Dedicated to enhancing civic engagement and encouraging a positive community impact for southwest Atlanta.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Monday, October 8, 2012
Opportunity zone in southwest Atlanta
Atlanta newest “opportunity zone” touted as way to spur jobs, lower poverty
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Invest Atlanta, the city’s
economic development agency, applauded Georgia’s designation of new
“opportunity zone” in Atlanta. The new zone is the area bounded by White
Street and Lee Street in southwest Atlanta. New or existing businesses
located within an opportunity zone are eligible for a yearly income tax
credit of $3,500 for each new job created as long as they create at
least two net new jobs. The annual tax credit is good for up to five
years, meaning a business could be eligible for up to $17,500 in tax
credits if it hired at least two new people per year.
Friday, October 5, 2012
Race and Beyond: Coming Together to Help Black Boys and Men
Improving the lives of black boys and men is not an impossible task.
Yawn.
There’s nothing new to add to that tired trope, especially for anyone with a passing awareness of the enduring history and the contemporary plight of black males in our country. But what is being done about the stacks of studies and statistics that point to a disproportionate number of black boys and men trapped in the school-to-prison pipeline?
Frankly, far more than most of us know. I was reminded of this at a roundtable meeting convened earlier this week by the Center for Law and Social Policy, or CLASP, a Washington-based group that advocates for the interests of low-income Americans. About two dozen academics, grassroots activists, community-based organizers, and policy experts gathered in the CLASP conference room to talk about their work, offering success strategies that are improving the lives of and outcomes for black boys and men.
Describing the gathering as a “partnership circle meeting,” Linda Harris, who directs youth policy for CLASP, set the tone for the conversation by noting that everyone in attendance did valuable and important work. But not everyone in the room knew about each other’s work. Because people work in isolated silos, alone in their laboratories, or one-off in think-tank cubicles, the potential for synergy between their successful discoveries is often lost in the soulless proliferation of book chapters and white papers.
Harris suggested each of us in the group imagine ourselves as motorists on a vast and broad superhighway leading to an agreed-upon destination. We all want to make it easier for black boys and men to maintain good jobs, wages, and careers. But along this road, the various groups and organizations assembled at the meeting—“partners in the black men and boys’ journey,” to use Harris’s language—have different on-ramps or entry points. Each of us moves along the route at varying speeds with our heads down and our eyes trained on our specific tasks. We are often clueless of what others are doing at different places on our shared pathway.
As a result, when we do talk about what’s happening with black boys and men, the common and default mode tends toward the recitation of dismal statistics. Sure, the challenges are there in the numbers: 6.7 million—approximately one in six, or 16 percent—of all young people (ages 16 to 24, both male and female) are disconnected from school and work. But for young black males, the numbers are worse—almost double at 32 percent.
Supported by the Open Society Foundations’ Campaign for Black Male Achievement, CLASP sought to give us something else to talk about, to provide us an opportunity and space to share strategies about how to make a positive impact on black boys and young men. It was a refreshing conversation. I learned, for example, that:
This material was published by the Center for American Progress (http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/race/news/2012/09/25/39198/race-and-beyond-coming-together-to-help-black-boys-and-men/)
Yawn.
There’s nothing new to add to that tired trope, especially for anyone with a passing awareness of the enduring history and the contemporary plight of black males in our country. But what is being done about the stacks of studies and statistics that point to a disproportionate number of black boys and men trapped in the school-to-prison pipeline?
Frankly, far more than most of us know. I was reminded of this at a roundtable meeting convened earlier this week by the Center for Law and Social Policy, or CLASP, a Washington-based group that advocates for the interests of low-income Americans. About two dozen academics, grassroots activists, community-based organizers, and policy experts gathered in the CLASP conference room to talk about their work, offering success strategies that are improving the lives of and outcomes for black boys and men.
Describing the gathering as a “partnership circle meeting,” Linda Harris, who directs youth policy for CLASP, set the tone for the conversation by noting that everyone in attendance did valuable and important work. But not everyone in the room knew about each other’s work. Because people work in isolated silos, alone in their laboratories, or one-off in think-tank cubicles, the potential for synergy between their successful discoveries is often lost in the soulless proliferation of book chapters and white papers.
Harris suggested each of us in the group imagine ourselves as motorists on a vast and broad superhighway leading to an agreed-upon destination. We all want to make it easier for black boys and men to maintain good jobs, wages, and careers. But along this road, the various groups and organizations assembled at the meeting—“partners in the black men and boys’ journey,” to use Harris’s language—have different on-ramps or entry points. Each of us moves along the route at varying speeds with our heads down and our eyes trained on our specific tasks. We are often clueless of what others are doing at different places on our shared pathway.
As a result, when we do talk about what’s happening with black boys and men, the common and default mode tends toward the recitation of dismal statistics. Sure, the challenges are there in the numbers: 6.7 million—approximately one in six, or 16 percent—of all young people (ages 16 to 24, both male and female) are disconnected from school and work. But for young black males, the numbers are worse—almost double at 32 percent.
