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As we reflect on what we are thankful for this month, there is a lot to celebrate here at the Joint Center. For one, we were able to successfully launch our 2022 Congressional Hiring Campaign, following the midterm elections. Moreover, our experts are consistently provided a platform to share their expertise in numerous panels and media appearances. The Joint Center’s impact continues to expand at this exciting time, and we are humbled by this work.
Due to our supporters like you, we continue to be at the forefront of critical public policy debates and be consistent advocates for the interests of Black Americans. Our research and insights continue to make a great impact on the well-being of Black Americans everywhere.
We invite you to read more about the Joint Center’s work and impact this past month in Hill Diversity, Economic Policy, and our other focus areas below.
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Joint Center launches new campaign calling on congressional leaders to prioritize racial diversity in top staff hires
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Following the 2022 midterm elections, the Joint Center launched a campaign encouraging newly elected and returning members of Congress to prioritize racial diversity when hiring staff. The campaign includes a new website tracking the diversity trends of the top staff of every member of the 118th Congress and offering clear directives for how to solve the lack of representation and an explainer video on the need for diversity on the Hill. Additionally, the Joint Center organized and sent letters signed by 70 national organizations and diversity stakeholders to new and returning members of Congress urging them to prioritize diversity when hiring top and mid-level congressional staffers.
This campaign was exclusively covered in The Hill and featured in Black Enterprise and Yahoo! News, as well as several other outlets.
For more information about the Joint Center’s initiative to increase congressional staff diversity, click here.
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Voice at the Table with Rep. Terri A. Sewell
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The Joint Center welcomed Rep. Terri A. Sewell (D-AL) in a robust, one-hour conversation to discuss tax policies for Black communities, equitable deployment of federal infrastructure resources in the Black Rural South, and the future of voting rights in the aftermath of the 2022 midterm elections and the Supreme Court arguments in the Alabama redistricting case.
Rep. Sewell is a member of the House Ways and Means Committee and co-chair of the Voting Rights Task Force for the Congressional Black Caucus.
Watch the conversation here.
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Joint Center 2022 Future of Black Communities Summit videos and photo gallery
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The Joint Center released the full day of video programming and photos from the 2022 Future of Black Communities Summit. Please watch and share the videos of the fireside chats and panel discussions with many of the brightest minds and most powerful voices on tech and economic policy issues shaping the lives of Black communities.
Thanks to our many sponsors, speakers, staff, board members, partners, allies, and supporters for making the 2022 Future of Black Communities Summit a success.
Make sure to subscribe to the Joint Center’s YouTube channel for more video content.
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Recognizing National Apprenticeship Week
The Joint Center recognized National Apprenticeship Week by sharing this Twitter thread that breaks down the state of apprenticeship programs in the U.S. and offers recommendations for how it can be improved to help Black workers. Research shows that Black apprentices are underrepresented in registered apprenticeship programs. Just 10 percent of registered apprentices are Black despite Black workers making up 12.3 percent of the national labor force.
Follow the Joint Center to learn more.
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 Year-end giving
As we approach the end of the year, please consider donating to the Joint Center. Due to your support, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies continues to be the leading think tank that produces data, analysis, and ideas to solve challenges that confront Black communities. The Joint Center collaborates with top experts, various organizations, and others who value racial inclusion to maximize our impact.
The Joint Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and contributions are tax-deductible.
To make a donation, click here.
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 Happy Birthday,
Louis E. Martin
Louis E. Martin (1912-1997) was a principal founder of the Joint Center and the first chair of its Board. As a Chicago Defender journalist, Black newspaper publisher, and an advisor to three presidents, Martin was instrumental in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. He is also regarded as the godfather of Black politics. Among friends and colleagues, Martin was known for expressing his warmest respects with his favorite compliment: “You are a great American.” Each year the Joint Center honors his legacy by honoring a notable figure with our highest award — the Louis E. Martin Great American Award. Past recipients include Vice President Kamala Harris, Stacey Abrams, Senator Cory Booker, and Muhammad Ali.
Louis E. Martin’s birthday is on Nov. 18. He would have been 110 this year.
Read more about the Joint Center’s history here.
