May/June 20092008 VolumeVolume 17:18: NumberNumber 33

TensionsMore Than Among Just Race: Minority Being Groups? Black

Last December, New Americaand Media Poor (NAM) released in thethe results Inner of a major Citynational poll, “Deep Divisions, Shared Destiny: A Poll of African Americans, Hispanics and Asian Americans on Race Relations Sponsored by New America Media and Nine Founding Ethnic Partners.” A total byof 1,105 William African-American, Julius Wilson Asian-American and Hispanic adults were polled (as noted below, Native Americans were not included), using sophisticated methodology, “designed to be representative of theI adultn More population than Just of Race, the three I hope major to racialTaking and ethnic Culture minorities Seriously in the United States.”those settings. A typical newspaper headline furtherreporting our the understanding story was “Survey of the Pointscom- to Tensions Among Chief Minorities” (New YorkI want Times to ,avoid 12/13/07). limited conceptions plex Yetand the interrelated results—covering factors thatattitudes con- about aThe wide book range will of likelyissues—are generate far con-more complex,of culture and lessdefined one-sidedly in the simpleconflictful, and tinuethan theseto contribute headlines to suggested. racial inequality We thereforetroversy asked inseveral some ofcircles PRRAC’s because close I dare associatestraditional to comment terms on of the group results. norms, Full pollval- inresults the United are available States. atIn http://media.newamericamedia.org/images/polls/race/exec_summary.pdfthe process, I to take culture seriously as one of the ues and attitudes toward family and call for reexamining the way social explanatory variables in the study of work, and also consider cultural rep- scientists discuss two important factors race and urban poverty—a topic that ertoires (habits, styles and skills) and associated with racial inequality—so- is typically considered off-limits in the micro-level processes of meaning- cial structure and culture. AlthoughRacial-Ethnicacademic discourse because Destinies of a fear making and decision-making—that is, the book highlights the experiences of that such analysis can be construed as the way that individuals in particular inner-city African Americans, it “blamingby the S.M. victim.” Miller Indeed, I de- groups, communities or societies de- should be emphasized that the com- velop a framework that integrates velop an understanding of how the plexitiesPolls, ofsuch understanding as this one on race “Deep and structuraltime of the forces—ranging question-asking. from Would those the worldcompetition works and for make jobs decisions and political based racialDivisions, inequality Shared inDestiny,” America report are notthe thatrespondents are racial, have such the as same segregation response and in onspace, that operateunderstanding. against that The potential. processes limitedlow (5%) to research margin on of blacks. error ofFormal their discrimination,today’s reeling toeconomy those that as theyare non- had of meaning-makingUnfortunately, and America decision-mak- needs andstudy. informal Like aspects many otherof inequality polls, have they racialin August-September, such as changes 2007 before in thethe ing are reflected(Please turn in to culturalpage 2) frames alsoneglect victimized to point Latinos, out that Asian this Ameri- error economy—andeconomy’s faltering cultural became forces disturb- to not (shared group constructions of reality). cansmargin and applies Native to theAmericans. study as a Inwhole. this onlyingly showevident? how Better the two times are breedinextrica- op- Racism has historically been one of book,The margin however, of errorI use forthe researcheach of theon blytimism. linked, As but the also report to declares, explain why the the most CONTENTS:prominent American cultural inner-citythree racial-ethnic African Americans groups, theto elabo- sub- structuralracial-ethnic forces landscape should is in receive flux. The far framesRacial/Ethnic and has played Tensions a major role1 in ratesamples, my analyticmay be largerframework than the because over- morelandscape attention will bethan made cultural by events, factors cir- in determiningS.M. Miller...... how whites perceive 1and all error margin. Some lowering of they have been the central focus of the accountingcumstances, for actions the social and responsesoutcomes byof act Wadetoward blacks. Henderson...... In the United States 2 structure-versus-cultureconfidence in the reports dispute. for each poor African Americans and in fram- each group and by the broader soci- Don (PleaseT. Nakanishi turn to page ...... 2) 6 group is necessary. ingety. public In a few policies months to address and certainly racial john a. powell ...... 7 A second concern is that polling is inequality.years from now, new outlooks may CONTENTS: affectedWilliam by Julius contexts—political, Wilson (bill_wilson eco- appear.That said, my book examines two Maria Blanco ...... 8 @harvard.edu)nomic, cultural—that is the occur Lewis around P. andthe typesDespite of cultural these and forces: other doubts(1) national about MoreHoward Than Winant Just Race...... 101 Linda L. Geyser University Professor viewsthe confidence and beliefs we onshould race, place and (2)in poll- cul- LandThe Colfax Use Regulations Massacre .. 3 at and the author turaling reports, traits—shared it is usefuloutlooks, to modes examine of Low& Segregation...... Income Housing 3 of S.M.several Miller award-winning ([email protected]), books, in- a behavior,convergence traditions, and differences belief systems, among NewTax CreditPRRAC...... Grants .... 5 cludingPRRAC Theboard Declining member, Significance is a Senior of worldviews,the three racial-ethnic values, skills, groups. prefer- The TechnologyHartford School of RaceFellow (1980); at the TheCommonwealth Truly Disadvantaged Institute ences,great positive styles of report self-presentation, is that people eti- of MobilizationSettlement ...... 68 (1987);in Cambridge, and When MA, Work and Disappearsprofessor quette,color have and positivelinguistic attitudes patterns—that about HousingTax Aversion: Surveys...... The 8 (2006).emeritus His of précissociology is drawn at Boston from MoreUni- emergeAmerican from society patterns and each of intra-groupother. That FarmworkerSequel ...... Victory . 129 Thanversity. Just He Race: is currently Being Blackwriting and a bookPoor interactionprovides the in potential settings ofcreated their becom-by dis- Resources ...... 13 10 inon thea longer-runInner City progressive(W.W. Norton politics Co., criminationing a (somewhat) and segregation, unified politicaland that 2009and policy. – 190 pp., $24.95). reflectforce. Manycollective pressures, experiences particularly within

