Equity Matters: Under the Surface: How Racism Continues to Shape Fraud Narratives in Public Benefits

This event has already happened. Please see the full recording, learn more about the speakers, and find a list of resources below.

On June 25, 2026, the latest installment of CLASP’s Equity Matters series focused on how racism shapes fraud narratives of public benefits programs in the current public discourse. Our panel highlighted the history of racism in public benefits program administration, the ways that fraud narratives harm recipients, how policies have either exacerbated or refuted these narratives, and how advocates and lawmakers can support both public benefits recipients and administrators.

Watch the full recording below:

Speakers:

Framing

  • Wendy Chun-Hoon, Executive Director, CLASP
  • Jesse Fairbanks, Policy Analyst, Public Benefits Justice
  • Teon Hayes, Senior Policy Analyst, Public Benefits Justice

Discussion

  • Adriana Cadena, Executive Director, Protecting Immigrant Families Campaign
  • Christina Hasaan, Community Engagement Consultant and Alumnus, CLASP Community Partnership Group
  • Ifeoma Ike, Founder and Chief Equity Weaver, Pink Cornrows
  • Jamila Michener, PhD, Associate Professor, Director of the Center for Racial Justice and Equitable Futures—Cornell University
  • Parker Gilkesson Davis, Senior Policy Analyst, CLASP (moderator)

Resources from the Event

Download Social Media Toolkit Download Zine and Instructions
Download Slides Download the Q/A Discussion
Download Fact Sheet ➔ Subscribe for more Equity Matters Updates!

Report

A Community-Driven Anti-Racist Vision for SNAP

This report offers recommendations for changes to the SNAP program that move it in an anti-racist direction. This includes examining issues around sufficiency; availability; trauma; trust; respect; promotion of opportunity; and the perspectives of participants.

Testimony

CLASP Testimony on the Racialized History of Fraud in SNAP

Parker Gilkesson Davis, senior policy analyst on the public benefits justice team, shares her experience as a North Carolina caseworker around a paper she published analyzing the racialized history of fraud in SNAP.

Report

SNAP “Program Integrity:” How Racialized Fraud Provisions Criminalize Hunger

CLASP takes on the racialized history behind SNAP fraud, details the significant damage caused by efforts to “rein in” this perceived problem, and offers policy recommendations for reversing the harm.

Fact Sheet

Five Ways State Agencies Can Support EBT Users at Risk of ‘Skimming’

Skimming is a crime that’s inconvenient and frustrating, regardless of who falls victim to it. But it is even more detrimental for people receiving SNAP and TANF who are living in poverty.

Know Your Rights

Know Your Rights about “Intentional Program Violations”

If you’ve been accused of “fraud” in the SNAP program, this “Know Your Rights” factsheet may be helpful.

Report

Lifting Administrative Burdens to Advance Health and Racial Equity

This paper from CLASP and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) details the racist roots of administrative burdens in Medicaid, describes how these burdens continue to harm eligible people – particularly people of color – and provides specific recommendations for states to reduce administrative burden as a key strategy for advancing racial equity in Medicaid.

 

Equity Matters