Faculty & Research Published Research Research Education Economics Social Psychology Health Policy Social Entrepreneurship Environmental Policy Ethics Leadership National Security Advocacy International and Global Affairs Political Science Democracy Domestic Policy & Politics Social Equity International Development Research and Commentary (-) Racial Justice and Equity Facet Area of Focus - Research Sophie Trawalter Gerald Higginbotham Jazmin Brown-Iannuzzi John Holbein Michele Claibourn Facet People - Research Facet UVA Partner - Research Published Research Racial Justice and Equity When an Irresistible Prejudice Meets Immovable Politics: Black Legal Gun Ownership Undermines Racially Resentful White Americans’ Gun Rights Advocacy Authors: Gerald Higginbotham, David O. Sears, Lauren Goldstein Historical evidence suggests that White Americans’ support for gun rights (i.e., opposition to gun control) is challenged by Black Americans exercising their legal rights to guns (e.g., The Black Panther Party and the Mulford Act of 1967). This study examined two empirical questions. In both studies, racially resentful White Americans expressed less support for a gun right (i.e., concealed-carry) when informed that Black (vs. White) Americans showed greater utilization of the gun right. Overall, these results support that Black legal gun ownership can reduce opposition to gun control among gun rights’ most entrenched advocates. Learn more Published Research Racial Justice and Equity Social Equity Racial Bias in Perceptions of Disease and Policy Authors: Sophie Trawalter, Nana-Bilkisu Habib, James N. Druckman Narratives about Africa as dark, depraved, and diseased justified the exploitation of African land and people. Today, these narratives may still have a hold on people’s fears about disease. This group of scholars conducts tests and studies that, when taken together, make clear that reactions to pandemics are biased, and in a way consistent with historical narratives about race and Africa. Learn more Published Research Social Psychology Racial Justice and Equity Are Americans less likely to reply to emails from Black people relative to White people? Authors: John Holbein, Ray Block, Jr., Charles Crabtree, J. Quin Monson Although previous attempts have been made to measure everyday discrimination against African Americans, these approaches have been constrained by distinct methodological challenges. We present the results from an audit or correspondence study of a large-scale, nationally representative pool of the American public. We provide evidence that in simple day-to-day interactions, such as sending and responding to emails, the public discriminates against Black people. Learn more Published Research Racial Justice and Equity Confederate monuments and the history of lynching in the American South: An empirical examination Authors: Sophie Trawalter, Michele Claibourn, Jazmin Brown-Iannuzzi, Kyshia Henderson, Jazmin Brown-Iannuzzi, Michele Claibourn, Sophie Trawalter The present work interrogates the history of Confederate memorializations by examining the relationship between these memorializations and lynching, an explicitly racist act of violence. Learn more Published Research Social Psychology Racial Justice and Equity Research and Commentary Racial bias in pain assessment and treatment recommendations, and false beliefs about biological differences between blacks and whites Authors: Sophie Trawalter, Kelly M. Hoffman, Jordan R. Axt, M. Norman Oliver Black Americans are systematically undertreated for pain relative to white Americans. We examine whether this racial bias is related to false beliefs about biological differences between blacks and whites (e.g., “black people’s skin is thicker than white people’s skin”). Learn more
Published Research Racial Justice and Equity When an Irresistible Prejudice Meets Immovable Politics: Black Legal Gun Ownership Undermines Racially Resentful White Americans’ Gun Rights Advocacy Authors: Gerald Higginbotham, David O. Sears, Lauren Goldstein Historical evidence suggests that White Americans’ support for gun rights (i.e., opposition to gun control) is challenged by Black Americans exercising their legal rights to guns (e.g., The Black Panther Party and the Mulford Act of 1967). This study examined two empirical questions. In both studies, racially resentful White Americans expressed less support for a gun right (i.e., concealed-carry) when informed that Black (vs. White) Americans showed greater utilization of the gun right. Overall, these results support that Black legal gun ownership can reduce opposition to gun control among gun rights’ most entrenched advocates. Learn more
Published Research Racial Justice and Equity Social Equity Racial Bias in Perceptions of Disease and Policy Authors: Sophie Trawalter, Nana-Bilkisu Habib, James N. Druckman Narratives about Africa as dark, depraved, and diseased justified the exploitation of African land and people. Today, these narratives may still have a hold on people’s fears about disease. This group of scholars conducts tests and studies that, when taken together, make clear that reactions to pandemics are biased, and in a way consistent with historical narratives about race and Africa. Learn more
Published Research Social Psychology Racial Justice and Equity Are Americans less likely to reply to emails from Black people relative to White people? Authors: John Holbein, Ray Block, Jr., Charles Crabtree, J. Quin Monson Although previous attempts have been made to measure everyday discrimination against African Americans, these approaches have been constrained by distinct methodological challenges. We present the results from an audit or correspondence study of a large-scale, nationally representative pool of the American public. We provide evidence that in simple day-to-day interactions, such as sending and responding to emails, the public discriminates against Black people. Learn more
Published Research Racial Justice and Equity Confederate monuments and the history of lynching in the American South: An empirical examination Authors: Sophie Trawalter, Michele Claibourn, Jazmin Brown-Iannuzzi, Kyshia Henderson, Jazmin Brown-Iannuzzi, Michele Claibourn, Sophie Trawalter The present work interrogates the history of Confederate memorializations by examining the relationship between these memorializations and lynching, an explicitly racist act of violence. Learn more
Published Research Social Psychology Racial Justice and Equity Research and Commentary Racial bias in pain assessment and treatment recommendations, and false beliefs about biological differences between blacks and whites Authors: Sophie Trawalter, Kelly M. Hoffman, Jordan R. Axt, M. Norman Oliver Black Americans are systematically undertreated for pain relative to white Americans. We examine whether this racial bias is related to false beliefs about biological differences between blacks and whites (e.g., “black people’s skin is thicker than white people’s skin”). Learn more