Poverty & Race Research Action Council • 1015 15th Street NW • Suite 400 • Washington, DC 20005 202/906-8023 • FAX: 202/842-2885 • E-mail: [email protected] • www.prrac.org Recycled Paper (JUST RACE: Continued from page 1) racial exclusion and that may not be the destructive acts is in no way to deny conducive to factors that facilitate so- the causal role of their earlier victim- today, there is no question that the cial mobility. ization and the need to address it.” more categorical forms of racist ide- However, many liberal scholars are Patterson also contends that a cultural ology—in particular, those that assert reluctant to discuss or research the role explanation of human behavior not only the biogenetic inferiority of blacks— that culture plays in the negative out- examines the immediate relationship have declined significantly, even comes found in the inner city. It is between attitudes and behavior, but it though they still may be embedded in possible that they fear being criticized also looks at the past to investigate the institutional norms and practices. for reinforcing the popular view that origins and changing nature of these The vast majority of social scien- the negative social outcomes—poverty, attitudes. tists agree that as a national cultural , drug addition and frame, racism, in its various forms, crime—of many poor people in the in- has had harmful effects on African ner city are due to the shortcomings of The Perils of the Americans as a group. Indeed, con- the people themselves. Harvard Uni- Cultural Argument siderable research has been devoted to versity sociologist Orlando Patterson the effects of racism in American so- maintains that there is “a deep-seated The use of a cultural argument, ciety. However, there is little research dogma that has prevailed in social sci- however, is not without peril. Anyone and far less awareness of the impact ence and policy circles since the mid- who wishes to understand American of emerging cultural frames in the in- 1960s: the rejection of any explana- society must be aware that explanations ner city on the social and economic tion that invokes a group’s cultural at- focusing on the cultural traits of in- outcomes of poor blacks. ner-city residents are likely to draw far Americans tend to more attention from policymakers and the general public than structural ex- How Cultural Frames de-emphasize the planations will. It is an unavoidable Are Shaped structural origins of fact that Americans tend to de-empha- poverty and welfare. size the structural origins and social Note that distinct cultural frames in significance of poverty and welfare. the inner city have not only been shaped tributes — its distinctive attitudes, val- In other words, the popular view is by race and poverty, but in turn often ues and tendencies, and the resulting that people are poor or on welfare be- shape responses to poverty, including behavior of its members—and the re- cause of their own personal shortcom- responses that may contribute to the lentless preference for relying on struc- ings. A 2007 Pew Research Center perpetuation of poverty. Indeed, one tural factors like low incomes, jobless- survey revealed that “fully two-thirds of the effects of living in racially seg- ness, poor schools and bad housing.” of all Americans believe personal fac- regated neighborhoods is exposure to Patterson claims that social scien- tors, rather than racial discrimination, group-specific cultural traits (orienta- tists have shied away from cultural explain why many African Americans tions, habits and worldviews as well explanations of race and poverty be- have difficulty getting ahead in life; as styles of behavior and particular cause of the widespread belief, referred just 19% blame discrimination.” skills) that emerged from patterns of to above, that such explanations are Nearly three-fourths of U.S. whites tantamount to blaming the victim; that (71%), a majority of Hispanics (59%), is, they support the conclusion that the and even a slight majority of blacks Poverty and Race (ISSN 1075-3591) poor themselves, and not the social (53%) “believe that blacks who have is published six times a year by the Poverty & Race Research Action Coun- environment, are responsible for their not gotten ahead in life are mainly re- cil, 1015 15th Street NW, Suite 400, own poverty and negative social out- sponsible for their own situation.” Washington, DC 20005, 202/906- comes. He colorfully contends that it The strength of American cultural 8023, fax: 202/842-2885, E-mail: is “utterly bogus” to argue, as do many sentiment that individuals are prima- [email protected]. Chester Hartman, academics, that cultural explanations rily responsible for poverty presents a Editor. Subscriptions are $25/year, necessarily blame the victim for poor dilemma for anyone who seeks the $45/two years. Foreign postage extra. social outcomes. most comprehensive explanation of Articles, article suggestions, letters and general comments are welcome, as are Patterson argues that to hold an in- outcomes for poor black Americans. notices of publications, conferences, dividual responsible for his behavior Why? Simply because, as noted above, job openings, etc. for our Resources is not to rule out any consideration of cultural arguments that focus on indi- Section. Articles generally may be re- the environmental factors that may vidual traits and behavior invariably printed, providing PRRAC gives ad- have evoked the questionable behav- draw more attention than do structural vance permission. ior to begin with. “Many victims of explanations in the United States. © Copyright 2009 by the Poverty child abuse end up behaving in self- Accordingly, I feel that a social scien- & Race Research Action Council. All rights reserved. destructive ways,” he states. “To point tist has an obligation to try to make out the link between their behavior and (Please turn to page 9)

