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Great Barrington, MA – In 2003, economist Roland G. Fryer joined the faculty of Harvard University as one of the youngest professors in the school's history. Fryer's specialty is race-based economic issues, and his research projects seek to answer the question of why African-Americans are harder hit by poverty than other demographic groups in America. "I basically want to figure out where blacks went wrong," he told The New York Times Magazine. "Blacks are the worst-performing ethnic group on SAT's. Blacks earn less than whites. They are still just not doing well, period."
Fryer's own life story is illustrative of many of the negative factors that intersect in the lives of children in impoverished communities but it is also the tale of impressive triumph over such hurdles. He grew up believing that his mother, a native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, abandoned him as an infant. His father, a former math teacher turned copier salesperson, raised him in Texas. He was close to his strict, formidable grandmother in Daytona Beach, Florida, where he spent summers, but at least eight close relatives were either jailed or died young. When he stayed with his
grandmother, he would visit his great-aunt's house, out of which she and family members ran a profitable crack-cocaine operation. One day, while on his way there, he arrived to see the house surrounded by law enforcement officials; nearly everyone in the household went to prison for their involvement in the illegal dealings.
Although he had not been an outstanding student in high school, at the University of Texas he was forced to study to keep up, and discovered that not only did he like to learn, but he also seemed to have an aptitude for it. Less than three years later, he earned his undergraduate degree in economics.
From there Fryer went on to Penn State University for a doctorate in economics. At a conference he met Glenn Loury, a prominent black economist who became a mentor. Fryer began writing academic papers based on research studies he conducted with others in his field. After fellowships with the National Science Foundation and the National Bureau of Economic Research, Fryer earned his Ph.D. and was invited to join the Harvard faculty. He was just 25 years old.
He has published papers on topics such as the racial achievement gap, the causes and consequences of distinctively black names, affirmative action, the impact of the crack cocaine epidemic, and the taboo of 'acting white.' He is an unapologetic analyst of racial inequality who uses theoretical and empirical tools to squeeze truths from the data - wherever that may lead. One of Fortune Magazine's "rising stars" and featured in Esquire's "Genius Issue," Fryer's work has been profiled in the New York Times, Washington Post, the Boston Globe, and Black Voices.
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