We are so thrilled to host this event to celebrate the work of Black economists, and challenge economics to do better on both racial inclusion within its ranks and the study of racial inequity in the US. Find tweets about the conference, starting at 10:30, at #PennRaceAndEcon. https://twitter.com/femonomics/status/1310576244359077889

Starting in 3 minutes with an intro from the first Black and first female dean of Wharton, my boss Dean @erikahjames!
#PennRaceAndEcon

Now hearing from @Nina_EBanks on Sadie Alexander-- she earned her PhD during the red summer, graduating just after the Tulsa Massacre. #PennRaceAndEcon

Sadie Alexander worried that a fascist demagogue would be installed, capitalizing on racist fears. - @Nina_EBanks #PennRaceAndEcon

Sadie Alexander advocated for race-conscious policies that were compensatory. She saw race neutral policies could have disparate and deleterious effects on African Americans. She called for policies on jobs and housing that remedied past injustices. - @Nina_EBanks #PennRaceAndEcon

Sadie Alexander: "The absence of affirmative action constitutes discrimination" because racial discrimination is the norm.
This talk by @Nina_EBanks is
#PennRaceAndEcon

Now @jhacova talking about historical lynchings and voting. You can still join us--just register here for the zoom link! https://events.wharton.upenn.edu/the-penn-wharton-conference-on-race-and-economics/
#PennRaceAndEcon

Violent acts proxy historical racial animus, specifically aimed at suppressing the Black vote. @jhacova now talking about the lynching of Emmett Till, whose killers cited VOTING as the reason for the crime. "He was killed as an act of voter intimidation." #PennRaceAndEcon

Now moving to @belindaarch presenting about the use of imprisonment to create labor historically, and its present implications. #PennRaceAndEcon

We have 350 participants on, and if every one is learning as much as I am from these brilliant scholars, the future of economics is going to be changed. #PennRaceAndEcon

Prisoners were an ASSET representing a significant share of GDP throughout the colonial period. They increased incarceration when they needed labor. - @belindaarch
I'll add: same appears true in the US today. #PennRaceAndEcon

When economic times are good, instrumented by rainfall and cash crop prices, the British incarcerated more people in colonial Nigeria. It was about labor, not crime. @belindaarch #PennRaceAndEcon

Whoops broke thread, continues here: https://mobile.twitter.com/femonomics/status/1317134676868431872