Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies

State of the Dream 2026: From Regression to Signs of a Black Recession is the product of a collaborative effort drawing on the expertise of Joint Center staff, fellows, and trusted external partners. Key takeaways include:

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies is proud to announce the addition of three distinguished fellows—Lettisha “Tish” Boyd, owner of Beyond Savvy Consumers and long time thought leader on economic issues related to those affected by the criminal justice system; Narda M.

The debate over Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act has become increasingly polarized, with Democrats typically advocating for stronger content moderation to combat disinformation and hate speech, while Republicans argue that platforms engage in political bias when moderating content, pushing for less restrictive rules. Amid these debates, surveys suggest that Black Americans are slightly more inclined than other groups to support the ability to sue platforms for harmful actions by third-party users.

The first brief explains how  Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act influences the digital landscape for Black users. While Section 230 has helped foster free expression and innovation online, it also creates gaps in accountability — enabling the spread of harmful and discriminatory content with limited consequences for platforms.

A draft of key research, sponsored by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, “The Implications of Section 230 for Black Communities,” was posted on the Social Science Research Network. Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act enables technology platforms to host and remove user-generated content without fear of liability for either the content or the moderation decisions.

In our increasingly connected world, dependable and reasonably priced internet access is an essential lifeline. However, on February 7, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will end enrollments for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), a broadband affordability program benefitting over 20 million households.

Joint Center President Spencer Overton filed reply comments with the Federal Communications Commission “to prevent digital discrimination by ensuring that Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act broadband resources are equitably deployed in the Black Rural South.” Black households in the Black Rural South are among the most unserved by broadband in the nation, and the federal infrastructure law represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to fix this problem.