Guides: Systemic Racism: Statistical Sources

Statistical Snapshots and Demographic Analysis

Source: Gal, S, Kiertsz, A., Mark, M., Su, R., & Ward, M. (2020, July 8). 26 simple charts to show friends and family who aren't convinced racism is still a problem in America. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/us-systemic-racism-in-charts-graphs-data-2020-6

Source: Sawyer, W. (2020). For the lowest level offenses, Black and American Indian youth are confined at rates over 3 times the rate of white youth. Prison Policy Initiative. https://www.prisonpolicy.org/graphs/lowlevelyouthbyrace.html.

To see Wendy Sawyer's full article, go to Visualizing the Racial Disparities in Mass Incarceration. For more data visualizations, go to the Prison Policy Institute's Visuals page.

Source: Sawyer, W. (2020). Pretrial populations, disproportionately Black and Hispanic, have more than doubled over 15 years. Prison Policy Initiative. https://www.prisonpolicy.org/graphs/pretrialgrowthandbyrace.html.

To see Wendy Sawyer's full article, go to Visualizing the Racial Disparities in Mass Incarceration. For more data visualizations, go to the Prison Policy Institute's Visuals page.

Source: Sawyer, W. (2020). Among individuals who have any contact with police, people of color disproportionately experience the use of force. Prison Policy Initiative. https://www.prisonpolicy.org/graphs/useofforcebyrace.html.

To see Wendy Sawyer's full article, go to Visualizing the Racial Disparities in Mass Incarceration. For more data visualizations, go to the Prison Policy Institute's Visuals page.

Source: Sawyer, W. (2019). Racial disparities in LGBTQ youth homelessness and juvenile justice system confinement. Prison Policy Initiative. https://www.prisonpolicy.org/graphs/lgbtq_youth_2015.html.

To see Daiana Griffith's full article, go to LGBTQ Youth are at Greater Risk of Homelessness and Incarceration. For more data visualizations, go to the Prison Policy Institute's Visuals page.

Government and Statistical Sites

Bureau of Justice Statistics - Home
The missions of the BJS is to "collect, analyze, publish, and disseminate information on crime, criminal offenders, victims of crime, and the operation of justice systems at all levels of government. These data are critical to federal, state, and local policymakers in combating crime and ensuring that justice is both efficient and evenhanded." Relevant data available throughout the site.
Bureau of Prisons
" Our agency was established in 1930 to provide more progressive and humane care for federal inmates, to professionalize the prison service, and to ensure consistent and centralized administration of federal prisons." Relevant information available throughout the site.
Citizens Police Data Project
Collects and publishes information about police misconduct in Chicago.
Department of Justice - Civil Rights Division
"The Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, created in 1957 by the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1957, works to uphold the civil and constitutional rights of all Americans, particularly some of the most vulnerable members of our society. The Division enforces federal statutes prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, disability, religion, familial status and national origin."
Fatal Encounters
A step toward creating an impartial, comprehensive and searchable national database of people killed during interactions with police.
The Henry A. Wallace Police Crime Database
The Police Crime Database includes summary information on 11,932 criminal arrest cases from the years 2005-2015 involving 9,819 individual nonfederal sworn law enforcement officers, each of whom were charged with one or more crimes. The arrested officers were employed by 3,796 state, local, and special law enforcement agencies located in 1,577 counties and independent cities in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Human Rights Campaign: Violence Against the Transgender Community in 2019
HRC has been tracking reports of fatal anti-transgender violence from 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, and 2015.
Mapping Police Violence
"Mapping Police Violence is a research collaborative collecting comprehensive data on police killings nationwide to quantify the impact of police violence in communities."
National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)
The BJS National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) is the nation's primary source of information on criminal victimization.
National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS)
Frontline investigators, including law enforcement, coroners, and medical examiners, collect valuable information about violent deaths. However, these data are seldom combined in a systematic manner to provide a complete picture.
Police Shootings Database 2015-2020 | Washington Post
Prison Policy Initiative Data Toolbox
The non-profit, non-partisan Prison Policy Initiative produces cutting edge research to expose the broader harm of mass criminalization, and then sparks advocacy campaigns to create a more just society.
Sovereign Bodies Institute MMIWG2 Database
The MMIWG2 Database logs cases of missing and murdered indigenous women, girls, and two spirit people, from 1900 to the present. There are many lists and sources of information online, but no central database that is routinely updated, spans beyond colonial borders, and thoroughly logs important aspects of the data.
Uniform Crime Reports (FBI)
"The UCR Program consists of four data collections: The National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), the Summary Reporting System (SRS), the Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) Program, and the Hate Crime Statistics Program. The UCR Program publishes annual reports for each of these data collections and a preliminary semiannual report of summary data each winter, as well as special compilations on cargo theft, human trafficking, and NIBRS topical studies."

