Kristen E. Broady

Kristen Elizabeth Broady is a Black American economist. Broady is a Visiting Professor of Economics at Alabama A&M University and former Vice Provost for Graduate Studies and Academic Specialization at Kentucky State University. As an alumna of , her recent research focused on HBCUs and racial minorities, especially Blacks who are marginalized in American society. Broady was awarded best female faculty member of the year in the 2018 HBCU Award. Broady is a featured author of the National Urban League's 2018 and 2019 State of Black America (SOBA). Her essay titled "Race, Automation, and the Future of Work in America" was on the 2018 State Black America report.
Work and education
Broady went to Jackson State University, got Ph.D in Business Administration and Economics in 2011 and got MBA in Business Administration in 2006. Before that, she earned BA in Criminal Justice from Alcorn State University in 2002.
Before becoming a vice provost for the graduate studies and academic specialization at Kentucky State University, Broady had several academic experiences. Broady was a visiting lecturer at Howard University from August 2016 to December 2017, Dean Division of Business and Computer Science at Atlanta Metropolitan State College from August 2014 to June 2016, Interim Department Chair of Business Administration and Economics at Fort Valley State University from July 2013 to August 2014, and Assistant Professor at Benedict College from August 2009 to January 2012.
Broady also has experiences of working as a consultant for the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies in Washington, D.C., Senior research fellow for the Center for Global Policy Solutions in Washington, D.C., and a HBCU consultant of the Quad on in Atlanta.
Scholarship
"Passing and the Costs and the Benefits of Appropriating Blackness" (2018)
Broady and coauthors examined the socioeconomic and cultural costs and benefits of being Black Americans, and the disadvantages that Blacks are suffering in many field including wage, employment, education, and political representation gap. Even though their opportunity for education, employment, and political presentation is increasing, Blacks are still disgraced. According to Hamilton and Darity (2017), Blacks who obtain college degrees are treated more than US$10,000 less worth than whites who don't graduate from high school.
The event that Barack Obama became the first Black president of the United States was remarkable enough to push Black people's status and proof their full citizenship.
Furthermore, there is a hierarchy of skin colour in American society and lighter skin colour is privileged. This logic is applied to not only between Whites and Blacks, but also among Blacks. According to the study by Hunter (2002), Dark skin Blacks have scarce access to the social and economic capital, while Blacks who have relatively lighter skin can afford them. Because of such a resource gap, dark skin Blacks are facing disadvantages in education, employment, and housing.
Broady and coauthors highlighted three individuals' stories of Clarence King, Johnny Otis, and Rachel Dolezal who are biologically Whites, but passes Black to White and live as Blacks in the society.
Clarence King was known as White geologist, but he identified himself as Black to get marry with Ada Copeland, who was Black and had an experience as slave before the end of the Civil War. At that time, interracial marriage was illegal and regarded as social taboo so that was the only way he could get married with a Black woman.
Johnny Otis was a godfather of R&B. He was born to Greek immigrants but grew up in the Black society in Berkeley, California. His respect towards Black culture and Black people can be seen the fact that he changed his name to Johnny Otis, which seems more like Black people.
Rachel Dolezal is a president of the NAACP's Spokane chapter. She was born to White family but she makes up her skin darker and put hair extensions to look her appearance similar to that of Black women. First, she identified herself as "trans-racial" while she was working in the field of human rights, then as "biracial" and finally as "black".
They abandoned their privilege as Whites and chose Black identity and fought for equality between Whites and Blacks.
"Race and Jobs at High Risk to Automation" (2017)
In this research published from Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, Broady looked into the 30 occupations which faces high risk of automation over the next 10 to 20 years. Broady compared the percentage of workforce in each race employed in that 30 occupations. Broady pointed that Black Americans and Latinos are facing with the higher risk of being replaced their occupation by automation than the Whites. Black Americans are more likely to work in the low-skilled occupations including cashiers, security guards, and bus drivers that will automate in more than 80% of possibility. Broady listed several opportunities and challenges of automation. First, automation will eliminate jobs but create jobs at the same time. Second, automation will reduce costs and increase effectivity of work in many field. Third, automation could reduce burdens of hard but low-income workers. For the last and the most important, automation has possibility to either increase or decrease racial inequality depends on how policy makers will intervene this issue. The Joint Center continues to explore the effective solutions for the risk of increasing racial gap by automation.