2 • Poverty & Race • Vol. 18, No. 3 • May/June 2009 Land Use Regulations and Housing Segregation

by Aviva Rothman-Shore and Kara E. Hubbard

The Fair Housing Center of Greater have contributed to housing segrega- used to explain how while redlining Boston is currently developing a vi- tion; (2) a power point presentation institutionalized racial segregation in sual presentation illustrating the con- explaining in more detail the policies the cities, it was the development of nection between current land use regu- highlighted by the time line; and (3) a the suburbs via the construction of lations and housing segregation. series of analytical maps. Route 128 that magnified the effects With an emphasis on land use regu- of segregation by increasing the physi- lations and a geographic focus on East- (1) Historical Timeline cal separation between whites and ern Massachusetts, our project is in- people of color. Municipalities re- tended to help demonstrate to both The primary aim of the timeline is sponded to the subsequent in-migra- communities and policymakers that the to depict how housing regulations have tion of jobs and people to the suburbs forces behind housing segregation go shifted from policies that explicitly by enacting rigid zoning ordinances. beyond affordability. A significant contribute to segregation to policies Zoning regulations were created to component of our project involves the that contribute more implicitly (e.g., control density, protect open space, synthesis of information from previ- location of subsidized housing in high- and artificially inflate housing prices. ously written reports about the dis- poverty areas). Policies that have Strict zoning restrictions are still in use criminatory effects of zoning, but we today and can have a disparate impact are also presenting an exciting new The forces behind on African Americans and Latinos, perspective. Using Geographic Infor- and in particular family households, mation System (GIS) mapping, we are housing segregation go because they limit affordability and the combining land use regulation data beyond affordability. number of rental multifamily housing with the recently unveiled Massachu- opportunities. setts “opportunity maps” from the helped lessen the impact of segrega- To illustrate the impact of current Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race tion are also included, such as the re- zoning regulations, our project relies and Ethnicity. Through this collabo- cent amendment of the local prefer- heavily upon information gathered ration, we will explore the connection ence regulations by the state’s Depart- from the Housing Regulation Data- between land use regulations and ac- ment of the Housing and Community base, a joint effort by the Pioneer In- cess to areas of high opportunity. Development. The Massachusetts stitute for Public Policy Research and DHCD stipulates that cities and towns Harvard University’s Rappaport Insti- can only specify local preferences for tute for Greater Boston. The database Description of up to 70% of affordable units. Prefer- contains information regarding zoning Our Presentation ences were revised to only include cur- codes, subdivision requirements and rent residents, municipal/school de- environmental regulations in 187 East- The presentation is intended to be partment employees and employees of ern and Central Massachusetts com- an educational tool geared towards a local businesses, and not family of lo- munities. The Housing Regulation variety of audiences, including cal residents. Database has fueled several research policymakers, local officials and resi- In addition: (1) communities must reports that informed our project and dents. Because of the wide range in demonstrate the need for local prefer- provided the necessary data to illus- audiences, the project does not take an ences and demonstrate that they will trate clear links between land use regu- overly academic tone. Our methodol- not have a disparate impact on pro- lations and housing segregation, par- ogy consists of three components: (1) tected classes; (2) the subsidizing ticularly in three areas: large minimum a historical timeline of policies that agency must approve the local prefer- (Please turn to page 4) ence scheme; (3) durational residen- Aviva Rothman-Shore (ashore@ tial preferences are not permitted; and bostonfairhousing.org) is Outreach (4) advertising cannot include any lo- and Policy Director at the Fair Hous- cal preferences. John Hope Franklin ing Center of Greater Boston. We dedicate this issue of Pov- Kara E. Hubbard will receive her (2) Power Point erty & Race to the rich and influ- Master of Arts in Urban and Environ- ential career and exemplary life of mental Policy and Planning from Tufts Data gathered from Route 128: John Hope Franklin, who passed Univ. in May 2009, following which Boston’s Road to Segregation, a 1975 away in late March. she will join HUD as a Program Ana- report issued by the Massachusetts lyst. Committee Against Segregation, was

