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1. This may all be old hat to you and most people, simply knowing or agreeing that something seems real isn't good enough to get the problem addressed. It is an academic bias that things need to be proven before setting off. Maybe that's the cultural difference - many people of color say "hey I knew that, I didn't need some expert to prove it me". But like Frederic says, when the ruling class makes the rules, we have to roll with it. In policy decisions, no one is going to address an issue that hasn't been demostrated as real. This paper does that. The good news, we all agree that the elephant is in the room. For far too long we've been looked at like we're crazy for pointing out the obvious because others didn't see it (or want to see it). Now, all of those diversity HR people can justify spending money to address this issue.
2. What's worthy research. I find it interesting how lay people balk at research studies they think are riduculous or a waste of time. But the truth is - academic research is conducted on an individual basis. Unlike most other industries, it is NOT markert driven. Researchers, like myself, study questions that are interesting to them. We don't receive orders from someone who says - "Study this, because a board or poll said we need this answer". There'll alays be something other people think is more interesting or worthy. And I don't think it was a waste of time.
One of the biggest barriers I've noticed many black or poor kids have when at college or interacting with field experts is the assumption that everything we think we know is a firm fact. In fact, there are many more questions, assumptions, and caveats. Vetting and dissecting is a very normal and standard practice in science (natural, physical, & social). As annoying as it may be for most people, it is this seeminging un-ending question asking and examining that helps us fully understand a problem. Application and theory go hand-in-hand, though not usually the same hands.
The comments are also worth a look.