Florence Johnson, Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Behavior and Clinical Sciences at the University of Michigan School of Nursing, has been named the next James S. Jackson Emerging Scholar by the Program for Research on Black Americans (PRBA) at the Institute for Social Research (ISR). “Dr. Johnson is a very strong junior scholar,… Continue reading PRBA Names Florence Johnson 2026 James S. Jackson Emerging Scholar
Project: PRBA
In Memory of Jane Rafferty, Program for Research on Black Americans and Panel Study of Income Dynamics
Jane Rafferty, who devoted her career to social research and was vital to signature projects at the University of Michigan, including the Program for Research on Black Americans and the Panel Study for Income Dynamics, died Monday, July 21st after a brief illness. Rafferty completed her BA in sociology at the University of Connecticut in… Continue reading In Memory of Jane Rafferty, Program for Research on Black Americans and Panel Study of Income Dynamics
Happily ever after in marriage: Unwavering spousal support
ANN ARBOR—It’s the question many young couples ask those in long-term marriages: What’s the secret to a successful marriage? For African American couples who have flourished for decades together, unwavering spousal support is the magic ingredient, according to a study led by University of Michigan researchers. Respondents in the study who indicated that they had… Continue reading Happily ever after in marriage: Unwavering spousal support
PRBA Names Myles Durkee 2025 James S. Jackson Emerging Scholar
Myles Durkee, Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Michigan, has been named the next James S. Jackson Emerging Scholar by the Program for Research on Black Americans (PRBA) at the Institute for Social Research (ISR). Dr. Durkee is a PRBA affiliate whose research examines the dynamics of code-switching, cultural invalidations, and racial discrimination… Continue reading PRBA Names Myles Durkee 2025 James S. Jackson Emerging Scholar
Remembering Shirley Hatchett, Shaper of the First National Survey of Black Americans
Shirley Jean Hatchett, a survey researcher whose work yielded new insights about Black American attitudes and the sociology of race, died August 9, at 77. An early faculty member at the Program for Research on Black Americans (PRBA) at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research, Dr. Hatchett made essential contributions to the program’s… Continue reading Remembering Shirley Hatchett, Shaper of the First National Survey of Black Americans
Program for Research on Black Americans 2023 Reunion Unites Leading Scholars
ANN ARBOR – The pioneering black psychologist James S. Jackson transformed the way that researchers study and understand Black American life– but his mentorship of a generation of Black scholars is an equally enduring legacy. The latter was the salient theme of the 2023 Reunion of the Program for Research on Black Americans, held Saturday… Continue reading Program for Research on Black Americans 2023 Reunion Unites Leading Scholars
PRBA Names Katrina R. Ellis as the Next James S. Jackson Emerging Scholar
ANN ARBOR — Katrina R. Ellis, Assistant Professor of Social Work at the University of Michigan, has been named the next James S. Jackson Emerging Scholar by the Program for Research on Black Americans (PRBA) at the Institute for Social Research (ISR). Dr. Ellis is an affiliate of the Research Center for Group Dynamics at ISR research.… Continue reading PRBA Names Katrina R. Ellis as the Next James S. Jackson Emerging Scholar
Robert Joseph Taylor and Karen Lincoln Tell their Stories in PRBA Black History Month Talks
In observance of Black History Month, the Program for Research on Black Americans hosted two online seminars in February 2023, with one talk by PRBA Director Robert Joseph Taylor, and another from PRBA alumna Karen Lincoln of UC Irvine, who was a graduate student with PRBA while completing U-M’s joint doctoral program in Social Work and Sociology.… Continue reading Robert Joseph Taylor and Karen Lincoln Tell their Stories in PRBA Black History Month Talks
ISR, partners conduct first national study of public libraries’ Black History Month programming
The University of Michigan Institute for Social Research (ISR)– in partnership with the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) and the Public Library Association (PLA)– is embarking on a three-year project that will be the first systematic, national study to assess the content, scope, and factors influencing offerings of Black History Month programming… Continue reading ISR, partners conduct first national study of public libraries’ Black History Month programming
James S. Jackson Posthumously Wins SPSSI Kurt Lewin Award
ANN ARBOR – Dr. James S. Jackson, the Daniel Katz Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Psychology, Research Professor Emeritus at the Research Center for Group Dynamics (RCGD), and former ISR Director (2005-2015) has been posthumously awarded the 2021 Kurt Lewin Award from The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI). According to the… Continue reading James S. Jackson Posthumously Wins SPSSI Kurt Lewin Award