Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman

Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman
Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman in 2019
Born1996 (age 29–30)
Kumasi, Ghana
Known forSadie Collective
Black Birders Week
AwardsMeyerhoff Scholarship

National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship

Ford Foundation Pre-doctoral Fellowship
Academic background
EducationUniversity of Maryland, Baltimore County (BA)

Harvard University (MA)

Harvard Kennedy School (Ph.D. in progress)
Websitewww.annagifty.com Edit this at Wikidata

Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman (born 1996) is a Ghanaian-born American researcher, activist, and writer. She is a co-founder and former CEO of the Sadie Collective, as well as a co-founder and co-organizer of Black Birders Week. Opoku-Agyeman is the editor of The Black Agenda: Bold Solutions for a Broken System and author of The Double Tax: How Women of Color are Overcharged and Underpaid.[1][2]

Early life and education

Opoku-Agyeman was born in Kumasi, Ghana, and moved to the United States as a child.[3]

Opoku-Agyeman graduated from St. John's Parish Day School in Ellicott City, Maryland in 2007,[4] and from Glenelg Country School, also in Ellicott City, in 2014.[5] In 2019, she earned a B.A. in mathematics with a minor in economics from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC).[6] As an undergraduate, Opoku-Agyeman was a Meyerhoff Scholar and NIH MARC U*STAR Scholar, and was enrolled in the UMBC Honors College.[7][8][9]

After graduating from college, Opoku-Agyeman attended the American Economic Association’s summer training program, which aims to increase diversity in economics "by preparing talented undergraduates for doctoral programs in economics and related disciplines".[7][10] She then spent the 2019–2020 academic year enrolled in the Harvard University Research Scholar Initiative postbaccalaureate program.[7] While Opoku-Agyeman was in the Harvard postbaccalaureate program, she was a research assistant to an economics professor at Harvard Graduate School of Education[11] and was affiliated with the National Bureau of Economic Research.[12] She is currently a doctoral student in Public Policy and Economics at the Harvard Kennedy School[13] as a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow,[14] a Ford Foundation Graduate Fellow,[15] a Russell Sage Foundation Dissertation Fellow,[16] Roosevelt Institute Graduate Fellow,[17], a Stone PhD Scholar in Inequality and Wealth Concentration,[18] and a Women and Public Policy Program Doctoral Affiliate.[19] In 2023, she was among those selected for Forbes 30 Under 30 Local Boston class.[20] In 2025, she earned her M.A. in Public Policy with a concentration in Economics.[21]

Career

The Sadie Collective

In 2018, Opoku-Agyeman and Fanta Traore co-founded a nonprofit organization called the Sadie Collective, which aims to increase the number of Black women working in quantitative data fields, including economics, data science, and public policy.[22][23][24][25] The collective offers mentorship and hosts programming, including the annual Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander Conference for Economics and Related Fields.[22][23][24] Opoku-Agyeman served as the CEO of the organization until March 2021.[3][12][25][26][27] Several of her published works and media features, which advocate for the advancement and inclusion of black women in economics, have been the result of collaboration with Lisa D. Cook, the first African American woman and first woman of color to sit on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. [12][28][29]

Black Birders Week

In 2020, Opoku-Agyeman co-founded and co-organized Black Birders Week, a series of online events organized to highlight and celebrate Black birders, naturalists, and outdoor enthusiasts.[30][31][32][33] Her aim was to improve the visibility of Black people in non-stereotypical situations,[34] and to advocate for science organizations to give Black people the platform and resources to engage in engagement and outreach activities.[35][33][36] Additionally, the inaugural Black Birders Week produced content in collaboration with the National Audubon Society and the Monterey Bay Aquarium.[37] Opoku-Agyeman, alongside the founding members of Black Birders Week, received the Richard and Patricia Kane Conservation and Education Award in 2020.[38]

The Double Tax

In 2025, Opoku-Agyeman wrote The Double Tax: How Women of Color are Overcharged and Underpaid with a foreword from Chelsea Clinton.[39] The book analyzes the costs associated with racism and sexism women face across a lifetime.[40][41] Opoku-Agyeman explores topics across beauty, career, housing, motherhood, caregiving, and retirement using quantitative and qualitative data.[42][43][44] The term "the double tax", as defined by the book, has been used to describe racial and gender disparities in Unemployment, Homeownership, and the Cannabis industry.[45][46][47][48] Several organizations and academic institutions have hosted talks about the book such as the Bank of England, The Century Foundation, and St. Catherine University.[49][50][51] In 2026, Opoku-Agyeman delivered the CEW+ Mullin Welch Endowed Lecture at Ford School of Public Policy based on the book.[52] On tour, Opoku-Agyeman was joined by Chelsea Clinton, Hope Walz, Governor Tim Walz's daughter, and Mikki Kendall, the author of Hood Feminism.[53][54][55] The Double Tax was named by the Los Angeles Times as one of the best science books of 2025 by Alie Ward, the host of Ologies (podcast).[56]

