee to regularly review disparity and disproportionality numbers. For others, it has meant reshaping dependency hearings and judicial practice in those hearings. And for some, it has meant working off-the-bench to convene and lead multidisciplinary collaborative teams to consider how race intersects with decisions to refer families to the dependency court, with decisions to remove children from their homes and with decisions to return children back to their parents. For juvenile dependency judges to make an impact on racial disparities and disproportionality, they will need to move beyond the bench and bring together stakeholders and communities to talk about how they understand, hold, and weigh the full ecology of every child and family that comes before them.

Racism is a most persistent, pervasive and pernicious driver of health disparities in the U.S. (Institute of Medicine Committee on Capitalizing on Social Science and Behavioral Research to Improve ...

Much of the pivotal debate concerning the validity of affirmative action is situated in a legal context of defending or challenging claims that there may be broad societal gains from increased diversity. Race-conscious affirmative action policies originally advanced legal sanctions to promote racial equity in the United States. Today, increasingly detached from its historical context, defense or rejection of affirmative action is otherwise upheld to achieve diversity. A “diversity” rationale for affirmative action calls for increasing tolerance of the “other,” reducing negative stereotypes, and moderating prejudice as goals—all objectives that deviate from the former aim of race-targeted inclusion intended to resolve racial discrimination in employment and college admissions. Diversity policy provides a tapered defense for affirmative action, one detached from principles of justice and equity. The current article suggests that, despite the fact that the ostensible benefits of “racial inclusion as diversity” may be the remaining legal prop for affirmative action in the U.S., there is a need to consider whether diversity intrinsically can engender the benefits that affirmative action policy seeks to provide.

This paper is about the shift in perception of the disadvantages of blacks in America and how segregation exacerbates this racial attitude. Both white and black Americans are affected by segregation. There are views suggesting that racism has ended. However, my analysis proves the opposite. Only the way it is expressed has changed. Raw data is utilized from the General Social Survey (GSS) between 1972 and 2006 to verify this change in perception. The analysis confirms that a majority of Americans still do not see discrimination as a reason for the disadvantages of blacks, and that segregation increases this view. This study aims to raise awareness so that civil and political leaders can take relevant steps to achieve racial equity. This paper closes with study limitations and suggestions.

Although problem identification and understanding the root causes of racism in its many forms is important, this yearbook identifies institutional structures, processes, and practices that are critical in working towards racial equity across the educational pipeline, with each chapter offering foundational perspectives for doing so. We need scholarship that identifies how and why racism in education is still a problem, as it is the first step towards developing solutions to address these inequities. Even so, more research is needed that goes beyond just identifying the problem of racism and moves forward with systemic action toward rectifying it. As such, the chapters in this yearbook give clear, well-defined recommendations for what institutional change is necessary to make solutions for racial equity a reality. Racial equity is a systemic outlook that ensures racially diverse perspectives are equally embedded in institutional culture, structures, and policies. Finally, the authors in each chapter emphasize that doing racial equity work is not a one-time initiative, but systemic, ongoing, and a goal that is nonnegotiable.

To achieve racial equity in education not only do individuals’ mindsets need to be shifted to a more anti-racist ideology, but the institutions in which they work need to make profound anti-racist changes as well. Therefore, we revisit two sets of literature, research on anti-racism and organizational change, to explore what actions and leadership attributes could foster actual institutional change for racial equity. However, we do acknowledge the limitations of each body of research. Anti-racism research is more so ideological and theoretical and does not operationalize specifically how to take action against racism, and the organizational change research largely overlooks equity discussions, especially race. Yet, when combined, the two sets of research offer a more actionable framework for educational leaders. Thus, we merge key concepts from anti-racism and the organizational change literature to present a conceptual framework that leaders in both PK–12 and higher education institutions can use to be accountable for facilitating broad level systemic anti-racist change.

An increasing number of foundations are embracing racial equity/equity as a core value, and it is influencing how they see themselves and operate. However, evaluation has for the most part remained untouched. Knowing how race/racism has influenced both, philanthropy and evaluation, deepens our understanding of how philanthropic evaluation practice may unintentionally reinforce racism. Equitable evaluation shifts the current evaluation paradigm to one that centers equity/racial equity, so that it is more aligned with the values and intentions of current day philanthropic endeavors.

Despite the achievement of key civil rights milestones as well as growing public awareness and concern, educational inequities for students of color and other historically marginalized students con...

The purpose of this issue of the Peabody Journal of Education is to revisit interest-convergence theory and explore new strategies for pursuing racial equity and justice in education. This issue co...

In view of rapidly growing criticism of western police forces, the perceptions of 156 Canadian municipal officers were examined in this quantitative study to determine their views on the state of culturally- and gender-competent practice. Respondents also completed a measure of authoritarianism and three indices of empathy. Regression analyses showed female officers to be less positive in their appraisals than men, especially in how well female officers are treated. Authoritarianism emerged as the sole psychological predictor and then only on the racial equity variable. Discussion focuses on the extent to which findings can be considered in broader discussions of reform.

As museum educators move forward to promote racial and cultural equity in the field, it will be critical to consult those who have been doing this work to learn from their experiences. In this discussion, Radiah Harper and Keonna Hendrick reflect on Ms. Harper’s experience advocating for racial and cultural inclusion in museum education, while considering the tools museum educators will need to employ to make immediate and long-term changes in their practice and institutions to support anti-racist work.