May/June 2009 • Poverty & Race • Vol. 18, No. 3 • 3 (LAND USE: Continued from page 3) tightly that building such housing nity through the use of 19 indicators is infeasible. Dain found that age- which were then assessed separately in lot size requirements, multifamily zon- restricted housing is driven by mu- three opportunity areas (educational, ing, and age-restricted zoning. nicipal policy, not market demand. economic, and neighborhood/housing Below are some key findings from Senior housing is often more readily quality). the Housing Regulation Database and accepted because such households Our first maps investigated the spa- the subsequent research reports: are perceived as only having a posi- tial segregation of subsidized housing tive fiscal impact on communities, in areas of low opportunity in Eastern • More than half (95) of the munici- unlike families with school-aged Massachusetts as well as the racial palities in Greater Boston zone over children. breakdown of households across areas 50% of their land area for lot sizes of high and low opportunity. For these of 1 acre per home or greater. (3) Analytical Maps maps, we utilized data from the 2000 • 14 municipalities within 50 miles U.S. Census via MassGIS, the U.S. of Boston zone more than 90% of Our work synthesizes the zoning Department of Housing and Urban their land for 2-acre lot sizes, and data from the Housing Regulation Da- Development, and the Massachusetts 27 municipalities zone more than tabase with opportunity mapping data. Department of Housing and Commu- 90% of their land for at least 1- In partnership with the Massachusetts nity Development. One significant acre lot sizes. Law Reform Institute, the Kirwan In- finding from our maps was the geo- • In Regulation and the Rise of Hous- stitute for the Study of Race and graphic concentration of projects us- ing Prices in Greater Boston, Ed- Ethnicity recently released The Geog- ing the Low Income Housing Tax ward L. Glaeser, Jenny Schuetz raphy of Opportunity: Building Com- Credit (LIHTC) program in areas of and Bryce Ward found that as the munities of Opportunity in Massachu- low and very low opportunity. Only minimum lot size increases by 1 setts. This report includes a series of 14% (41) of the 289 LIHTC projects acre, the share of affordable homes in Greater Boston are located in either (a home for which an average resi- 14 municipalities zone high- or very-high-opportunity areas, dent of the region could afford to whereas 79.6% (230) are located in pay 30% of income) drops by 8%. more than 90% of their low- or very-low-opportunity areas. • 43% of the municipalities have over land for 2-acre lots. The bulk of our analytical mapping 90% of their land zoned for single- focused on illustrating the relationship family use, and another 27% of opportunity maps that document the between zoning and access to housing municipalities have between 81- spatial segregation of opportunity in in areas of high opportunity. For these 90% zoned for single-family use. the state. For example, more than 90% maps, we used data from the Housing • In Housing and Land Use Policy, of African-American and Latino Regulation Database and its subsequent Amy Dain reports that only 10% households in 2000 were isolated in the reports, as well as the opportunity data of the municipalities prohibit mul- areas of lowest opportunity in Massa- from the Kirwan Institute. Our study tifamily housing outright, but the chusetts. The Kirwan Institute put for- area included the following Massachu- rest regulate such development so ward five classifications of opportu- setts counties: Suffolk, Middlesex, Essex, Norfolk and Plymouth. Bos- ton was excluded because it was not Resources included within the Housing Regula- tion Database. (Copies of all of the articles are available from Rothman-Shore) Our hypothesis was that the subur- Massachusetts Committee Against Segregation, Route 128: Boston’s Road to ban municipalities in high-opportunity Segregation (1975) areas would have strict land use regu- Edward L. Glaeser, Jenny Schuetz and Bryce Ward. Regulation and the Rise of lations that help sustain housing barri- Housing Prices in Greater Boston (2006) ers, especially for lower-income fami- lies and people of color. To investi- Amy Dain, Housing and Land Use Policy in Massachusetts (2007) gate this hypothesis, zoning data were Jenny Schuetz, Guarding Town Walls: Mechanism and Motives for Restricting overlaid on the opportunity maps. The Multifamily Housing in Massachusetts (2008) restrictiveness of each municipality’s Jenny Schuetz, No Renters In My Suburban Backyard: Land Use Regulation and zoning regulations was then assessed Rental Housing (2008). using three categories: (1) no allow- Massachusetts Affirmative Fair Housing Policy (April 2009), http://www.mass.gov/ ance for multifamily housing; (2) age- Ehed/docs/dhcd/hd/fair/affirmativefairhousing.pdf restricted zoning regulations; and (3) large average minimum lot size re- Websites: Pioneer Institute – http://www.pioneerinstitute.org/; Kirwan Institute - http://kirwaninstitute.org/ quirements for multifamily housing. Opportunity data within the munici-

