# Roy Wilkins Center for Human Relations and Social Justice *Research center of the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota, founded in 1992.* The Roy Wilkins Center for Human Relations and Social Justice is a research center within the [[Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs]] at the [[University of Minnesota]] in [[Minneapolis]].[^1] The school's page states that the Center was founded in 1992 as a joint effort of the University and the Roy Wilkins Foundation. It is named for Roy Wilkins, former chief executive of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).[^1] The Center describes itself as "dedicated to finding solutions to racial and ethnic inequality."[^1] Its disparity-studies page calls it a center "specializing in objective analyses of racial and ethnic economic inequality."[^2] The same page records the following outputs for public agencies:[^2] - disparity studies for more than a dozen public sector clients; - a $490,487 contract for a study that "guided NJ TRANSIT's use of race-conscious DBE goals"; - expert-witness service by its director in two federal cases; - technical assistance to eight named clients, among them the [[Minnesota Department of Transportation]]. Minnesota's civil-service law, Chapter 210 of the Laws of 1981, declared a state policy "to take affirmative action to eliminate the underutilization of qualified members of protected groups in the civil service."[^3] The current agency statute, Minn. Stat. § 43A.191, carries amendments through 2023.[^4] The Center's pages in the record do not refer to either instrument.[^1][^2] ## Who The Center is a unit of the Humphrey School of Public Affairs.[^1] The disparity-studies page names Professor Samuel Myers Jr. as its director. The page describes him as a national authority on the evaluation of race-conscious programs and of race-neutral alternatives to those programs.[^2] According to the page, his research on Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and [[Disadvantaged Business Enterprise]] (DBE) programs, and on race-neutral methods, has appeared in three publications:[^2] - *Applied Economics Letters*; - the *Encyclopedia of African American Business History*; - the *Journal of Policy Analysis and Management*. The Center's main page lists a news item reporting that Myers received the University's Josie R. Johnson Award.[^1] The founding partners were the University of Minnesota and the Roy Wilkins Foundation. The page states that the Center "is the only endowed center and chair in Wilkins' memory in the United States."[^1] ## What The Center describes its method as "an integrated model of research, dialogue, and community partnerships." It lists four objectives:[^1] - promoting discussion on race; - building bridges among communities of color; - conducting research on issues of pressing concern to minority populations; - educating greater numbers of students of color in public policy. Its listed programs include:[^1] - *Training in Public Policy and Race*; - *The Minnesota Paradox*; - the *7th World Conference on Remedies to Racial and Ethnic Economic Inequality*. The page's media listings describe the Minnesota Paradox as the wealth gap between white and nonwhite residents in spite of the state's prosperity.[^1] The Center's disparity studies are offered to public-sector clients. Their stated aim is to help those clients determine "the degree to which inequality affects contracting opportunities for socially and economically disadvantaged groups" in their regions.[^2] The Center states that it has conducted "14 annual or triennial disadvantaged business enterprise goals reports and five disparity studies over the past several years."[^2] ## When - **1992:** The Center was founded.[^1] - **2010:** Myers served as an expert witness in *GEOD v. New Jersey Transit*.[^2] - **2014:** Myers served as an expert witness in *Geyer v. MnDOT*.[^2] - **2014 to 2016:** The New Jersey Transit study was carried out.[^2] - **November 14, 2024 – January 17, 2026:** The Center's media listings include coverage of Myers's work:[^1] - a *Minnesota Spokesman Recorder* interview on the Minnesota Paradox (November 14, 2024); - a CBS News story on racial disparities in swimming (August 2, 2025); - a [[New York Times]] story, *Trump's Fight With Minnesota Is About More Than Immigration*, which referenced his research into the Minnesota Paradox (January 17, 2026). ## Where The Center is located at 217 Humphrey School, 301 19th Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455.[^1] Its disparity-study clients and technical-assistance clients extend outside Minnesota. They include New Jersey Transit, the Rhode Island Public Transportation Authority and the City of Richmond.[^2] ## Why The Center states its purpose as "finding solutions to racial and ethnic inequality."[^1] Its research objective is to "understand the root causes of racism, inequality, and discrimination, and propose solutions to them."[^1] For the New Jersey Transit study, the page states the following: "The objective was to address specifically those socially disadvantaged groups for which there is evidence of discrimination in contracting opportunities."[^2] ## How The New Jersey Transit study was described as a 4th Generation Disparity Study. It went "beyond comparing the availability and utilization" of Small, Minority, Women, and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (S/M/W/DBE).