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William Spriggs
William Spriggs | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2011 | |
| Assistant Secretary of Labor for Policy | |
| In office 2009–2012 | |
| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Leon Sequeira |
| Succeeded by | Rajesh Nayak |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Edward Spriggs April 8, 1955 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Died | June 6, 2023 (aged 68) Reston, Virginia, U.S. |
| Spouse | Jennifer Dover (m. 1985) |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | |
| Academic career | |
| Institutions | |
| Field | Labor economics |
William Edward Spriggs (April 8, 1955 – June 6, 2023) was an American economist who was a professor of economics at Howard University, chief economist for the AFL-CIO, and Assistant Secretary of Labor for Policy in the Obama administration from 2009 to 2012.[1]
Spriggs' work and research focused on workforce discrimination, minimum wage, national and international labor standards, and pay equity.[2] He supported organized labor and liberal economics.[2]
Early life and education[edit]
Spriggs was born in Washington, D.C., on April 8, 1955.[1][3][4] His father, Thurman Spriggs, was a Tuskegee Airman who held a PhD in physics and worked as a professor.[1] His mother, Julienne (Henderson) Spriggs, was a World War II veteran and school teacher.[5][1]
Spriggs attended public elementary schools in northeast and southeast Washington D.C. at the same time his mother was finishing her college degree.[5][6] He spent much of his subsequent upbringing in Norfolk, Virginia, after his father began teaching at Norfolk State University.[7]
After high school, Spriggs earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and political science from Williams College.[1] He continued onto graduate school on a National Science Foundation Minority Graduate Fellowship.[8] He attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he earned his Master of Arts (1979) and PhD (1984), both in economics.[1][9] His doctoral dissertation focused on the accumulation of wealth by African Americans in Virginia between 1900 and 1914.[10] He earned the National Economic Association's 1985 dissertation prize for his work.[8] During this time, he also served as a co-president of the American Federation of Teachers Local 3220.[9]
Career[edit]
Early career[edit]
Spriggs was an assistant professor for two years at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, where he taught introductory economics.[8] He later moved to Norfolk State University, where he was the director of the honors program and an assistant professor of management for six years.[11][8]
Organizational work and advocacy[edit]
Spriggs left academia for some time to pursue research and advocacy, beginning with the Economic Policy Institute. There, he studied industrial relations, labor history, and the replacement of striking workers. Spriggs left the EPI in 1993 to join the Clinton administration as the director designate of the National Commission for Employment Policy. He advised politicians on training, education, reemployment, and the financing and development of historically black colleges and universities. He also led the National Wage Record Database Design Project Report from 1993 to 1994.[2][8]
Spriggs joined the Joint Economic Committee as a senior economist, serving the Senate minority (then the Democrats). He specifically advised Congressmen Kweisi Mfume, Pete Stark, and Senator Jeff Bingaman. He continued serving in federal roles throughout the Clinton administration, including tenures in the U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration and the U.S. Small Business Administration's Office of Government Contracting and Minority Business Development.[11]
Spriggs left the Clinton administration in 1998 to join the Institute for Opportunity and Equality League as its executive director and advocate for research, advocacy and progressive public policy. He stayed for six years, working with fellow civil rights activists Maya Rockeymoore, Cheryl Hill Lee, Valerie Wilson, Hugh Price, Dorothy Height, Joseph Lowery, Norman Hill, and Bill Lucy.[5] Spriggs later returned to the Economic Policy Institute before joining Howard University in 2005 as the chair of the economics department.[12] He concurrently served as a senior fellow for the Community Service Society of New York and board chair of the UAW Retirees of the Dana Corp, Healthcare Trust for UAW Retirees of Ford Motor Company, and as a board member of the Retirement Healthcare Administration Corporation.[13]
Support of Barack Obama and assistant secretary of labor[edit]