Awards and honors

  • LA Times Best Science Book Selection, 2025[57]
  • Forbes 30 Under 30 Local Boston, 2023[58]

Publications

Academic publications

  • Opoku-Agyeman, Anna Gifty; Rackstraw, Emma (2026). "Belief Updating, Observability, and Race in the Labor Market". AEA Papers and Proceedings. 116: 422–425. doi:10.1257/pandp.20261085.
  • Campbell, Petreena S.; Mavingire, Nicole; Khan, Salma; Rowland, Leah K.; Wooten, Jonathan V.; Opoku-Agyeman, Anna; Guevara, Ashley; Soto, Ubaldo; Cavalli, Fiorella; Loaiza-Pérez, Andrea Irene; Nagaraj, Gayathri; Denham, Laura J.; Adeoye, Olayemi; Jenkins, Brittany D.; Davis, Melissa B.; Schiff, Rachel; Brantley, Eileen J. (2019). "AhR ligand aminoflavone suppresses α6-integrin-Src-Akt signaling to attenuate tamoxifen resistance in breast cancer cells". Journal of Cellular Physiology. 234 (1): 108–121. doi:10.1002/jcp.27013. ISSN 0021-9541. PMC 6202151. PMID 30076704.[59]
  • Opoku-Agyeman, Anna Gifty (2020). "The Impact of Early Childhood Malaria Risk on the Probability of School Delay in Ghana" (PDF). UMBC Journal of Undergraduate Research. 21: 47.

