NPR Blogs

Experiences Of Discrimination In America

By Joe Neel

Published October 24, 2017 at 9:20 AM EDT

How do African-Americans experience discrimination in daily life?

A poll by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is examining the extent of discrimination against six major ethnic and racial groups in America today.

The results for African-Americans will be released Tuesday, Oct. 24, and highlighted in an expert panel discussion to be live-streamed here at 12 p.m. ET that day, as part of The Forum at the Harvard Chan School.

With unprecedented documentation, the poll provides results from police interaction, job applications, health care, racial slurs and more. The Forum will explore the results and their implications for society.

This poll is the first among a series of reports that surveyed additional groups, including Latinos, Asian-Americans, Native Americans, men, women, and LGBTQ adults, on their experiences with discrimination.

Joe Neel, deputy senior supervising editor on NPR's Science Desk, will moderate the discussion with:

Robert Blendon, professor of Health Policy and Political Analysis, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Harvard Kennedy School

Elizabeth Hinton, assistant professor, Departments of History and of African American Studies, Harvard University, and author, From the War on Poverty to the War on Crime: The Making of Mass Incarceration in America

Mary Lee, deputy director, PolicyLink

Dwayne Proctor, senior adviser to the President and director, Achieving Health Equity Portfolio, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

David Williams, professor of Public Health, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health