Desde 2005 hay un nuevo enfoque en la politica del gobierno uruguayo sobre la situacion de desigualdad y racismo del colectivo afrouruguayo. El gobierno creo secretarias especificas para atender cuestiones relacionadas con los afrodescendientes. Denominadas “mecanismos de equidad racial”, se encargan de coordinar y promover politicas publicas de acciones afirmativas para afrodescendientes a nivel nacional o departamental. En este trabajo se presentan resultados de investigacion sobre estos mecanismos utilizando entrevistas, grupos de discusion y analisis documental. Palabras clave : Afrodescendencia, desigualdad, Estado, politicas publicas. Abstract Since 2005 there has been a new approach in the Uruguayan government’s political in terms of inequality and racism towards Uruguayan Afro-descendants. The government created specific secretariats to deal with matters related to Afro-descendants. These secretariats were called “mecanismos de equidad racial (MER)” [Racial Equality Mechanisms], in charge of the coordination and promotion of affirmative action public policies for Afro-descendants, at departmental or national level. This work presents the results of research related to MERs, from interviews, discussion groups, and documentary analysis. Keywords : Afro-descendant, inequality, government, public policy

This chapter provides an overview of a few real-life examples of inclusive urban development. It begins with a short introduction to various global rankings of inclusive cities, which show that especially liberal and progressive cities in Europe perform well in this regard. This is followed by descriptions of four cities, of which Helsinki and Barcelona are located in Europe, and Portland and Pittsburgh in North America. They all have their specific concerns in terms of the types of exclusion addressed in their policies. Helsinki is an instance of a Nordic welfare society, the Barcelona Model reflects the rise of civic networks and movements, progressive Portland strives for racial equity, and Pittsburgh focuses on restructuration through inclusive innovation.

This American Educator Panels Data Note provides insights into principals' perceptions of the supports available for helping students with disabilities. These supports are district leadership support, materials and tools, staff with specific expertise within or outside their school, and training and information.

One of the stated purposes of this Special Issue is to &ldquo, discuss when and why intelligence has disappeared&rdquo, in education. In this paper, I argue that intelligence is still heavily involved in public education in the United States due to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Moreover, due to several factors, including high-profile court cases, intelligence tests are legally used in an inconsistent manner in special education decision-making throughout the U.S. These cases illustrate the complex issues surrounding the psychometric properties of intelligence tests, historical conflicts surrounding racial equity, differences in federal versus state policies, and methodological concerns surrounding special education policies are discussed.

BACKGROUND Great efforts are currently being made toward improving gender and racial equity in orthopaedic surgery in the United States. Nonetheless, no research has reported on whether these efforts have increased representation of women and underrepresented minorities in leadership roles in orthopaedic surgery societies. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES Are women proportionally represented in the leadership of regional orthopaedic societies in the United States? METHODS The latest version of the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons census data was evaluated to determine the numbers (and percentages) of women and men practicing orthopaedic surgery in the United States. We also queried data for regional orthopaedic societies members who held a position of leadership (four societies; n = 53) between 2012 and 2017. Collected data included gender, years of experience, and practice setting. A chi-square analysis was conducted to compare the percentage of women in leadership with the percentage of women in practice in each of four geographic regions (Western Orthopaedic Association [WOA]; Southern Orthopaedic Association [SOA]; Eastern Orthopaedic Association [EOA]; Mid-America Orthopaedic Association [MAOA]) to see if the representation of women was proportional to that of men. RESULTS With the numbers available, there was no difference in the observed-to-expected proportions between men and women in leadership in any of the regional societies we studied For the eastern region, there were 6% (392 of 6514) versus 0% (0 of 12; p = 0.591) of practicing women orthopaedic surgeons versus women orthopaedic surgeons holding positions in EOA leadership. For the Western region, there were 5% (304 of 5744) versus 7% (1 of 14; p = 0.836) practicing women orthopaedic surgeons versus women orthopaedic surgeons holding positions in WOA leadership. For the Midwest United States region, there were 6% (443 of 6937) versus 0% (0 of 15; p = 0.509) of practicing women orthopaedic surgeons versus women orthopaedic surgeons holding positions in MAOA leadership. For the Southern United States region, there were 4% (443 of 9601) versus 0% (0 of 13; p = 0.662) of practicing women orthopaedic surgeons versus women orthopaedic surgeons holding positions in SOA leadership. CONCLUSIONS We found that women were represented in leadership roles in the regional societies in the United States in proportion to their overall numbers. However, that overall number was small, and so the percentages of regional society leaders who were women were correspondingly small. CLINICAL RELEVANCE The low number of women orthopaedic surgeons holding leadership positions in regional societies are most likely a function of the low overall number of women orthopaedic surgeons, but focused efforts to change the status quo may increase the diversity of leadership in these societies.

Despite persistent disparities in maternity care outcomes, there are limited resources to guide clinical practice and clinician behavior to dismantle biased practices and beliefs, structural and institutional racism, and the policies that perpetuate racism. Focus groups and interviews were held in communities in the United States identified as having higher density of Black births. Focus group and interview themes and codes illuminated Black birthing individual’s experience with labor and delivery in the hospital setting. Using an iterative process to refine and incorporate qualitative themes, we created a framework in close collaboration with birth equity stakeholders. This is an actionable, cyclical framework for training on anti-racist maternity care. The Cycle to Respectful Care acknowledges the development and perpetuation of biased healthcare delivery, while providing a solution for dismantling healthcare providers’ socialization that results in biased and discriminatory care. The Cycle to Respectful Care is an actionable tool to liberate patients, by way of their healthcare providers, from biased practices and beliefs, structural and institutional racism, and the policies that perpetuate racism.