Supported by the Open Society Foundations’ Campaign for Black Male Achievement, CLASP sought to give us something else to talk about, to provide us an opportunity and space to share strategies about how to make a positive impact on black boys and young men. It was a refreshing conversation. I learned, for example, that:
- Sharon Davies, executive director of the Kirwan Institute at Ohio State University, drafted and filed an amicus brief on behalf of her institute in the Fisher v. University of Texas case—an upcoming, affirmative action case before the Supreme Court to determine whether race may be used in college admission policies. Oral arguments in the case are planned next month. Davies said it’s critical that colleges be allowed to use race-specific criteria in college admissions to increase opportunities for black youth and especially for black males, who are disproportionately absent on college campuses.
- Michael Lindsey, a professor and researcher in the University of Maryland School of Social Work, is assessing the mental health and social development needs for school-aged black boys. He explained how recognizing and addressing their unique health needs, which tend to go untreated in communities where these boys face high stress from racism, poverty, and joblessness, can result in better educational outcomes for black boys.
- Al Young Jr., a sociology professor at the University of Michigan, is demonstrating how social forces such as racism, poverty, and joblessness shape the attitudes of black boys and men toward education and work. He noted how his research contradicts the common view that black males don’t study hard because they doubt it will lead to improved life outcomes. Rather, his research shows that when black males viewed work in a productive fashion, their willingness to stay in school increased.
- Ron Walker, executive director of the Boston-based Coalition of Schools Educating Boys of Color—a network of public, private, and charter single-sex schools that focus exclusively on improving educational outcomes for young black males—is refocusing the narrative about black males to “talk about solutions, not problems.” Walker said that “black boys learn more from success than from failure.”
This material was published by the Center for American Progress (http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/race/news/2012/09/25/39198/race-and-beyond-coming-together-to-help-black-boys-and-men/)
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
The Stealth Inequities of School Funding
How State and Local School Finance Systems Perpetuate Inequitable Student Spending
By Bruce D. Baker and Sean P. Corcoran
Education has been called the passport to the future. It has been defined as the great equalizer and lauded as being a key to unlocking the American Dream. Yet too many children—often low-income and minority children—are denied access to high-quality education because they attend schools that are underfunded and under-resourced. The sad reality is that gross funding inequities continue to exist in this country, and too often the schools serving students with the greatest needs receive the fewest resources This report tackles the serious issue of public school funding inequity by identifying often-overlooked features of school funding systems that exacerbate inequities in per-pupil spending rather than reduce them.
Read more and download this report here. This material was published by the Center for American Progress (http://www.americanprogress.org/events/2012/09/11/37464/stealth-inequities-of-school-funding/)
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Atlanta City Council passes amended panhandling ordinance
In a unanimous vote, the Atlanta City Council passes a compromise ordinance cracking down on "aggressive panhandling".
The earlier version had called for up to 180 days in jail on the first offense. Mayor Reed vetoed it.
The new version sets up a series of penalties: up to 30 days community service on the first offense; at least 30-days in jail for the second; and at least 90 days behind bars on the third.
At the same time, the compromise makes tightens up the definition of "aggressive" begging: those who continue to accost citizens after being told "no".
"This legislation protects our citizens from those wolves who -- to the detriment of those truly in need -- cloak themselves in sheep's clothing," says Councilman Michael Bond Critics of the earlier ordinance complained it was unfair to the poor.
The mayor is expected to sign the compromise plan. The new law would apply citywide. The vote was 14-0.
This article was published by WSBRADIO.com (http://www.wsbradio.com/news/news/atlanta-city-council-passes-amended-panhandling-or/nSRCG/)
Monday, October 1, 2012
The Voting Impact of People of Color
As the 2012 election approaches, people of color are poised to make a
significant impact on the electoral outcomes of key swing states,
including Florida, Nevada, Virginia, and Colorado. As this map
illustrates, Latinos, Asian Americans, and other people of color have
grown in numbers in these states over the past decade—on the lower end, a
4.5 percent increase in Colorado, and a high of 10.6 percent growth in
Nevada. This growth of ethnically and racially diverse communities
translates to potential voting power. A full 38.9 percent of Nevada’s
eligible voters are of color, while the same is true of 34.5 percent of
Florida’s eligible voters, 27.4 percent of eligible voters in Virginia,
and 22.4 percent of voters in Colorado.
Legal permanent residents are eligible to become citizens—and eventually eligible to vote—and are present in significant numbers in swing states as well: 80,000 legal permanent residents live in Nevada, 790,000 in Florida, 150,000 in Virginia, and 90,000 in Colorado. The importance of these citizens-in-waiting lies in the fact that their numbers are often greater than the margins of victory in these states. The role of people of color—including Latinos, Asian Americans, and others—in this election and future elections will shape the political landscape for years to come.
Check your state.
This material was published by the Center for American Progress (http://app.mx3.americanprogressaction.org/e/es.aspx?s=785&e=420236&elq=83228e919e4e4ad4ac2c5b925fd08a7e)
Legal permanent residents are eligible to become citizens—and eventually eligible to vote—and are present in significant numbers in swing states as well: 80,000 legal permanent residents live in Nevada, 790,000 in Florida, 150,000 in Virginia, and 90,000 in Colorado. The importance of these citizens-in-waiting lies in the fact that their numbers are often greater than the margins of victory in these states. The role of people of color—including Latinos, Asian Americans, and others—in this election and future elections will shape the political landscape for years to come.
Check your state.
This material was published by the Center for American Progress (http://app.mx3.americanprogressaction.org/e/es.aspx?s=785&e=420236&elq=83228e919e4e4ad4ac2c5b925fd08a7e)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)