Equity Research Cooperative

05/20/2026

In this blog, Jonathan C.W. Davis, our director of research, argues that artificial intelligence will not usher in the prosperous future that Big Tech claims. At least, not for all of us.

Jonathan draws on Derrick Bell's Faces at the Bottom of the Well and Karen Hao's Empire of AI, among other sources, to contend that Big Tech's aggressive pursuit of artificial general intelligence (or, AGI) through resource extraction, exploitative labor practices, and a "follow the leader" tool development approach mirrors past colonial empires where resources, wealth, and power accrued at the top.

But, we can change that trajectory to align more fully with justice and equity. It is not set in stone.

We must act now and take collective action to bring forth a future where we all prosper.

By standing united, we can reshape the path forward through three vital pillars:

Advocacy: Rising up against exploitative labor, land, and data practices to uplift alternative, community-owned technologies that truly serve local needs.
Technical Supports: Demanding platforms and safeguards that bring transparency to the hidden costs of AI development, ensuring data privacy and environmental protection.
Deepened Research: Building upon the crucial work of scholars who expose the racial, gendered, and environmental harms of current generative AI, pushing instead for tools that center our shared humanity.

Explore how the Equity Research Cooperative is engaging in this vital work, and learn how we can co-create a digital future that honors community, safeguards our environment, and celebrates collective progress.

By Jonathan C.W. Davis

03/31/2026

Check out our Instagram Post Celebrating Women's History Month by highlighting Women-Led Freedom Dream Partners!

09/03/2025

Join in on September 4th for a 90-minute webinar with advocates, youth leaders, and researchers exploring bold solutions for tuition-free college and debt justice.

We’re proud to share that EqRC’s Director of Strategy and Culture, Shanell Hagood, will be part of this timely conversation.

📅 September 4 | ⏰ Evening | 💻 Online 👉 Register here:

08/19/2025

Our Director of Research shares a powerful reflection in Debt-Free Dreams, Full-Circle Purpose—a piece that dives into the meaning of purpose, resilience, and equity in higher education. 📚💡

Check it out now on Medium and join us in exploring how collective action and lived experience shape a more just future.

https://medium.com//debt-free-dreams-full-circle-purpose-fd626455c5c4

by Jonathan C.W. Davis

07/23/2025

Celebrating 4 Years!!! 🎉
Today we celebrate 4 incredible years of pushing for equity, justice, and community transformation. From our earliest days to now, EqRC has remained committed to uplifting marginalized voices, building power, and making real change.

To our partners, team, and every single person who has walked with us—thank you. Your belief in this work fuels our mission every day. 🖤

Enjoy these notes from our Co-Founders.

06/19/2025

🖤❤️💚 Honoring Juneteenth 🖤❤️💚
Today, we honor Juneteenth—a powerful reminder of Black liberation, resilience, and the unfinished work of justice. On June 19, 1865, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas finally received word of their freedom.
At EqRC, we recognize that freedom is not a single moment in history—it’s a continued fight. We uplift the movements, voices, and communities that carry forward the legacy of resistance and reimagination.

05/08/2025

Our justice agenda centers on two critical projects: the Latinx/e National Student Loan Borrower Study and the Debt Cancellation Simulation.

The Latinx/e National Student Loan Borrower Study is a national, mixed-methods investigation into the lived experiences of Latinx borrowers, building on the foundational work of the "Jim Crow Debt Project," which examined Black borrowers' experiences with student debt. The Debt Cancellation Simulation provides a justice-centered analysis of how student debt cancellation would impact individuals furthest from educational equity, as well as its broader societal and economic effects.

These efforts will center in coalition-building, research partnerships, and the experiences of people of color and students from low-income communities.

05/05/2025

Meet our motivated Board of Directors who bring invaluable experience in non-profit finance, postsecondary education, development, fundraising, cooperative governance, community-centered grant making and partnerships, and so much more. Learn more about each Board Member HERE https://www.equityresearchcooperative.org/team

We are a group of activists, scholars, non-profit leaders, community contributors, first-generation college students, change agents, rule breakers, movers and shakers.

04/30/2025

Meet our talented team members! We are a group of activists, scholars, non-profit leaders, community contributors, first-generation college students, change agents, rule breakers, movers and shakers.

We are a group of activists, scholars, non-profit leaders, community contributors, first-generation college students, change agents, rule breakers, movers and shakers.

04/22/2025

The current socio-political climate poses a direct threat to the communities we serve—immigrants, working-class people of color, students, higher education institutions, and other marginalized groups facing discrimination. Despite these unjust, baseless, and harmful attacks, the Equity Research Cooperative (EqRC) remains steadfast in its mission. We are committed to the social, economic, educational, and political empowerment of communities of color through community-driven research, advocacy, and the practice of redistribution.

Read more about EqRC’s statement on the current climate, mission/vision, and justice agenda in our Annual Review & Plan.

Check out this A4 designed by Shanell Hagood.