Since its establishment in 1976, the Program for Research on Black Americans (PRBA) has been the leader in creating new and innovative qualitative and quantitative research methods to understand the lives of African American and African descendant communities. Our mission is to generate high-quality data, analyses, and interpretations of findings to advance academic scholarship and develop effective public policies.
Former Colleagues

M. Belinda Tucker was Instrumental to PRBAs Early Development
Belinda Tucker came to the University of Michigan in 1971 as a graduate student in social psychology. Coming out of the turbulent 1960s, she was drawn to the program by its demonstrated commitment to diversity and to addressing societal ills (which seemed monumental at the time). She was especially attracted by its welcoming faculty, including Pat Gurin, Elizabeth Douvan, and Ewart Thomas, and the strong sense of community among the students. As luck would have it, James Jackson was hired as a new professor that very year. And the rest, shall we say, is history.
Latest News
ISR, partners conduct first national study of public libraries’ Black History Month programming

ROAR Launches Website
The Recruiting and Retaining Older African Americans into Research (ROAR) project focuses on developing a sustainable national model to increase the representation of Black older adults in health research in a community-based way that elevates the voices of African American older adults at every step. You can find more information about ROAR on their newly launched website https://engageus.org/. The ROAR project is funded by…