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Getting Non-degree Community College Programs Right: Centering Quality
Joint Center Director of Workforce Policy Dr. Alex Camadelle will serve as a panelist at New America’s summit, Getting Non-degree Community College Programs Right: Centering Quality. In a panel entitled, State & Federal Policy Interventions to Maximize Workforce Excellence at Community College, Dr. Camardelle will join the National Governors Association Program Director for Postsecondary Education Amanda Winters, Association of Community College Trustees’ President & CEO Jee Hang Lee, New America’s Deputy Director for Community Colleges Iris Palmer and moderator Chronicle of Higher Education Senior Writer Goldie Bluemnstyk.
This summit will explore ways to help community college leaders elevate quality at the heart of their non-degree programs and a policy brief to help federal and state policymakers maximize the impact of non-degree education at community colleges. Dr. Camardelle will share insights from the recent Joint Center research brief, "The State of Black Students at Community Colleges.”
This event will be held in-person and virtually, Dec. 8 from 9 am - 1:30 pm ET. See more information here.
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Fighting for Women’s Rights: Advocates, Agendas, and Analysis
Jessica Fulton, vice president of Policy, will join Executive Director of Black Women for Wellness Jan Robinson-Flint, Executive Director of Supermajority Amanda Brown Lierman, Nevada State Representative Shondra Summers-Armstrong, and Maryland State Delegate Pam Queen as moderator for a robust State Innovation Exchange national conference breakout discussion, Fighting for Women’s Rights: Advocates, Agendas, and Analysis, Dec. 7. From abortion rights to workers’ rights, women — particularly women of color — are disproportionately impacted by the state policies that we all care deeply about. Join this session to learn about and share your experiences around the issues that matter most to women activists, how to center Black women in your legislative agenda, and how you can help to build shared power with impacted communities.
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 Joint Center president discusses voting on MSNBC
Joint Center President Spencer Overton appeared on MSNBC’s Weekends with Alex Witt to discuss streamlining the vote count in the 2022 midterm elections.
Spencer warns “[t]hose candidates who win — whether they’re governors, secretaries of state, or county election directors — will likely enact new restrictions that make it harder to vote and give partisans more power over elections. Also in future elections, many election-denier candidates may certify election results only when their favorite candidates win […] Right now, the most important action that people can take is to not be intimidated, go to the polls, and vote.”
Watch the full interview here.
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 Joint Center president discusses threats of Election Day violence with NPR
Spencer was quoted in a recent NPR article highlighting modern trends in political-related violence and attempts to thwart democracy.
“It’s not about service and it’s not about volunteering; it’s about political activism and vindicating an election from a couple years ago,” Spencer said. “That can result in real conflict.”
Read the article here.
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 Joint Center president reflects on political violence in The Washington Post
Joint Center President Spencer Overton was quoted in a recent Washington Post article, reflecting on the current political climate and an increase in attacks on politicians.
“I am seeing something different this time,” said Spencer. He further explained that “America is experiencing cultural anxiety like never before, and people are engaging in political violence to preserve their identity,” according to The Washington Post.
Read the article here.
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 Joint Center voting rights expert quoted in Los Angeles Times about election lawsuits
Spencer was quoted in a recent Los Angeles Times article, providing analysis on the many lawsuits that followed the 2022 midterm elections.
“We shouldn’t be surprised if on election night Republicans in [some] states have large leads. But then those leads shrink by Wednesday as mail ballots are counted. And when this happens, we’ll likely see election deniers claiming that mail ballots are tainted and filing lawsuits to throw out mail ballots,” he said.
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 Joint Center president warns of election-related litigation
Spencer was quoted in a recent Roll Call article, leading up to the 2022 midterm elections.
“If the election is a blowout, if it's a wave election, we will not have as much litigation,” he said.
Read the article here.
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 Joint Center joins WURD Radio to discuss voting rights
Spencer appeared on WURD Radio’s Reality Check to discuss voting rights and emphasize the importance of voting in the 2022 midterm elections.
“Despite challenges folks need to go out and vote. They can’t be discouraged by all this [disinformation and misinformation] that just plays into the hands of people who want to exile us,” he said.
Listen to the full interview here.
