This week there have been a number of compelling news items on racial justice topics. Take a look:
"House Issues An Apology For Slavery"
Washington Post
The House yesterday apologized to black Americans, more than 140 years after slavery was abolished, for the "fundamental injustice, cruelty, brutality and inhumanity of slavery and Jim Crow" segregation. The resolution, which passed on a voice vote late in the day, was sponsored by Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), a white Jew who represents a majority-black district in Memphis. (Click Title for Complete Article)
"U.S. Blacks, if a Nation, Would Rank High on AIDS"
The New York Times
If black America were a country, it would rank 16th in the world in the number of people living with the AIDS virus, the Black AIDS Institute, an advocacy group, reported Tuesday. The report, financed in part by the Ford Foundation and the Elton John AIDS Foundation, provides a startling new perspective on an epidemic that was first recognized in 1981. (Click Title for Complete Article)
"Study Sees Racial Bias in Traffic-Stop Searches"
Chicago Tribune
Civil rights groups called Thursday for ending the state police practice of searching vehicles during routine traffic stops, citing new statistics that show black and Hispanic motorists are searched more often even though drugs or other illegal items turn up more frequently among white drivers.
Showing posts with label racial justice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label racial justice. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Advocates Make Case for NC Racial Justice Act
This story is a few weeks old and not from a state in our region, but seemed compelling enough to pass along. North Carolina's House has already approved the "North Carolina Racial Justice Act," and it is now before their state Senate. Racial Justice advocates occassionally struggle with the belief that Civil Rights Era lawsuits and legislation attended to our nation's anti-racism policy needs and that now we simply have to deal with individual attitudes and occassional enforcement issues. When race-based disparities are as egregious as they are on death row-- where approximately 41% of inmates are African American (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2006)-- it is apparent that policy changes are needed. Here is one state's attempt to remedy an aspect of structural racism.
By WHITNEY WOODWARD Associated Press Writer
Posted: May. 27, 2008
RALEIGH, N.C. — Spurred by the recent release of three black men from death row, judicial reform advocates called on lawmakers Tuesday to give defendants in capital murder cases the right to challenge their prosecution on racial bias grounds.
The North Carolina Racial Justice Act has sat dormant in a Senate committee since the House voted 68-51 to approve the measure last year. The proposal would allow death penalty defendants to use statistics to claim their conviction or sentence was driven by race.
Click here for the full article
By WHITNEY WOODWARD Associated Press Writer
Posted: May. 27, 2008
RALEIGH, N.C. — Spurred by the recent release of three black men from death row, judicial reform advocates called on lawmakers Tuesday to give defendants in capital murder cases the right to challenge their prosecution on racial bias grounds.
The North Carolina Racial Justice Act has sat dormant in a Senate committee since the House voted 68-51 to approve the measure last year. The proposal would allow death penalty defendants to use statistics to claim their conviction or sentence was driven by race.
Click here for the full article
Friday, June 6, 2008
News Item: Racism Exists
GLA is embarking on the exciting work of planning "Catapult 2011," a training initiative aimed at "catapulting" our work to eliminate racism and empower women to its furthest, most transformative end. YW advocates may have thought the the original language of the YWCA One Imperative was bold. In 1971, we proclaimed that the YWCA will thrust its collective power toward the elimination of racism, wherever it exists, and by any means necessary.
This radical statement was only the beginning. Now, in 2008, we are practically and strategically aiming to fling ourselves miles further.
In preparing background materials for this initiative, we needed common language about our core values to get us started. At our absolute foundation, YWCAs share a belief that racism exists. This may sound obvious, but we've all heard the disclaimers and counter arguments-- sometimes from our own colleagues, board members, and families. Indeed, one YWCA staffer recently discussed a conversation she had with an individual who tried to tell her that "Sexism is real. Racism is just a concept."
The NAACP's Research Department has a slew of Fact Sheets that describe conditions for African Americans in Education, Health, Criminal Justice, and Economic Empowerment. In addition, their November 2007 report "State of Emergency: Stemming the Tide of Injustice Against African Americans" gives some of the starkest evidence that the playing field is not even where race is concerned.
If we are to go boldly forward, thrusting our collective power all the way, there will always be some for whom proof is needed. I'm sure many have favorite resources that pin down some of the most egregious manifestations of racism-- feel free to leave a comment with yours.
--Rebecca
This radical statement was only the beginning. Now, in 2008, we are practically and strategically aiming to fling ourselves miles further.
In preparing background materials for this initiative, we needed common language about our core values to get us started. At our absolute foundation, YWCAs share a belief that racism exists. This may sound obvious, but we've all heard the disclaimers and counter arguments-- sometimes from our own colleagues, board members, and families. Indeed, one YWCA staffer recently discussed a conversation she had with an individual who tried to tell her that "Sexism is real. Racism is just a concept."
The NAACP's Research Department has a slew of Fact Sheets that describe conditions for African Americans in Education, Health, Criminal Justice, and Economic Empowerment. In addition, their November 2007 report "State of Emergency: Stemming the Tide of Injustice Against African Americans" gives some of the starkest evidence that the playing field is not even where race is concerned.
If we are to go boldly forward, thrusting our collective power all the way, there will always be some for whom proof is needed. I'm sure many have favorite resources that pin down some of the most egregious manifestations of racism-- feel free to leave a comment with yours.