[^2] It also examined three further questions:[^2] - whether there were "statistically significant disparities in contract award amounts, bid success rates, and prequalification rates"; - whether specific market barriers limited participation; - whether race-conscious programs "resulted in an undue burden on firms that are not DBEs." The study also detailed the performance of race-neutral programs.[^2] In support of the Center's studies, Myers served as an expert witness in federal litigation. He also speaks before national organizations on methodological issues in conducting a defensible disparity study. The page lists three such organizations:[^2] - the National Association of Minority Contractors; - the National Forum for Black Public Administrators; - the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies of Science. ## How much The Center "was awarded a $490,487 contract to conduct a disparity study on behalf of the New Jersey Transit Corp."[^2] ## How many - **Disparity-study clients:** more than a dozen public sector clients.[^2] - **Reports and studies:** 14 annual or triennial DBE goals reports and five disparity studies.[^2] - **Federal cases:** two, in which Myers served as an expert witness.[^2] - **Technical-assistance clients:** eight named clients:[^2] - the Minnesota Department of Transportation; - Essex County; - New Jersey Transit; - the Rhode Island Public Transportation Authority; - the City of Richmond; - the Midwest Minority Supplier Development Council; - the American Indian Chamber of Commerce; - the Washington Suburban Sanitation Commission. ## In the Minnesota record ### What [[Affirmative action]] in Minnesota state employment rests on two instruments: Chapter 43A, enacted by the [[Minnesota Legislature]] in 1981, and Minn. Stat. § 43A.191, the current agency statute.[^3][^4] **Chapter 210 of the Laws of 1981 (S.F. No. 876).** This act proposed new law coded as Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 43A, and repealed Chapter 43.[^3] Its provisions include:[^3] - **Policy:** a declared state policy of affirmative action "in order to correct imbalances and eliminate the present effects of past discrimination." - **Protected groups:** defined as females; handicapped persons; members of the Black, Hispanic, Asian or Pacific Islander, and American Indian or Alaskan native minorities; and, until 1989, certain veterans who served from August 5, 1964 to May 7, 1975. - **Recruitment:** "Special emphasis shall be given to recruitment of protected group members to assist state agencies in meeting affirmative action goals to achieve a balanced workforce." **Minn. Stat. § 43A.191, as published by the [[Revisor of Statutes]].** The current statute sets these requirements:[^4] - every agency with 1,000 employees or more must have at least one full-time affirmative action officer; - agency plans may not be implemented without the commissioner's approval; - the commissioner must audit each agency annually; - the commissioner must report to the [[governor]] and legislative committees by March 1 of each odd-numbered year; - an agency that does not meet its hiring goals "must justify its nonaffirmative action hires"; - the commissioner must publish annual summary data on the percentage of each protected group hired in the executive branch. ### When The history line of § 43A.191 runs from 1Sp1985 c 13 s 172 to 2023 c 62 art 8 s 16. It lists amendments in 1987, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1995, 1996, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 1Sp2019.[^4] The record in this pack does not identify the governor or legislative majority responsible for the 1981 enactment or for any later amendment. It also does not give the approval date of Chapter 210.[^3][^4] The Center's documented Minnesota work consists of two items: technical assistance to the Minnesota Department of Transportation, and Myers's expert-witness service in *Geyer v. MnDOT* (2014). The pack does not connect the Center to the state-employment statutes.[^2] ## Notes [^1]: Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota, *Roy Wilkins Center for Human Relations and Social Justice* (undated web page, © 2026) — the Center's self-description, 1992 founding, objectives, address, programs and media listings. https://www.hhh.umn.edu/research-centers/roy-wilkins-center-human-relations-and-social-justice [^2]: Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota, *Disparity Studies* (undated web page, © 2026) — the director, the New Jersey Transit study and its $490,487 contract, counts of reports and studies, expert-witness cases, and technical-assistance clients. https://www.hhh.umn.edu/research-centers/roy-wilkins-center-human-relations-and-social-justice/wilkins-center-research/disparity-studies [^3]: Minnesota Legislature, *Laws of Minnesota 1981, Chapter 210 (S.F. No. 876)* (1981) — enacts Chapter 43A, its affirmative-action policy, the definition of protected groups, and the recruitment provision. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/laws/1981/0/Session+Law/Chapter/210/ [^4]: Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes, *Minn. Stat. § 43A.191, Agency Affirmative Action Programs* (2025 Minnesota Statutes) — current statutory text and history line. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/43A.191