Bureau of Labor Statistics - Demographics
"This page contains information about national labor force statistics with demographic characteristics available from the Current Population Survey (CPS)." More information throughout the site.
Department of Housing and Urban Development
"The mission of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. HUD is working to strengthen the housing market to bolster the economy and protect consumers; meet the need for quality affordable rental homes; utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life; and build inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination." Relevant information available throughout.
Department of Commerce - Minority Business Development Agency
"MBDA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce that promotes the growth of minority-owned businesses through the mobilization and advancement of public and private sector programs, policy, and research."
Department of the Treasury
"The U.S. Department of the Treasury's mission is to maintain a strong economy and create economic and job opportunities by promoting the conditions that enable economic growth and stability at home and abroad, strengthen national security by combating threats and protecting the integrity of the financial system, and manage the U.S. Government’s finances and resources effectively." Relevant information available throughout.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
"The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is responsible for enforcing federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an employee because of the person's race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information. It is also illegal to discriminate against a person because the person complained about discrimination, filed a charge of discrimination, or participated in an employment discrimination investigation or lawsuit."

CCBC Diversity Statistics (2019)
Publishing Statistics on Children's/YA Books about People of Color and First/Native Nations Authors and Illustrators | by the Cooperative Children's Book Center School of Education, University of Wisconsin.
Department of Education
"ED's mission is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access." Useful information/data throughout the site.
National Center for Education Statistics - Status and Trends in the Education of Racial and Ethnic Groups
"This website presents key indicators that examine the educational progress and challenges students face in the United States by race/ethnicity. These indicators summarize the latest racial/ethnic data as well as trends on topics such as demographics; preprimary, elementary, and secondary participation; student achievement; student behaviors and persistence in education, postsecondary education, and outcomes of education."
American Council on Education - Race and Ethnicity in Higher Education
"ACE, the major coordinating body for the nation’s colleges and universities, is a membership organization that mobilizes the higher education community to shape effective public policy and foster innovative, high-quality practice. ACE represents nearly 1,700 college and university presidents and executives at related associations, and is the only major higher education association to represent all types of U.S. accredited, degree-granting institutions: two-year and four-year, public and private. ACE’s members represent two out of every three students in all accredited, degree-granting institutions in the nation."
Illinois State Board of Education
Relevant information throughout the site.
Missing From the Shelf: Book Challenges and a Lack of Diversity in Children's Literature Report
A persistent pattern of attempts to remove certain books from public schools and libraries, combined with a lack of diversity in Children’s and Young Adult (CYA) book publishing, narrows the range of stories and perspectives available to U.S. students. The pdf version of the report is linked on the page.
ProPublica: MisEducation Database
Based on civil rights data released by the U.S. Department of Education, ProPublica has built an interactive database to examine racial disparities in educational opportunities and school discipline. Look up more than 96,000 individual public and charter schools and 17,000 districts to see how they compare with their counterparts.

