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
PRBA Works with BCALA on Grant
The Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) was awarded an Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) planning grant to explore the current state of Black History Month (BHM) programming offered at public libraries. While virtually all of the 9,000 public libraries across the U.S. conduct some programming during BHM, there has never been a systematic study to assess the content, scope, target age groups, and focus of that programming. BCALA has asked…
James Jackson (1944-2020)
Professor James S. Jackson, passed away Tuesday evening, September 1st, in Ann Arbor after a long battle with cancer. He passed away peacefully with his wife, Toni, and daughters Ariana and Kendra…
