In her research, Cook highlighted the amount of patents that were never issued due to the constant riots, lynchings and Jim Crow laws Black Americans faced between 1870 and 1940.

“The loss was considerable: The patents that African-Americans could have been expected to receive, given equal opportunity, would have roughly equaled the total for a medium-size European country during that time,” she wrote, The New York Times reports.

Cook also referred to work from other researchers, saying “aggregate economic output would have been $16 trillion higher since 2000 if racial gaps had been closed.”

“The gross domestic product of the United States in 2019 was $21.4 trillion,” she wrote. “The researchers estimate that economic activity could be $5 trillion higher over the next five years if equal opportunity is achieved.”

The Michigan State University professor proposed more training in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, particularly programs that encourage women and underrepresented minorities to participate in those fields.

Lisa Cook

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