Environmental Protection Agency
"The mission of EPA is to protect human health and the environment." Information available throughout the site.
Environmental Justice Screening and Mapping Tool
A new environmental justice (EJ) mapping and screening tool called EJSCREEN created by the EPA. It is based on nationally consistent data and an approach that combines environmental and demographic indicators in maps and reports.
Department of Energy - Office of Economic Impact and Diversity
"The Office of Economic Impact and Diversity (ED) advises the Secretary on the impact of energy policies, regulations, and DOE programs on minority communities, minority institutions, and specific segments of the U.S. population."
Global Pollution Map
This website was developed to collect and present credible, up-to-date datasets on exposures related to modern pollution.
Interactive map of hazardous waste cleanups in the United States
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides an interactive map of hazardous waste cleanups across the United States.
OECD - Environment
"OECD work on environment helps countries design and implement effective policies to address environmental problems and sustainably manage natural resources. It examines the linkages between the environment and economic, sectoral or social concerns in the various key topics below."

Census Bureau - Race
Data tables compiled by the US Census Bureau on topics related to race in the United States.
National Equity Atlas
"The Atlas uses an indicators framework we’ve developed for measuring equitable growth in regions. We define an equitable region as one where all residents — regardless of their race/ethnicity or nativity, neighborhood of residence, or other characteristics — are fully able to participate in their region’s economic vitality, contribute to their region’s readiness for the future, and connect to their region’s assets and resources."
Data.gov
"The home of the U.S. Government’s open data. Here you will find data, tools, and resources to conduct research, develop web and mobile applications, design data visualizations, and more."
U.S Commission on Civil RIghts
" Established as an independent, bipartisan, fact-finding federal agency, our mission is to inform the development of national civil rights policy and enhance enforcement of federal civil rights laws. We pursue this mission by studying alleged deprivations of voting rights and alleged discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin, or in the administration of justice. We play a vital role in advancing civil rights through objective and comprehensive investigation, research, and analysis on issues of fundamental concern to the federal government and the public."
Department of the Interior
"The Department of the Interior (DOI) conserves and manages the Nation’s natural resources and cultural heritage for the benefit and enjoyment of the American people, provides scientific and other information about natural resources and natural hazards to address societal challenges and create opportunities for the American people, and honors the Nation’s trust responsibilities or special commitments to American Indians, Alaska Natives, and affiliated island communities to help them prosper." Relevant information available throughout.
Illinois Data Portal
"Illinois Open Data Portal lets you find data across state, find facts about your state, lets you create maps and graphs, and lets you freely download the data for your own analysis. Many of these datasets are updated daily, and some even more often."

Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
"The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) is comprised of Members of Congress of Asian and Pacific Islander descent and members who have a strong dedication to promoting the well-being of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community."
Congressional Black Caucus
"Since its establishment in 1971, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) has been committed to using the full Constitutional power, statutory authority, and financial resources of the federal government to ensure that African Americans and other marginalized communities in the United States have the opportunity to achieve the American Dream."
Congressional Hispanic Caucus
"The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) was founded in December 1976 as a legislative service organization of the United States House of Representatives. Today, the CHC is organized as a Congressional Member organization, governed by the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives."
Congressional Hispanic Conference
"The Congressional Hispanic Conference seeks to emphasize both national and international issues that have a significant impact on the Hispanic community in the United States. The members believe that Hispanics play a vital role in our democracy and must be actively engaged in all the issues facing our nation. For too long, Hispanics have been framed as a single issue community. The Congressional Hispanic Conference creates a forum for Members of Congress to collaborate in the creation of a cohesive legislative agenda, and is dedicated to promoting the interests of all Hispanics."
Illinois Compiled Statutes
Illinois Legislation
Library of Congress Catalog
"Contains 18 million catalog records for books, serials, manuscripts, maps, music, recordings, images, and electronic resources in the Library of Congress collections." Relevant information available throughout.
National Archives
"The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is the nation's record keeper." Information available throughout the site.
Smithsonian Institute - Talking about Race
"Talking about race, although hard, is necessary. We are here to provide tools and guidance to empower your journey and inspire conversation."

ProQuest Congressional
Compilation of U.S. House and Senate publications from hearings, committees, and other documents. Includes full text to the US Serial Set. (Help with database)
Westlaw
Full text database of court cases, law review articles, legal statutes, court rules, proposed & adopted regulations, proposed & enacted legislation & administrative decisions, and guidances at the federal and state levels. (Help with database)

U. S. Department of Arts & Culture
To create a just and welcoming world, we need social imagination to envision and enact change. Yet as a society, we’ve failed to prioritize the programs and policies that cultivate creativity, empathy, and collaboration. Social institutions seldom allow us to show up as whole, creative humans. Too often, we’re asked to accept stories that depict us only as consumers and workers rather than creators and communicators. Together, we can rewrite these stories.

