Investigative Project on Race and Equity
raceandequityproject.org
Investigative Project on Race and Equity
@raceandequityproject.org
We train journalists in data-driven reporting and collaborate with news organizations to uncover systemic racism and drive change.
Assist Emeline with this report by contacting them at emeline@raceandequityproject.org
August 11, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Our investigations editor Marissa Evans brought sharp insights and real talk to three panels at #IRE2025 — including a standout session on what The Real Housewives can teach us about investigative journalism.

#InvestigativeJournalism #RaceAndEquity @themarshallproject.org @famu1887.bsky.social
June 24, 2025 at 3:31 PM
BIG NEWS: We just won the 2025 Next Challenge Vision Award — given to a finalist with a bold vision to reinvent media and journalism. We’re humbled and honored to be one of the five startups chosen from a pool of more than 400 applicants. Thanks to everyone who has supported us along the way.
June 11, 2025 at 4:03 PM
When Illinois lawmakers met at the end of last month, they had the opportunity to pass reforms to the property tax sale and foreclosure process. However, negotiations stalled in the days leading up to the May 31 deadline. Read more in our latest collaboration with @injusticewatch.org.
Property-tax foreclosure reform gets put off by Illinois legislators
In their end-of-session dash to pass a state budget, Illinois lawmakers put off consideration of proposed reforms to property tax sales and foreclosures.
www.injusticewatch.org
June 6, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Michael Burton got pulled over so often near SIU he was scared to drive. Our new investigation in collaboration with @wbez.org shows he’s not alone. Campus cops in Illinois stop and ticket Black drivers way more than white ones.

🔗 Read the full investigation here: www.wbez.org/data/2025/05...
At Illinois public universities, campus cops pull over Black drivers at higher rates
Campus police also ticketed Black drivers more often than white motorists who were stopped, a first-of-its-kind analysis of stops shows.
www.wbez.org
May 30, 2025 at 4:41 PM
NEW: Illinois’ property tax foreclosure process strips generational wealth from Cook County residents — disproportionately impacting Black senior homeowners. Read our latest investigation with @injusticewatch.org 🏠
www.injusticewatch.org/civil-courts...
Illinois is the last state to unlawfully strip wealth from homeowners caught in tax foreclosure
This is a joint project of Injustice Watch and the Investigative Project on Race and EquityWhen Cook County sheriff’s deputies burst into the Maywood home
www.injusticewatch.org
May 16, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Reposted by Investigative Project on Race and Equity
On Friday night, my former @raceandequityproject.org colleagues &I won two Lisagor awards for our reporting on Black seniors in Chicago being disproportionately denied HELOCs and refinancing. I'm so honored & I look forward to doing more of this work in the future headlineclub.org/2025/05/10/t...
These are the winners of the 48th Annual Peter Lisagor Awards - Chicago Headline Club
The Chicago Headline Club congratulates all the winners of the 48th annual Peter Lisagor Awards for exemplary journalism. The awards were handed out May 9, 2025 at a gathering of more than 200 members...
headlineclub.org
May 11, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Reposted by Investigative Project on Race and Equity
Well, I've got some news! Last night,
@raceandequityproject.org won two Lisagor awards for our story looking into the struggles many Black seniors face in receiving home improvement loans. It’s the first story I've worked on to be nominated and win at the Lisagors, and I couldn't be more grateful.
May 10, 2025 at 7:27 PM
We had a big night at the Chicago Headline Club’s Peter Lisagor Awards last Friday. We were nominated for four awards, and we would have had a clean sweep, but we were up against ourselves in one category, and there could only be one winner! 🎉
May 14, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Eric Wilkins, 54, says he’s been stopped by Chicago police more times than he can remember and has rarely been ticketed. Drivers of color like him make up the majority of traffic stops that end in violence, an investigation from the Investigative Project and the Chicago Sun-Times.
April 4, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Every year, the Chicago Police Department pulls over hundreds of thousands of people of color. In some cases, those stops escalate — leaving drivers and passengers injured and hospitalized. Our newest investigation uncovers troubling patterns in the use of force during traffic stops.
April 3, 2025 at 2:01 PM
What happens when officers are pressured to meet traffic stop quotas? Our latest investigation with the Chicago Sun-Times reveals how quotas fuel aggressive policing — and, in some cases, deadly force. Alexandra Block of the ACLU of Illinois talks about the link between quotas and police violence.
April 2, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Thousands of drivers are pulled over by Chicago police each year. But in 230 cases since 2018, those stops ended with drivers hospitalized after police used force — 81% of them Black, an investigation by the Investigative Project and the Chicago Sun-Times found.
Chicago police traffic stops have left 230 people injured and hospitalized in recent years
That’s happened as a result of the use of force by cops, an investigation by the Chicago Sun-Times and the Investigative Project on Race and Equity found.
chicago.suntimes.com
April 1, 2025 at 2:01 PM
🏆 It’s awards season! We’re excited to share that two of our investigations are finalists for the Chicago Headline Club (SPJ Chicago Chapter)’s 48th annual Peter Lisagor Awards, celebrating the best in Chicago journalism. If you haven't read them yet, the finalists are in the thread below! 🧵
March 28, 2025 at 9:51 PM
A year ago today, Dexter Reed was fatally shot by Chicago police during a traffic stop. His death sparked protests and demands for reform. But a new investigation by the @chicago.suntimes.com and the Investigative Project reveals that little has changed. chicago.suntimes.com/the-watchdog...
Chicago cops have been making fewer traffic stops, but more are ending in violence
Officers reported using force far more often during traffic stops last year — even as scrutiny grew following the fatal shooting of Dexter Reed, the Chicago Sun-Times and the Investigative Project on ...
chicago.suntimes.com
March 21, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Earlier this month, we hosted a virtual training with advisory council member Josh McGhee (MindSite News) and Farrah Anderson (Invisible Institute) on using TRRs—tactical response reports—in investigative reporting. They shared why it’s key to understand what TRRs won’t tell you.
🔈TAKE A LISTEN 🔈
March 10, 2025 at 6:34 PM