4 • Poverty & Race • Vol. 18, No. 3 • May/June 2009 palities with strict zoning regulations were then assessed to determine if there 2009 PRRAC Small Grants Program is a relationship between land use regu- lations and barriers to areas of high We are pleased to announce the 2009 recipients of PRRAC’s Small Grants opportunity. Program, which supports research on race and poverty issues that is tied to an advocacy plan. This year’s program is focused on the Seattle/King County region. The program is funded this year by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Results of the Research with additional support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. and Potential Application “Housing for New Immigrants,” Washington Low Income Housing Alli- ance Our maps represent the first time “Access to Comprehensive Pediatric Care,” the Seattle Medical-Legal Part- that opportunity mapping data in Mas- nership sachusetts have been explored through “Kent County School District Use of Discipline,” ACLU of Washington a zoning lens. These maps help to il- “White Center and Annexation,” lustrate that land use regulations, while White Center Community Development Association not overtly discriminatory, contribute “Suburbanization of Homelessness,” Real Change to spatial segregation both in terms off “Reducing Health Care Disparities,” Washington CAN! Education/Research access to housing and to areas of high Fund opportunity. Our results found that “Tenant Screening Policies,” Columbia Legal Services the 80% of the census tracts in mu- “Housing Choice Vouchers and the Housing Market,” Martha Galvez, NYU nicipalities with restrictive zoning “New Racism/Health Curricula for Environmental Justice Youth Corps,” were either very-high or high-oppor- Just Health Action tunity as compared to 43% in the re- “Social Networks and Gentrification,” Deidre Bowen, Mako Fitts, Gary maining municipalities. Perry, Seattle University Below is a summary of the results “King County Opportunity Mapping—Mapping to Promote Equitable Com- of our map series for Eastern Massa- munity Development, Northwest Justice Project (with the Kirwan Insti- chusetts: tute for the Study of Race & Ethnicity)

• 11 of the municipalities have zon- We organized a forum at the University of Washington Evans School of ing regulations that outlaw multi- Public Affairs on May 7 (likely this issue of P&R is arriving after that date) family housing completely. for presentation of the projects to an audience of local activists and research- • 47 municipalities have zoning by- ers. laws that impose age restrictions on PRRAC’s Dir. of Research Chester Hartman ([email protected], 202/ multifamily housing in any zoning 906-8025) can furnish contact and further inf. about any of these projects district (municipalities divide their upon request. land by zoning districts and then de- termine what can be built in each district based on the zoning). 456 census tracts. 33% (77) of these gation of the impact of the regulations • 34 municipalities had an average tracts are either very-low-opportu- at the local level would be needed to minimum lot size requirement of 1 nity or low-opportunity (73). 24% draw a more thorough conclusion. acre or greater for multifamily (111) are moderate-opportunity, The final version of our visual pre- housing. 21% (96) are high-opportunity and sentation will soon be placed on the • 75 municipalities were found to 22% (99) are very-high-opportu- Fair Housing Center of Greater have restrictive zoning. Within nity. Boston’s website at www.bostonfair these 75 municipalities, there are housing.org, where it can be used to 228 census tracts. 46% (106) are in It is important to note that the data educate a wide range of audiences. The very-high-opportunity areas, 34% presented above are limited in scope. Fair Housing Center plans to use the (77) are in high-opportunity areas, The zoning regulations were assessed presentation at community meetings to 16% (36) are in moderate-opportu- based only on data from the Housing help residents understand the impact nity areas and 4% (9) are in low- Regulation Database and subsequent of local regulations. The presentation opportunity areas. There are no ar- reports. Consideration was not given could also be used to inform policy- eas of very-low-opportunity within to how the regulations are actually makers or practitioners in related the 75 municipalities with strict zon- implemented on the ground. For ex- fields. For further information about ing. ample, some municipalities may tech- the project or to receive a status up- • 71 municipalities were found to not nically zone for multifamily housing date, contact Aviva Rothman-Shore, have restrictive zoning. Within but only in districts that are already 617/399-0491 or via email. ❏ these 71 municipalities, there are built out to capacity. Further investi-

May/June 2009 • Poverty & Race • Vol. 18, No. 3 • 5 PRRAC Researcher Report

The Technology of Mobilization: Computer Mediated Communication and Youth Organizing in the Bronx