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Spriggs was a longtime supporter of Barack Obama, both during the latter's bid for presidency and after while serving on the 2008 Obama–Biden transition team. He specifically endorsed then presidential-nominee Obama's plan to focus on the alternative energy sector for new jobs.[2] He also, along with dozens of other economists, endorsed the Employee Free Choice Act in early 2009.[14]
The Obama administration nominated Spriggs for the position of assistant secretary of policy in the Department of Labor in June 2009. He was easily approved by a voice vote of the full Senate on October 21, 2009.[2] As the assistant secretary of policy, he continued to argue for organized labor and increased support for the middle class. He represented the United States at the G-20 Labor Ministerial meeting in Guadalajara, Mexico and headed the U.S. delegation to the 101st International Labour Conference of the International Labour Organization in Switzerland.[8]
Return to academia[edit]
In 2012, Spriggs returned to his role as professor of economics at Howard University. He also accepted the position of chief economist for the AFL-CIO; through this role, he joined the board of the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER).[15]
Open letter to economists[edit]
In June 2020, Spriggs released an open letter to economists in the wake of the murder of George Floyd and subsequent protests. In his letter, he called on economists to recognize the racist roots of most explorations of racial disparities in economics.[16][17] He argued that models of disparities between White and Black Americans based on differences in human capital accumulation frequently recognize the existence of racist discrimination in schooling and housing, but then assume this same discrimination does not exist in employment relationships. He discussed how models of statistical discrimination in economic outcomes between races assume away history, laws, and social norms, and even the way that racial categories are themselves the product of this history. In addition, he argued that models of disparities that assume inherent African American inferiority are a constant microaggression for African American economists and expressed frustration that many White economists are ignorant of work done by Black economists on these same topics. He called on economists who use race in their work to better understand the ways that history and policy have shaped racial categories and focus on studying big questions about the institutions that shape economic outcomes.[18] The letter received a great deal of media coverage,[19] with Spriggs invited to lengthy interviews by multiple major publications.[20][21][22]
Personal life[edit]
Spriggs married Jennifer Dover in 1985, and they had a son.[7]
Spriggs died from a stroke at a hospital in Reston, Virginia, on June 6, 2023, aged 68.[7] In a statement, U.S. President Joe Biden said, "I am deeply saddened by the passing of Bill Spriggs, a man who brought as much lasting brilliance to economics as he brought joy to his friends and colleagues."[23]
Honors[edit]
Professional awards[edit]
- Robert M. Ball Award, National Academy of Social Insurance, 2016[24]
- Benjamin L. Hooks "Keeper of the Flame" Award, NAACP, 2014[25]
- Chairman's Award, Congressional Black Caucus, 2003[26]
- National Economics Association Dissertation Award, 1985[8]
- National Science Foundation Minority Graduate Fellow, 1979–1984[8]
Other[edit]
- Bicentennial Award, Williams College, 2010[27]
- Harold Graves Essay Prize (University of Wisconsin–Madison, Department of Economics) 1980[8]
Selected works[edit]
Books and book chapters[edit]
- "A Look at Inequality, Workers' Rights, and Race", Law & Inequality, Vol. 36 (Number 2, 2018): 61–75.[28]
- "Institutions to Remedy the New Inequality", in Thomas I. Palley and Gustv A. Horn (eds.) Restoring Shared Prosperity: A Policy Agenda from Leading Keynesian Economists (Washington, DC, 2013). ISBN 978-1493749423
- "The Changing Face of Poverty in America", in Margaret Roush (ed.), U.S. National Debate Topic 2009–2010: Social Services for the Poor (H. W. Wilson Company: New York, 2009). ISBN 978-0824210908
- "African Americans and Social Security", in Daniel Fireside, John Miller, Bryan Snyder (eds.), Real World Macro, 25th Edition (Economic Affairs Bureau, Inc.: Boston, 2008). ISBN 978-1878585707
- "Black Liberalism", International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, 2nd edition, William A. Darity Jr. (ed.), (Macmillan Reference USA: Detroit, 2008). ISBN 978-0028659657
- "Participatory Democracy and Race Relations in the U.S.", in Claire Nelson and Stacy RichardsKennedy (eds.) Advancing Equity in Latin America: Putting Policy into Practice (Inter American Development Bank: Washington, 2007).
- "Social Security and American Values", in Calvin Logue, Lynn Messina and Jean DeHart (eds.), Representative American Speeches, 2004–2005 (New York, NY: H. W. Wilson Company, 2005). ISBN 978-0824210380
- With Rhonda M. Williams, "What Do We Need to Explain About African American Unemployment", in Robert Cherry and William M. Rodgers III (eds.), Prosperity for All? The Economic Boom and African Americans (New York: Russell Sage, 2000): 188–207. ISBN 978-0871541970
- With Samuel Myers Jr., "Black Employment, Criminal Activity and Entrepreneurship: A Case Study of New Jersey", in Patrick L. Mason and Rhonda M. Williams (eds.), Race, Markets and Social Outcomes (Norwell, MA: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1996): 31–64. doi:10.1007/978-1-4615-6157-6_3 ISBN 978-0792398936
- With John Schmitt, "The Minimum Wage: Blocking the Low-Wage Path", in Todd Schaefer and Jeff Faux (eds.) Reclaiming Prosperity: A Blueprint for Progressive Economic Reform, (Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe, 1996): 163–172. ISBN 978-1563247682
Publications[edit]
- von Lockette, N. D., Spriggs, W. E., "Wage Dynamics and Racial and Ethnic Occupational Segregation Among Less-Educated Men in Metropolitan Labor Markets". Rev Black Polit Econ 43, 35–56 (2016).[29]
- Price, G. N., Spriggs, W. & Swinton, O. H., "The Relative Returns to Graduating from a Historically Black College/University: Propensity Score Matching Estimates from the National Survey of Black Americans". Rev Black Polit Econ 38, 103–130 (2011).[30]
- William M. Rodgers III, William E. Spriggs, and Bruce W. Klein. "Do the Skills of Adults Employed in Minimum Wage Contour Jobs Explain Why They Get Paid Less?", Journal of Post Keynesian Economics 27, no. 1 (2004): 37–66.[31]
- Rodgers, William M., and William E. Spriggs. "What does the AFQT really measure: Race, wages, schooling and the AFQT score". The Review of Black Political Economy 24, no. 4 (1996): 13–46.[32]
- Maxwell, Nan L. "The Effect on Black-White Wage Differences of Differences in the Quantity and Quality of Education". Industrial and Labor Relations Review 47, no. 2 (1994): 249–64. doi:10.2307/2524419.[33]
- Spriggs, William E. "Changes in the Federal Minimum Wage: A Test of Wage Norms". Journal of Post Keynesian Economics 16, no. 2 (1993): 221–39.[34]
- Spriggs, William E. and Stanford, James (1993) "Economists' Assessments of the Likely Employment and Wage Effects of the North American Free Trade Agreement", Hofstra Labor & Employment Law Journal: Vol. 10 : Iss. 2, Article 3.[35]
- Spriggs, William. "Measuring Residential Segregation: An Application of Trend Surface Analysis". Phylon 45, no. 4 (1984): 249–63. doi:10.2307/274906.[36]
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William E. Spriggs, Economist Who Pushed for Racial Justice, Dies at 68
An educator who served in the Obama administration, he championed workers, especially Black workers, and challenged his profession’s racial assumptions.
William E. Spriggs, who in a four-decade career in economics sought to root out racial injustice in society and in his own profession, died on Tuesday in Reston, Va. He was 68.
The A.F.L.-C.I.O., for which Dr. Spriggs had been chief economist for more than a decade, announced his death. His wife of 38 years, Jennifer Spriggs, said the cause was a stroke.
One of the most prominent Black economists of his generation, Dr. Spriggs served as an assistant secretary of labor in the Obama administration and held other public-sector roles earlier in his career. But he was best known for his work outside of government as an outspoken and frequently quoted advocate for workers, especially Black workers.
In addition to his role at the A.F.L.-C.I.O., based in Washington, he was a professor at Howard University, where he mentored a generation of Black economists while pushing for change within a field dominated by white men.
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“Bill was somebody who was deeply committed to the idea that we do economics because we have a social purpose,” William A. Darity Jr., a Duke University economist and longtime friend, said in a phone interview. “That this is not a discipline that should be deployed just for playing parlor games, and that we should use the ideas that we develop from economics for the design of social policy that will make the lives of most people far better.”
Dr. Spriggs worked on varied issues, including trade, education, the minimum wage and Social Security. But the topic he came back to most frequently, and spoke most passionately about, was that of racial disparities in the labor market. Black Americans, he pointed out time and again, consistently experienced unemployment at double the rate of white people — a troubling fact that he argued got too little attention among economists.
“Economists have tried to rationalize this disparity by saying it merely reflects differences in skill levels,” Dr. Spriggs wrote in an opinion article in The New York Times in 2021, before going on to dismiss that claim with a striking statistic: The unemployment rate for white high school dropouts is almost always below that of overall Black unemployment.
During the nationwide racial reckoning after the death of George Floyd in 2020, Dr. Spriggs wrote an open letter to his fellow economists that was sharply critical of the field’s approach to race — not just in its failure to recruit and retain Black economists, which had been widely documented, but also in economic research.
“Modern economics has a deep and painful set of roots that too few economists acknowledge,” Dr. Spriggs wrote. “In the hands of far too many economists, it remains with the assumption that African Americans are inferior until proven otherwise.”
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Biden administration officials said they had discussed appointing Dr. Spriggs to senior economic policy roles as recently as this year. In the end, he remained on the outside, nudging the administration in public and private not to back off its commitment to ensuring a strong economic recovery. In recent months he was a vocal critic of the Federal Reserve’s aggressive efforts to tame inflation, which Dr. Spriggs warned would disproportionately hurt Black workers.
“Bill was a towering figure in his field, a trailblazer who challenged the field’s basic assumptions about racial discrimination in labor markets, pay equity and worker empowerment,” President Biden said in a statement on Wednesday.
William Edward Spriggs was born on April 8, 1955, in Washington to Thurman and Julienne (Henderson) Spriggs. He was reared there and in Virginia. His father had served during World War II as a fighter pilot with the Tuskegee Airmen and went on to become a physics professor at Norfolk State University in Virginia and at Howard, in Washington, both historically Black institutions.
His mother was also a veteran and became a public-school teacher in Norfolk after earning her college degree while her son was in elementary school.
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“I remember studying history together,” Dr. Spriggs later recalled of his mother in a White House blog post written while he was at the Labor Department. “She would check out children’s books covering the topics she was learning about.”
Dr. Spriggs earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from Williams College in Massachusetts and attended graduate school at the University of Wisconsin, where he earned a master’s degree in 1979 and a doctorate in 1984, both in economics. While in graduate school, he served as co-president of the graduate student teachers union, helping to rebuild it after a largely unsuccessful strike the year before.
Dr. Spriggs stood out at Wisconsin, and not only because he was the only Black graduate student in the economics department, recalled Lawrence Mishel, a classmate who was later president of the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, where Dr. Spriggs also worked for several years.
Even as a graduate student, Dr. Mishel said, Mr. Spriggs was skeptical of the orthodox theories that his professors were teaching about how companies set workers’ wages — theories that left no room for discrimination or other forces beyond supply and demand. And unlike most students, Mr. Spriggs wasn’t interested in working for the top-ranked school where he could find a job; he wanted to work for a historically Black institution, as his father had.
He got his wish, teaching first at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro and then at Norfolk State University — where his father also worked — before taking a series of jobs in government and left-leaning think tanks. He returned to academia in 2005, when he joined Howard. He was chairman of its economics department from 2005 to 2009.
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In addition to his wife, whom he met in graduate school, his survivors include their son, William; and two sisters, Patricia Spriggs and Karen Baldwin.
Dr. Spriggs had a shaping hand in the careers of dozens of younger economists.
“I would not be an economist today without Bill Spriggs,” said Valerie Wilson, director of the Program on Race, Ethnicity and the Economy at the Economic Policy Institute.
Dr. Wilson was taking a break from graduate school and considering leaving the field altogether when one of her professors recommended her for a job working for Dr. Spriggs at the National Urban League. He helped restore her passion for economics by showing her an approach to the work that was less theoretical and more focused on the real world, she said. After two years at the Urban League, she told Dr. Spriggs that she was going back to graduate school.
His response: “We need you in the profession.”
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