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Living in a Majority-Black Neighborhood Linked to Severe Maternal Morbidity
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Living in a Majority-Black Neighborhood Linked to Severe Maternal Morbidity

Residents in majority-Black neighborhoods experience higher rates of severe pregnancy-related health problems than those living in predominantly-white areas, according to a new study of pregnancies at a Philadelphia-based health system, which was led by researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The findings, published in Obstetrics and Gynecology, suggest that...

When Parole, Probation Officers Choose Empathy, Returns to Jail Decline
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When Parole, Probation Officers Choose Empathy, Returns to Jail Decline

  Heavy caseloads, job stress and biases can strain relations between parole and probation officers and their clients, upping offenders’ likelihood of landing back behind bars. On a more hopeful note, a new University of California, Berkeley, study suggests that nonjudgmental empathy training helps court-appointed supervision officers feel more emotionally connected to their clients and,...

UCLA-led Study Reveals ‘Hidden Costs’ of Being Black in the U.S.
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UCLA-led Study Reveals ‘Hidden Costs’ of Being Black in the U.S.

A woman grips her purse tightly as you approach. A store manager follows you because you look “suspicious.” You enter a high-end restaurant, and the staff assume you’re applying for a job. You’re called on in work meetings only when they’re talking about diversity. The indignities and humiliations Black men — even those who have...

Men of Color Avoid Public Places Out of Fear of Involvement with Criminal Justice Agents
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Men of Color Avoid Public Places Out of Fear of Involvement with Criminal Justice Agents

The U.S. criminal legal system has expanded at a rapid pace, even as crime rates have declined since the 1990s. As a result, individuals’ interactions with and surveillance by law enforcement are now commonplace. But citizens experience different interactions, with people of color who live in impoverished urban communities having the most frequent encounters. A...

Fatal Police Violence Nearby Increases Risk of Preterm Birth
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Fatal Police Violence Nearby Increases Risk of Preterm Birth

Black women have 80% higher risk of preterm birth between 32 and 33 weeks of pregnancy if a Black person who lives in their neighborhood is killed by police during the pregnancy, according to a study by researchers at UC San Francisco and UC Berkeley. The study by scientists at the UCSF California Preterm Birth...

New Jersey State Police’s First 100 Years Characterized by Racial Prejudice
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New Jersey State Police’s First 100 Years Characterized by Racial Prejudice

The New Jersey State Police, founded 100 years ago, was created to counter the influence of the state’s rising populations of African Americans and immigrants, whom white residents feared. My research into the agency’s culture found that the agency emerged as the result of a seven-year campaign by the state’s Chamber of Commerce to replace...

Scoot Over! Study Reveals E-Scooter Use in Washington D.C.
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Scoot Over! Study Reveals E-Scooter Use in Washington D.C.

Electric scooters or “e-scooters” are taking over cities worldwide and have broad appeal with tourists. Although e-scooter use declined during the COVID-19 pandemic, its popularity could rebound rapidly, especially if travelers start to substitute scooters for transit on some shorter trips. Shared e-scooters in particular, are a rapidly emerging mode of transportation, but present a...

To Sustain a Thriving Café Culture, We Must Ditch the Disposable Cup.
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To Sustain a Thriving Café Culture, We Must Ditch the Disposable Cup.

Takeaway coffees – they’re a convenient start for millions of people each day, but while the caffeine perks us up, the disposable cups drag us down, with nearly 300 billion ending up in landfill each year. While most coffee drinkers are happy to make a switch to sustainable practices, new research from the University of...

Study Aims to Break the Chains of Incarceration in African American Males
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Study Aims to Break the Chains of Incarceration in African American Males

Over the last three decades, the United States prison population has exploded from 300,000 to more than 2 million. More than 1.1 million are African American men – the vast number of whom have returned within one to three years of their release. In fact, according to the World Prison Brief, America boasts the highest...