--Rebecca
Thursday, May 29, 2008
S.F. schools take on racism, classism
There have been so many conversations in GLA this year about structural racism's most tenacious problems, including race-based disparities in education and in the criminal justice system. While the road to undoing these conditions will undoubtedly be paved with trial and error, and with policies that may only scratch the surface, it is heartening to see a school district working strategically and intentionally to topple educational racism and classism.
_____________________________________
Jill Tucker, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
San Francisco Superintendent Carlos Garcia took a first stab at putting his mark on city schools Tuesday with a plan that pushes the district to face racism and classism head on.
The district's strategic plan adopted by the school board 6-0 Tuesday night focuses on reversing the typical academic outcomes for black, Hispanic and poor students.
Although that sounds almost like a reworked version of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, district officials say they are working off a corporate model that puts everyone - from school board members to custodians - under the microscope in different ways.
A new grading system will expose schools - even the popular, high-scoring ones - that are failing to address the institutional racial inequities within their walls.
Click here for the full article from the San Francisco Chronicle
_____________________________________
Jill Tucker, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
San Francisco Superintendent Carlos Garcia took a first stab at putting his mark on city schools Tuesday with a plan that pushes the district to face racism and classism head on.
The district's strategic plan adopted by the school board 6-0 Tuesday night focuses on reversing the typical academic outcomes for black, Hispanic and poor students.
Although that sounds almost like a reworked version of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, district officials say they are working off a corporate model that puts everyone - from school board members to custodians - under the microscope in different ways.
A new grading system will expose schools - even the popular, high-scoring ones - that are failing to address the institutional racial inequities within their walls.
Click here for the full article from the San Francisco Chronicle
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Elkhart cross burning investigated by FBI
Today GLA hosted the final dialogue conference call it its "Racism and. . ." series. During the call a YWCA staff member from Indiana shared information about a recent incident in Elkhart Indiana where a cross was burned on the front lawn of an interracial couple earlier this month. (If you follow the link, spend a few moments reading the comments posted there, which may provide a stark reality check about how the work to end racism is going.)
In reflecting on this particular incident, I am aware that it can be a challenge for racial justice advocates to find our way in this kind of situation. For the most part, our expertise is in helping community members "unpack their invisible knapsacks," moreso than taking on the KKK.
In a previous job, I worked for an organization called BRAVO (the Buckeye Region Anti-Violence Organization), where I was one of 3 staff people who worked to respond to all kinds of violence in the lives of lesbians, gay men, bisexual and transgender people. Because we were a small staff, even though I coordinated the domestic violence program, answering the hotline was everyone's job. In an average year, we took approximately 200 calls from individuals who had been threatened or harmed where anti-lgbt bias was the only reason for the violence they experienced. During my time there, I attended trials and court hearings with the family members of drag queens who had been murdered, college students whose dorm rooms had been vandalized with anti-gay hate speech, and rural couples who came home to find death threats, dead pets, and other tangible evidence of purposeful intimidation from their neighbors.
When we stand up and declare that we are advocates for racial justice, it is important to acknowledge that this can mean a lot of different things. The skills and tools needed to ask the local news to stop unfairly depicting African Americans in its media coverage, or to train a group of teens to recognize hidden personal biases are different than the ones needed to comfort a family whose lives have been threatened and safety has been compromised. These skills are different still from the ones needed in order to push a state legislature to enact hate crimes legislation or enforce laws that are already on the books. We need to be clear about what kind of anti-racists we are. We need practical skills as advocates and interveners, and we need the courage to stand up to systems that have failed to protect us or members of our communities.
To take a positive step in this direction, try writing a sentence on a piece of paper that starts with "I will advocate for racial justice by. . . " and then fill in the blank. The things that are innate to you or to your organization will suggest the tools and skills that are needed to get there.
posted by rebecca
In reflecting on this particular incident, I am aware that it can be a challenge for racial justice advocates to find our way in this kind of situation. For the most part, our expertise is in helping community members "unpack their invisible knapsacks," moreso than taking on the KKK.
In a previous job, I worked for an organization called BRAVO (the Buckeye Region Anti-Violence Organization), where I was one of 3 staff people who worked to respond to all kinds of violence in the lives of lesbians, gay men, bisexual and transgender people. Because we were a small staff, even though I coordinated the domestic violence program, answering the hotline was everyone's job. In an average year, we took approximately 200 calls from individuals who had been threatened or harmed where anti-lgbt bias was the only reason for the violence they experienced. During my time there, I attended trials and court hearings with the family members of drag queens who had been murdered, college students whose dorm rooms had been vandalized with anti-gay hate speech, and rural couples who came home to find death threats, dead pets, and other tangible evidence of purposeful intimidation from their neighbors.
When we stand up and declare that we are advocates for racial justice, it is important to acknowledge that this can mean a lot of different things. The skills and tools needed to ask the local news to stop unfairly depicting African Americans in its media coverage, or to train a group of teens to recognize hidden personal biases are different than the ones needed to comfort a family whose lives have been threatened and safety has been compromised. These skills are different still from the ones needed in order to push a state legislature to enact hate crimes legislation or enforce laws that are already on the books. We need to be clear about what kind of anti-racists we are. We need practical skills as advocates and interveners, and we need the courage to stand up to systems that have failed to protect us or members of our communities.
To take a positive step in this direction, try writing a sentence on a piece of paper that starts with "I will advocate for racial justice by. . . " and then fill in the blank. The things that are innate to you or to your organization will suggest the tools and skills that are needed to get there.
posted by rebecca
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