Economist William Spriggs, Advocate for Racial Justice, Passes Away at 68
William E. Spriggs, a prominent Black economist and advocate for workers, especially Black workers, died at the age of 68. He served as the chief economist for the A.F.L.-C.I.O. for over a decade and was an assistant secretary of labor in the Obama administration. Dr. Spriggs was a vocal critic of racial disparities in the labor market and challenged his profession’s assumptions about race. He mentored a generation of Black economists while pushing for change within a field dominated by white men.