CDC - Health Equity
"CDC’s Office of Minority Health and Health Equity (OMHHE) advances health equity and women’s health issues across the nation through CDC’s science and programs. OMHHE also increases CDC’s capacity to leverage its diverse workforce and engage stakeholders to this end. OMHHE is comprised of three units including Women’s Health, Diversity and Inclusion Management, and Minority Health and Health Equity."
Department of Health and Human Services - Office for Civil Rights
"The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) enforces federal civil rights laws, conscience and religious freedom laws, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification Rules, and the Patient Safety Act and Rule, which together protect your fundamental rights of nondiscrimination, conscience, religious freedom, and health information privacy."
Department of Health and Human Services - Office of Minority Health
"The Office of Minority Health is dedicated to improving the health of racial and ethnic minority populations through the development of health policies and programs that will help eliminate health disparities."
Department of Health and Human Services - Social Determinants of Health
Social determinants of health (SDOH) are the conditions in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks.
Illinois Department of Public Health
Relevant information available throughout website.
Mental Health America on "BIPOC Mental Health"
The way we talk about things can often influence the way we think about them. In the field of mental health, we are familiar with “person first” language. This is language that prioritizes the identity of individuals as human beings with unique experiences and identities over their mental health status. For example, we avoid describing people as “schizophrenics” and instead refer to them as “people with schizophrenia.”
National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP)
AVP empowers lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and HIV-affected communities and allies to end all forms of violence through organizing and education, and supports survivors through counseling and advocacy.
National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty--Race, Homelessness, and COVID-19 Fact Sheet
National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS)
Frontline investigators, including law enforcement, coroners, and medical examiners, collect valuable information about violent deaths. However, these data are seldom combined in a systematic manner to provide a complete picture.
National Vital Statistics System
The National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) provides the most complete data on births and deaths in the United States.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development: Health (OECD)
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an international organisation that works to build better policies for better lives. Our goal is to shape policies that foster prosperity, equality, opportunity and well-being for all. We draw on almost 60 years of experience and insights to better prepare the world of tomorrow.
Office of Minority Health (OMH)
The Office of Minority Health is dedicated to improving the health of racial and ethnic minority populations through the development of health policies and programs that will help eliminate health disparities.
United States Department of Agriculture: Food Access Research Atlas
Presents a spatial overview of food access indicators for low-income and other census tracts using different measures of supermarket accessibility; Provides food access data for populations within census tracts; and Offers census-tract-level data on food access that can be downloaded for community planning or research purposes.
World Health Organization: Climate Change and Health
Climate change affects the social and environmental determinants of health – clean air, safe drinking water, sufficient food and secure shelter.

FiveThirtyEight
The mission of FiveThirtyEight is "to accumulate and analyze polling and political data in way that is informed, accurate and attractive."
Pew Research - Race in America 2019
Collection of publications from Pew Research Center on race in the United States

iPoll (Roper)
Statistics and data gathered from multiple surveys administered by organizations in the United States, Europe, Latin America, and Asia. Data includes opinions and behavior on social issues, politics, pop culture, and international affairs. To download datasets, create a personal account.
Provided by the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research, Roper iPoll is the largest collection of poll data anywhere — from 1935 to present. Contains data from U.S. and international polling firms with broad topical coverage of opinions and behavior on social issues, politics, pop culture, international affairs, and more. International and U.S. datasets available for immediate download.

Internet Archive: Wayback Machine
An online library begun in 1996 that archives the history of the Internet itself. Includes 279 billion web pages, 11 million books and texts, 4 million audio recordings (including 160,000 live concerts), 3 million videos (including 1 million television news programs), 1 million images and 100,000 software programs searchable and accessible through the Wayback Machine. Useful for tracing and locating original internet content.

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Systemic Racism

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