By John M. Beam

In Autumn of 2005, 2,000-2,500 creasingly showing up in the arsenal “expect the worst” approach to both students walked out of DeWitt Clinton of mobilization tools used by adult and technology and youth that hinders their High School to protest metal detectors youth-led groups.) Analysts, advocates capacity to take part in policy debates and other lock-down policies imposed and organizers interested in understand- directly affecting their education and by the Mayor and Chancellor. Then, ing how social change is contested at a community. 1,500 of them proceeded to march grassroots level by urban youth need A May 15, 2006 NY Times account through the streets of the Bronx to the to understand how young people re- reported: “Bloomberg’s resistance [to borough headquarters of the New York late to the nearly ubiquitous technolo- cell phones in schools] reflects the City Department of Education. They gies they increasingly use to manage administration’s beliefs that cell phones organized this action through their personal relationships and their are disruptive and difficult to control Sconex.com (a social networking site civic engagement. in the classroom and that they all too that links students who attend the same often become means for cheating, gang school) and text messaging. No adult- activity or other undesirable behavior.” led community group working on New Government officials Moreover, April 27, 2006 NY Times York City education justice issues has have politicized the use article had also observed: mounted a public action so large and of CMC tools. Policy- so militant in recent memory. makers have targeted “[NYC Schools] Chancellor Klein Computer Mediated Communica- defended the scanning [mandatory some of their decisions metal detectors] and the cell phone tion (CMC) is an under-examined re- directly at youth. ality in the lives politically active teen- ban yesterday, telling reporters that students had used cell phones to take agers. (For purposes of this discussion, pictures in locker rooms, cheat on CMC includes Internet-connected CMC technology use has become a exams and summon friends to start computers, cell phones, instant mes- widespread and defining feature of fights.” saging/chat/IM, email and social net- youth culture. In 2000, 73% of youth working sites. We do not include 12-17 used the Internet. In 2005, the More recently, New York City Po- YouTube or some of the newer appli- number was up to 87%. By 2008, 94% lice Commissioner Raymond Kelly tes- cations oriented to smart phones such of all teens were using the Internet or tified before the U.S. Senate Commit- as Twitter, although the former is in- email. While the digital divide still ex- tee on Homeland Security and Gov- ists, it has shrunk dramatically in the ernmental Affairs. Referring to recent last few years among white, black and events in Mumbai, India, he said, Hispanic youth. As many as 91% of “Law enforcement needs to find ways John M. Beam (John_Beam@ all teens at all family income levels are to disrupt cell phones and other com- verizon.net) is a policy analyst and users. munications.” advocate and former community and Meanwhile, government officials NY Civil Liberties Union Associ- political organizer. Most recently he have politicized the use of CMC tools. ate Legal Director Christopher T. Dunn was executive director of the National Policymakers have targeted some of responded that “it was reasonable for Center for Schools and Communities their decisions directly at youth. Other the police to focus on terrorists using at Fordham University, which recently decisions are likely to have a dispro- cellphones, but he expressed concerns closed as result of collateral damage portionate impact on young people be- about broader measures….[S]erious from the financial meltdown. The full cause they are disproportionately heavy issues would arise if that could only be report from which this article is drawn, CMC users. done by the police taking control of including an extensive list of support- New York City Mayor Michael communications systems or by closing ing reference, is available at www. Bloomberg’s vigorous attempt to ban down large areas of cellphone usage.” NCSCatFordham.org. cell phones from schools embodies an

6 • Poverty & Race • Vol. 18, No. 3 • May/June 2009 Exploring What Works • A field-test using Instant Messag- SBU members were net initiators of ing as a mobilization tactic. text communication in their circles. Youth-controlled communication is, • A field-test using individual social Nearly 60% of all respondents therefore, of dual interest as a resource networking friends lists as a mobi- checked their email one to three times urban youth must defend and a tool lization tactic. daily. SBU members were significantly they can use to mobilize around issues • A field-test using an organizational more likely than non-SBU members to they face on a daily basis. Youth CMC (SBU) MySpace bulletin and group check their email seven to nine times a activity on the Internet and wireless text messaging as mobilization tac- day (26.8% vs. 9.9%, z = 2.28, p < networks has been examined regularly. tics. .005). This finding initially flies in the In addition, CMC as a set of tools to • A leadership discussion of preferred face of research that suggests the de- use for political action on the Internet CMC outreach methods. clining popularity of email as a tool is an occasional topic of study — e.g., • Analysis and synthesis of results. for social communication. Conversa- electronic petitions, fundraising for tion with active SBU members, how- candidates, on-line debate. There has ever, suggests that much of their in- been, however, much less work done Technology User Survey tensive email use is related to check- on CMC as a set of tools for on-the- ing for alerts from their social network- ground political activity. Our Technol- A survey of technology usage de- ing sites. Almost 90% of respondents ogy of Mobilization project empha- veloped and administered by a SBU have MySpace pages, and, in fact, as sized the organizing functions of CMC. their main computer use, SBU mem- With the major exception of wide- By 2008, 94% of all bers were significantly more likely than spread resentment of the Mayor’s cell non-SBU members to cite social net- phone ban in the schools, defending teens were using the working (63% vs. 48%, z = 1.71, p CMC from adult officialdom has not Internet or email.While < .05). surfaced as an issue in the South the digital divide still Bronx…yet. exists, it has shrunk With assistance from a PRRAC re- dramatically in the last CMC and Mobilization search grant, Sistas and Brothas United few years among white, (SBU), a youth-run affiliate of the SBU members conducted field-tests Northwest Bronx Community Clergy black and Hispanic of individual and organizational out- Coalition, and the Fordham Univer- youth. reach using Instant Messaging (IM), sity National Center for Schools and MySpace and phone texting to boost Communities conducted a pilot project working group collected information attendance for a spoken word compe- to explore how SBU activists use CMC from 229 students in ten schools, with tition, a Unity Day Fair, and a SBU in their work and what sorts of capac- 90% of responses coming from three general meeting, respectively. With the ity-building might enhance the effec- schools where the group is especially major exception of a survey of youth tiveness of Internet and wireless tools active. and other community residents attend- in their organizing work. Results varied by SBU member- ing a Unity Day Fair (N=181), the Our investigation took place during ship, gender and school, sometimes somewhat loose execution and result- Spring, Summer and Fall of 2008. significantly. The economics of tech- ing smaller guesstimated Ns for result- Various logistical and learning-curve nology use varied by communication ing turnout provide less than defini- realities impeded the smooth imple- mode, with family subsidies for tive hints at the relative effectiveness mentation of the project plan. How- Internet connection being much more of various CMC tools. ever, the partnership made substantial frequent than for the texting bill. We are left with speculative conclu- progress in understanding how Bronx SBU members (n=41) were signifi- sions that are beyond the resources of student activists use technology, how cantly more likely than non-SBU mem- this project to test but that are rooted they might further adapt it to the needs bers (n=155) to cite their cell phone in both earlier research and our obser- of their organizing agenda, and how as their favorite tool for “personal, vations from this investigation. action research projects unfold in the school, and community business” The personal touch—figuratively real world of youth organizing. (80.5% vs. 54.5%, z = 3.02, p < and, we presume, literally—is still Major components of our effort in- .01). highly valued in the relational dimen- cluded: SBU members were significantly sion of youth communication. Outreach • A listening session with middle and more likely than non-SBU members to tactics that involve a personal and per- high school students discussing tech- send over 50 texts per day (31.6% vs. sonalized contact (word of mouth, door nology and social networking. 14.2%, z = 2.59, p < .005), but they knocking, phone calls) played an im- • A survey of Internet and wireless were also significantly more likely to portant role—in the case of the Unity technology usage among SBU and receive 25 or fewer texts per day (68% Day Fair, an overwhelmingly domi- non-SBU Bronx students. vs. 55%, z = 1.92, p < .05). Thus, (Please turn to page 8)