Broady talked about this study on HBCU Digest Radio in January 2018.
"Race, Automation, and the Future Work of America" (2018)
Broady wrote this essay for the annual report of the State of Black America 2018. Based on her previous research, "Race and Jobs at High Risk to Automation",
"Dreaming and Doing at Georgia HBCUs: Continued Relevancy in 'Post Racial' America" (2017)
In this article, Broady and coauthors focus on in 'Post Racial' American society after the enforcement of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Although more than 50 years have passed since the remarkable act was enacted, HBCUs in Georgia are still segregated compared to the state's Predominantly White Colleges and Universities (PWCU). HBCUs are suffered from lower endowments, budgets, graduation rates and higher risk of default.
There are two central and controversial arguments against the continued existence of HBCUs. One is presented by Chang (2003), which insists that the post racial society does not need separate institution for African Americans to get higher education. In the past, there was inequality in opportunity to access higher education but now racial minorities also have it. The other argument is that HBCUs are not effective for education considering its lower undergraduate retention and limited financial autonomy.
HBCUs have been taking important role in education for African American who were excluded from educational institution after the Civil War. HBCUs contributed to increase their alumni's lifetime income and well being. Authors stressed that HBCUs were established for African Americans, but it continued to exist not only for them nor minorities, but for everyone regardless of their race.
Broady and coauthors concluded that HBCUs must continue to contribute on their historical missions and for providing resource of education.
"Obesity and Social Inequality in America: Cultural and Empirical Determinants" (2015)
In this article, Broady and Meeks look into the social, economic, and political factor of obesity in American society. Historically, southern states have high obesity rates comparing to the Northern states. They conducted empirical research to find the factors that affect obesity rates in each state.
According to their study, the obesity rate was high among those who are in poverty and get food assistance from Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP). In general, poverty are associated with lack of access to food, but through SNAP, they can purchase food except alcoholic beverages. However, they tend to buy unhealthy food instead of nutritious food because it is relatively expensive. Therefore, they consume soft drinks, candy, cookies and other cheap unhealthy food. These unhealthy eating habits make them more likely become obesity.
Broady and Meeks also find that there are significant correlations between physical activity or race and the level of obesity. Mississippi, Louisiana, West Virginia, Alabama, and Michigan were the top 5 states with highest obesity rate, and three of them were Southern states. Mississippi, which had the highest obesity rate, 35% in America also had highest percentage of African American population, 38% and highest percentage of residents without physical activity, 31%. Conversely, the states with lower obesity rate had less African American population. African Americans are relatively poorer than non-Africans so that authors concluded that the lower socioeconomic status had significant correlations with obesity rate.
Selected publications
*Broady, K. E., "Race and Jobs at High Risk to Automation" Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, (December 2017)
*Broady, K. E.; Todd, C. L., & Booth-Bell, D. (2017) "Dreaming and Doing at Georgia HBCUs: Continued Relevancy in 'Post Racial' America" Review of Black Political Economy, 44 (1-2), 37-54
*Broady, K. E.; Meeks, A. G. (2015) "Obesity and Social Inequality in America: Cultural and Empirical Determinants" Review of Black Political Economy, 42 (3), 201-209<ref name=":1" />
*Broady, K. E.; Todd, C. L.; Darity, W. A. (2018) "Passing and the Costs and the Benefits of Appropriating Blackness" Review of Black Political Economy, 45 (2), 104-122<ref name=":0" />
*Broady, K. E.; Meeks, A. G. (2014) "African Americans, Payday Lenders, and the Foreclosure Crisis in Mississippi" Journal of the Academy of Business and Economics, 14 (1), 7-20
*Broady, K. E.; Meeks, A. G. "Credit: From Accelerator to Primary Means of Purchase" (2012) Journal of the Academy of Business and Economics
*Broady, K. E.; Meeks, A. G. "Mississippi Residential Mortgage Foreclosure: Conservative or Not?" (2011) Journal of the Academy of Business and Economics
*Broady, K. E. "Consumer Decadence and Credit Market Destruction: Did the Decline in the U.S. Saving Rate Cause the New Millennium Financial Crisis?" (2010) European Journal of Management
*Broady, K. E. "Analyzing Housing Demand in the United States with a Focus on Comparative Analysis of Regional Housing Demand in the Four Regions" (2009) Journal of the Academy of Business and Economics, 9 (3)

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu