Evidence in service
of the mandate.
The Reconstruction Institute produces the research, data, and analysis that powers Black political strategy.
The Reconstruction Institute exists to produce that intelligence. We conduct original research on electoral strategy, voting rights, and the policy conditions that determine whether Black political power can be built, sustained, and defended.
We are not a think tank producing reports for other academics. We are a research operation producing tools for organizers, strategists, candidates, and communities who are doing the work of finishing Reconstruction.
Our Full Mission →Reconstruction produced the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments. It produced Black senators, congressmen, and state legislators. It demonstrated that multiracial democracy is not theoretical — it happened.
The Compromise of 1877 ended federal enforcement. What followed was systematic disenfranchisement, violence, and a century of organized suppression. The Institute documents that suppression and its present-day continuation.
We produce the evidence base that the Reconstruction movement needs to finish what was started.
Three Research Priorities
Every project connects to one question: what does Black political power need to be built and defended?
Voter file analysis, turnout modeling, district targeting, and competitive race ratings — the strategic intelligence that determines where and how to deploy resources to maximize Black electoral power.
Legislative tracking, suppression documentation, litigation support, and policy analysis across target states — the evidence base for defending the right to vote in every form it is threatened.
Economic conditions, healthcare access, criminal justice, and education policy in target communities — the structural factors that shape what Black political power can accomplish once elected officials are in office.
Featured Publications
Black Voter Power Index: 2026 Battleground Analysis
A district-by-district analysis of Black voter concentration, turnout history, and margin impact across the 12 states where Black electoral power is most decisive in 2026 federal and state races.
Read the Report →The Suppression Map: 2025–2026 Legislative Tracker
Documenting every voter restriction bill introduced across target states since January 2025.
Read the Brief →Economic Equity Gaps in Reconstruction's Target States
Measuring the structural economic conditions that shape what Black political representation can accomplish.
Read the Paper →