Selected other publications

References

  1. ↑ Ryssdal, Equityby Kai; McHenry, Sean. ""The Double Tax" looks at the compounded costs Black women face in this economy". www.marketplace.org. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
  2. ↑ N; P; R (February 25, 2022). "'The Black Agenda' and 'Solitary' tackle criminal justice reform". NPR. Retrieved May 30, 2026.
  3. 1 2 "Meet Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman, Co-Founder and CEO of the Sadie Collective". GUBA Awards. June 2019. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Awesome Alumni Alert!". St. John's Parish Day School. May 17, 2019.
  5. ↑ "Glenelg Country School Class of 2014". Baltimore Sun. June 7, 2014.
  6. ↑ Cheryl (April 22, 2020). "Profile: Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman, Research Scholar in Economics & Co-Founder of The Sadie Collective". We Rep STEM.
  7. 1 2 3 Dansberger Duque, Catalina Sofia (June 17, 2019). "The Power of Community". UMBC Magazine.
  8. ↑ "Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman". Economic Policy Institute. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  9. ↑ "BSOS Welcomes 2017 Summer Research Initiative Scholars". University of Maryland - College of Behavioral and Social Sciences. 2017.
  10. ↑ "AEA Summer and Scholarship Programs". AEA Summer and Scholarship Programs. American Economic Association. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  11. ↑ Hasenstab, Maria; Opoku-Agyeman, Anna; Traore, Fanta (September 18, 2019). "Anna Opoku-Agyeman and Fanta Traore". Women in Economics. Federal Reserve of St. Louis. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  12. 1 2 3 Cook, Lisa D.; Opoku-Agyeman, Anna Gifty; Bhattacharya, Jhumpa (September 1, 2019). "Episode 27: Dr. Lisa D. Cook and Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman". Insight.
  13. ↑ Smith, Stacey Vanek (February 3, 2022). "Black Agenda: A conversation with Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman : The Indicator from Planet Money". NPR.org. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  14. ↑ "National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)". Roosevelt Institute Welcomes New Graduate Fellow Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman. Roosevelt Institute. June 18, 2025.
  15. ↑ "Ford Foundation Fellowship Programs". National Academy of Sciences.
  16. ↑ "Fourth Annual Dissertation Research Grants Awarded | Russell Sage Foundation". www.russellsage.org. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
  17. ↑ dneptune (June 18, 2025). "Roosevelt Institute Welcomes New Graduate Fellow Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman". Roosevelt Institute. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman | Stone Program in Wealth Distribution, Inequality, and Social Policy". inequality.hks.harvard.edu. Archived from the original on September 23, 2025. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
  19. ↑ "Meet Our Research Fellows". www.hks.harvard.edu. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  20. ↑ Team, Forbes Under 30. "30 Under 30 Local 2023: Boston". Forbes. Retrieved August 15, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  21. ↑ "SXSW 2026 Schedule | Contributors". SXSW 2026 Schedule. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
  22. 1 2 Casselman, Ben; Tankersley, Jim; Smialek, Jeanna (January 7, 2020). "A Year After a #MeToo Reckoning, Economists Still Grapple With It". The New York Times.
  23. 1 2 Dansberger Duque, Catalina Sofia (March 6, 2019). "UMBC students Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman and Olusayo Adeleye co-create 1st U.S. conference for Black women economists". UMBC News.
  24. 1 2 Dansberger Duque, Catalina Sofia (April 2, 2019). "Inside the Conference for Black Women Economists". Ms. Magazine.
  25. 1 2 "The Two Women Fixing the Pipeline for Black Female Economists". Bloomberg.com. March 20, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  26. ↑ Omeokwe, Amara (January 3, 2020). "Economics Profession Turns Attention to its 'Race Problem'". Wall Street Journal.
  27. ↑ "Advisory Board". The Sadie Collective. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  28. ↑ Opoku-Agyeman, Anna Gifty (September 30, 2019). "It Was a Mistake for Me to Choose This Field". New York Times.
  29. ↑ Garcia, Cardiff (December 18, 2019). "The Indicator from Planet Money: How Economics Excludes Black Women". NPR.
  30. ↑ "#BlackBirdersWeek aims to raise awareness, grow community". BirdWatchingDaily. May 29, 2020.
  31. ↑ Kutz, Cat (June 4, 2020). "#BlackBirdersWeek: Celebrating and Encouraging Diversity in Conservation". Smithsonian Magazine.
  32. ↑ Calma, Justine (June 4, 2020). "How one viral video sparked a black birders movement online". The Verge.
  33. 1 2 Thompson, Andrea (June 5, 2020). "Black Birders Call Out Racism, Say Nature Should Be for Everyone". Scientific American.
  34. ↑ "These Black nature lovers are busting stereotypes, one cool bird at a time". CNN. June 3, 2020.
  35. ↑ Bale, Rachael (June 4, 2020). "Everyone can watch the birds". National Geographic. Archived from the original on June 7, 2020.
  36. ↑ Cat, Linh Anh (June 1, 2020). "Opening The Outdoors: Inaugural Black Birders Week". Forbes.
  37. ↑ "#BlackBirdersWeek: Black People Belong In The Great Outdoors Too". WBAA.org. June 1, 2020.
  38. ↑ "New Jersey Audubon Recognizes Leaders of Black Birders Week" (PDF). New Jersey Audubon. October 5, 2020.
  39. ↑ "Video New book discusses disparities that women of color face". ABC News. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
  40. ↑ "Costing Out the Double Tax | The Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences". gsas.harvard.edu. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
  41. ↑ "What is the "Double Tax" on women of color? Author Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman explains - CBS Boston". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
  42. ↑ "Costing Out the Double Tax | The Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences". gsas.harvard.edu. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
  43. ↑ "Visiting researcher Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman unpacks the "double tax" of sexism and racism - | St. Catherine University". www.stkate.edu. October 9, 2025. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
  44. ↑ Ph.D., Aisha Nyandoro. "Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman Discusses 'The Double Tax'". Forbes. Archived from the original on November 19, 2025. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
  45. ↑ Williams, Noella. "'Kiss My Grass' reveals inequity in cannabis industry". EBONY. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
  46. ↑ Edwards, Kandiss (September 10, 2025). "High Price To Pay: 'Double Tax' Cause Of Decline In Black Women Homeownership". Black Enterprise. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
  47. ↑ "Black women face prolonged unemployment - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
  48. ↑ Luse, Brittany (October 8, 2025). "Is the economy slowing? Ask Black women". NPR. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
  49. ↑ "Visiting researcher Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman unpacks the "double tax" of sexism and racism - | St. Catherine University". www.stkate.edu. October 9, 2025. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
  50. ↑ Souleo (September 2, 2025). ""The Double Tax: How Women of Color Are Overcharged and Underpaid" Book Launch Event". The Century Foundation. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
  51. ↑ "In Conversation: The double tax – talk and networking event". www.bankofengland.co.uk. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
  52. ↑ ""The Double Tax" explained as Harvard economist and author delivers CEW+ Mullin Welch Endowed Lecture | Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy". fordschool.umich.edu. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
  53. ↑ "Visiting researcher Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman unpacks the "double tax" of sexism and racism - | St. Catherine University". www.stkate.edu. October 9, 2025. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
  54. ↑ "Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman". Anderson's Bookshop Naperville. Archived from the original on October 11, 2025. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
  55. ↑ The 92nd Street Y, New York (October 3, 2025). Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman with Chelsea Clinton: The Double Tax. Retrieved July 17, 2026 – via YouTube.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  56. ↑ Recinos, Eva (December 23, 2025). "The 5 best science books of 2025". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
  57. ↑ Recinos, Eva (December 23, 2025). "The 5 best science books of 2025". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
  58. ↑ Team, Forbes Under 30. "30 Under 30 Local 2023: Boston". Forbes. Retrieved July 17, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  59. ↑ Program of the UMBC 19th Annual Summer Undergraduate Research Fest Hosted by the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences Wednesday, August 10, 2016 shows that this is the same Anna Opoku-Agyeman
  60. ↑ "The Double Tax by Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman, Chelsea Clinton: 9780593714256 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
  61. ↑ "The Black Agenda". Macmillan. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
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