May/June 2009 • Poverty & Race • Vol. 18, No. 3 • 7 (MOBILIZATION: Continued from page 7) more likely to pay attention).” groups within the school (e.g., the We should not be surprised, there- Goths). These students, in turn, were nant role—in the turnout for each moni- fore, that the mass outreach of the grassroots leaders who entered the tored event. MySpace bulletins (the new spam?) or classrooms at the beginning of the According to a 2004 Kaiser Family texts were not magnetic in their appeal. walkout to call out their personal net- Foundation report: “Online political According to SBU activists who are works after having texted them by cell communication that tends to turn off veterans of the 2005 walkout at DeWitt beforehand. young people involves ‘viral’ cam- Clinton, Sconex.com was useful be- A closely linked notion is that the paigns that are less personalized and central function of CMC tools for less interactive: most unwelcome are The long-standing rela- youth is maintaining personal relation- weekly text messages with campaign tional approach to orga- ships. As a 2003 article in The Jour- updates via cell phone or other hand- nal of Language and Social Psychol- held device (69% turned off vs. 23% nizing is not about to be ogy concluded: “The attraction of the more likely to pay attention), followed replaced with the Black- Internet for most [young] people is not by Internet banner ads (53% turned off berry. access to information but access to so- vs. 36% more likely to pay attention), cial environments.” e-mails encouraging voter turnout cause it provided the interactive plat- A corollary of these two ideas is the (50% turned off vs. 41% more likely form for the pre-action debate — i.e., popularity of CMC resources that pro- to pay attention), and weekly e-mail not just one-way bulletins. Equally vide or reinforce intimate, real-time updates about campaign endorsements important was the fact that debate at- communication. These are Instant and events (49% turned off vs. 42% tracted opinion leaders of the various Messaging and—mundane though it

Annual Surveys of Housing Discrimination and Affordability

Two leading housing advocacy only 2,123 fair housing complaints, housing.org organizations have just released their state and local agencies only 8,429, annual reports on the state of fair and the Justice Department only 33 “Out of Reach” housing and housing affordability in cases. America. The “Fair Housing NFHA observed that the increase The National Low Income Hous- Trends” report from the National in complaints handled by private fair ing Coalition’s “Out of Reach 2009” Fair Housing Alliance tracks key housing agencies was related to the reports that the national average indicators of housing segregation; worsening foreclosure crisis and two-bedroom “Housing Wage” rose the annual “Out of Reach” report internet advertising that violates fair to $17.84, up from $17.32 last year. from the National Low Income housing laws. NFHA alone filed The Housing Wage is the hourly Housing Coalition documents the more than 350 complaints with HUD wage that a household must earn in continuing housing affordability gap last year based on internet advertis- order to afford the Fair Market in a state-by-state analysis. Here are ing discrimination.The majority of Rent, assuming full-time, year- brief summaries of the key findings the ads discriminate against families round employment. The Fair Mar- of each report: with children. All types of discrimi- ket Rent is HUD’s estimate of what nation against families increased be- a tenant needs to be able to pay in “Fair Housing Trends” tween 2007 and 2008. order to be assured of finding a In the area of fair lending, NFHA modest rental home in a range of The National Fair Housing Alli- reports that private fair housing cen- neighborhoods within a reasonable ance (NFHA) released its 2009 Fair ters around the country have seen amount of time. This year’s Hous- Housing Trends Report, “Fair Hous- more cases of discrimination in mort- ing Wage translates into an annual ing Enforcement: Time for a gage lending than ever before. Yet income of $37,105. Published since Change,” tracking private and gov- HUD initiated only four investiga- 1989, “Out of Reach” compares the ernment fair housing enforcement tions into lending discrimination last cost of rental housing with house- activity in the prior year. NHFA year and the Justice Department hold incomes, each state’s minimum reports that the number of fair hous- brought only one mortgage lending wage, and average renter wages in ing complaints handled by private case. Overall, according to NFHA, every state, metropolitan area and groups jumped by 17% from the HUD handled only 60 fair lending county in the country. www.nlihc. previous year, to 20,173. This complaints in 2008, compared to org/oor/oor2009 amounts to 66% of all complaints 1,500 handled by private fair hous- nationwide. In 2008, HUD handled ing centers. www.nationalfair