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 Joint Center president discusses barriers to voting with GW Today
Spencer discussed the current elections and voting landscape heading into the 2022 midterm elections and offered advice to officials and voters with GW Today.
According to Spencer, “[w]e’ve seen barriers erected that make it harder to vote, as well as restrictions on voter registration, vote by mail and drop boxes. We’ve also seen a push to move from machine counting of ballots to hand counting, which research shows is more prone to error and slower. There has been an uptick in violence and threats against office holders and election administrators, and also real potential for voter intimidation at the polls.”
Read the article here.
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 Election Deniers Didn’t Win Big, but Continue to Threaten Multiracial Democracy
Spencer penned a blog post, reflecting on the results of the 2022 midterm elections. In this blog, he states that “[t]he morning after the 2022 mid-term elections, election denialism continues to pose a significant threat to the future of multiracial democracy. Unfortunately, our existing institutions were not originally designed to facilitate a healthy, well-functioning multiracial democracy. We need transformative solutions to overcome these challenges and create an electoral system that provides diverse communities incentives to engage with each other, create new coalitions, and work together to solve our most pressing problems.”
Read the article here.
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 Joint Center president talks election lawsuits with FOX 5 DC
Spencer appeared on FOX 5 DC to discuss the legal challenges to voting this election cycle.
Spencer states, “[t]here is really a fight over who gets to vote and whose votes get counted. It can have a significant effect over which candidates win elections. We’ve seen some suits you know more than ever, up until now, but we can also see some suits file after election day when we were talking about the counts of mailing ballots during the canvassing process and also during certification and then after in the contest phase.”
Watch the video here.
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Rethinking Boundaries and Breaking Through Barriers
Fulton participated in a racial wealth gap workshop hosted by Professor Dorothy Brown at Georgetown University Law Center, Nov. 3. The Think Tank Roundtable Discussion also included Rebecca Thompson from Prosperity Now, Amy Matsui from National Women’s Law Center, Whitney Tucker from the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, Brakeyshia Samms from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, Rakeen Mabud from Groundwork Collaborative, Tracy Gordon from the Urban Institute, Janet Holtzblatt from the Tax Policy Center, and Kyle Strickland from the Roosevelt Institute. Participants discussed the current and future research by think tank scholars.
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Reimagining Job Quality Measurement
The Families and Workers Fund's Job Quality Measurement Initiative released a report, Reimagining Job Quality Measurement. This report emphasizes why job quality and workforce equity are such critical priorities, and how better job quality measurement could help us advance these priorities.
Joint Center Director of Workforce Policy Dr. Alex Camadelle, states, “you can’t manage what you don’t measure, which is why I am thrilled to work with the Job Quality Measurement Initiative to create clear accountability metrics that ensure career preparation and job creation efforts lead to racially and economically just outcomes. When we adequately measure job quality in a manner that accounts for the historical and current harms that Black workers face, we will be better equipped to replace an unfair labor market with one that guarantees all Black workers will have high-quality employment on their path to economic prosperity.”
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Further Together: Advancing Equity Through Workforce Philanthropy
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The Joint Center is seeking a director of Platform Regulation and Content Moderation
The director will be an inspirational leader dedicated to leading the Joint Center’s emerging Platform Regulation and Content Moderation program. The Director will be responsible for building the Joint Center’s expertise and influence on key policy issues related to digital platforms affecting Black communities (e.g., disinformation, ad targeting, online anti-Blackness, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act) through research, building, and convening the Joint Center’s network of experts and engaging in public education.
The director will grow the Joint Center’s program on Platform Regulation and Content Moderation policy program to provide leadership in national policy conversations. The director will manage the completion of research, engage with the media, educate policymakers, cultivate donors, and provide input on Joint Center messaging related to platform regulation and content moderation.
Read the full description here.
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The Joint Center is seeking a director of Small Business and Entrepreneurship Policy
The director of Small Business and Entrepreneurship Policy will be an inspirational leader dedicated to leading the Joint Center’s budding Small Business and Entrepreneurship program. The director will be responsible for building the Joint Center’s expertise and influence on key policy issues affecting Black small-business owners and entrepreneurs through research, building, and convening the Joint Center’s network of experts and engaging in public education on timely issues affecting Black business owners.
Read the full description here.
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