Equality

Cities urged to fight antisemitism

In a plan released last month, the Biden administration is calling for all hands on deck in countering antisemitism and has laid out steps that states and cities can take to stop discrimination in their communities.

  • By Kery Murakami

Biden Administration Plans for Stronger Fair Housing Enforcement

A pending Department of Housing and Urban Development rule would set new requirements for state and local agencies and mark the reversal of a Trump-era policy.

  • By Daniel C. Vock

With $1B at Stake, Clashes Emerge Over Highway Removal

In places like Tulsa and New Orleans, community advocates are pushing for interstates that split apart Black communities to be torn down. But public agencies are floating more modest plans as they look to tap funding from a new federal program.

  • By Daniel C. Vock

Senate Package Has $3B for Communities Cut Apart by Highways

The “neighborhood access and equity grants” would supplement earlier funding in the infrastructure law and could go towards a range of projects. About a third of the money is earmarked for lower-income areas.

  • By Daniel C. Vock

Without Obergefell, Most States Would Have Same-Sex Marriage Bans

The Roe v. Wade ruling has lawmakers returning to an issue many thought was settled law.

  • By Elaine S. Povich, Stateline

New Data Show a Major Gender Gap in Local Government Leadership

Fewer than one in three top appointed local officials are women, according to the analysis. Curious how your state stacks up? Tools released with the research allow users to look at trends and comparisons across the country.

  • By Bill Lucia

Study: More Than Half of Women in Tech Say Their Gender is Limiting Their Careers

The study suggests one of the biggest barriers for women in tech is a lack of promotion opportunities.

  • By Frank Konkel

Battles Over Book Bans Reflect Conflicts From the 1980s

A scholar compares the debates over banning books from schools today to a similar clash of ideas that took place during the Reagan era.

  • By Fred L. Pincus , The Conversation

The New Restrictions Conservative State Lawmakers are Pushing on Transgender Kids

Proposals in states like Texas and Alabama come as Republicans are trying to fend off challengers and make gains against Democrats in this year’s elections.

  • By Daniel C. Vock

White House Moves to Identify 'Disadvantaged' Communities in Line for Federal Funding Boost

The administration wants to steer more money to areas most in need and has released a draft of places that should get more help.

  • By Kery Murakami

What Does It Say About Your Neighborhood If the Supermarket Isn’t So Super?

COMMENTARY | A mother-and-daughter team went comparison-shopping to see what grocery store shelves revealed about inequity in America.

  • By Chaseedaw Giles, KFF Health News

How Mayors are Factoring in Equity as Their Cities Spend Federal Aid

“We're trying to change the status quo,” says one city leader.

  • By Kery Murakami
Featured eBooks
The State of Trust in Government
Cybersecurity in State and Local Government
Building Data Literacy in the State and Local Workforce

The Next Frontier in Equity is All About Data

COMMENTARY | Developing strategies centered on data collection is critical for governments to make sure resources are deployed in an effective and equitable way.

  • By Hughey Newsome

Why a Majority of White Americans Oppose Reparations For Black Citizens

A new report shows that white people believe that it would be difficult to determine financial payments, among other reasons.

  • By Andre Claudio

Surgeons Sometimes Deny Organ Transplants for Disabled Patients. State Lawmakers Are Changing That.

Twenty-nine states prevent doctors from considering a person's disability when determining eligibility for an organ transplant. Wisconsin could join them.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

'Love Letter' Legislation Leads to Lawsuit

A real estate firm filed a lawsuit to contest a new law in Oregon that prohibits sellers from presenting their clients with letters from prospective homebuyers, a common practice in competitive markets.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Five Ways Government Leaders Can Develop Future Infrastructure Workers

The $1.2 trillion federal infrastructure package can deliver a needed jolt to the labor market, but states and localities need to focus on building the long-term labor pipeline, according to a new report.

  • By Andre Claudio

Taking Race Out of Criminal Charges

Prosecutors in Yolo County, California, are attempting “race-blind charging” by using software to redact identifying information, including race and other descriptors, from police reports.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

10 Steps for Advancing Equity With American Rescue Plan Funding

Local governments seeking transformative impacts must recognize that threats, risks and trauma are daily conditions experienced by low-income communities and people of color, according to a report, which recommends a variety of actions.

  • By Andre Claudio

A Billionaire Wants to Build an Inclusive Utopian City. Government Leaders Are Skeptical.

Former Walmart executive Marc Lore envisions the world’s first 'woke city’ somewhere in the U.S., costing upward of $400 billion and with an application to live there.

  • By Andre Claudio

How to Budget for Equity and Drive Lasting Change

COMMENTARY | State and local governments should prioritize equity in their budgets by using data, being outcome driven and engaging the whole community.

  • By Andrew Kleine and Josh Inaba