8 • Poverty & Race • Vol. 18, No. 3 • May/June 2009 might be—the phone. Messaging was a distant second for the knocking on doors, sitting around the Some research suggests that young SBU and non-SBU respondents for kitchen tables, and leafleting on the people frequently employ the more in- “most” used phone activity (40% and corners across the street from our over- timate format of IM to support face- 35.4%). crowded high schools. to-face relationships. A 2007 Pew CMC, however, does offer agile Internet and American Life Project ways to transmit expected information study concluded: “For the entire popu- Conclusions (e.g., the location of a demonstration) lation of those ages 12-17, phone con- that is part of a plan organized through versations and face-to-face meeting are Although this preliminary explora- face-to-face or basic telephone for- the most frequently chosen ways to tion of the current and potential role mats. communicate with friends outside of of the Computer Mediated Commu- With thought and creativity, we school.” nication infrastructure of youth culture should be able to marry the relational In our convenience sampled tech us- in the Bronx has raised more issues than to the technological. An example of age survey, Instant Messaging was the it has resolved, we can already iden- such a marriage would be consciously second “most” used choice for SBU tify three useful lessons. organized phone trees that link within members and first place for non-SBU The long-standing relational ap- pre-existing networks—e.g., neighbors in their computer use. “Calling proach to organizing is not about to be in a building, active members of com- people” was by far the most popular replaced with the Blackberry. Youth mittees, Goths)—so that news, moti- phone use for both groups at 62.5% organizers and young community lead- vation and mobilization occur along and 53.1%, respectively. The real- ers will continue to identify issues and lines of existing personal relationships time, but more abstracted, Instant recruit leaders and core supporters as well as political affinity. ❏

(JUST RACE: Continued from page 2) compared to only 7% of white fami- tively impedes the development of aca- lies. Thus he concludes that the dis- demically relevant verbal ability in sure that the explanatory power of his advantages of living in poor black children.” or her structural argument is not lost neighborhoods, like the advantages of Their results reveal: (1) that the to the reader and to provide a context living in affluent white neighborhoods, neighborhood environment “is an im- for understanding cultural responses to are in large measure inherited. portant developmental context for tra- chronic economic and racial subordi- We should also consider another jectories of verbal cognitive ability”; nation. path-breaking study that Sharkey co- (2) that young African-American chil- dren who had earlier lived in a severely disadvantaged neighborhood had fallen The Causal Flow The disadvantages of behind their counterparts or peers who Between Structure living in poor black had not resided previously in disad- and Culture neighborhoods are in vantaged areas by up to 6 IQ points, a magnitude estimated to be equivalent Consider, for example, the com- large measure inherited. to “missing a year or more of school- plex causal flow between structure and ing”; and (3) “that the strongest ef- culture. In an impressive study that authored with senior investigator Rob- fects appear several years after chil- analyzes data from a national longitu- ert Sampson, a Harvard University dren live in areas of concentrated dis- dinal survey, with methods designed sociologist, and another colleague, advantage.” This research raises im- to measure intergenerational economic Steven Raudenbush, that examined the portant questions “about ways in mobility, the sociologist Patrick durable effects of concentrated pov- which neighborhoods may alter growth Sharkey of erty on black children’s verbal abil- in verbal ability, producing effects that found that “more than 70% of black ity. They studied a representative linger on even if a child leaves a se- children who are raised in the poorest sample of 750 African-American chil- verely disadvantaged neighborhood.” quarter of American neighborhoods, dren, ages 6-12, who were growing The studies by Sharkey and the bottom 25% in terms of average up in the city of Chicago in 1995, and Sampson and his colleagues both sug- neighborhood income, will continue followed them anywhere they moved gest that neighborhood effects are not to live in the poorest quarter of neigh- in the United States for up to 7 years. solely structural. Among the effects of borhoods as adults.” The children were given a reading living in segregated neighborhoods He also found that since the 1970s, examination and vocabulary test at over extended periods is repeated ex- a majority of black families have re- three different periods. Their study posure to cultural traits—and this would sided in the poorest quarter of neigh- shows “that residing in a severely dis- include linguistic patterns, the focus borhoods in consecutive generations, advantaged neighborhood cumula- (Please turn to page 10)

May/June 2009 • Poverty & Race • Vol. 18, No. 3 • 9 (JUST RACE: Continued from page 9) would have to say it does not matter to end inequality. Nonetheless, in ad- nearly as much as social structure. dressing the problem of structural in- of Sampson et al.’s study—that ema- From a historical perspective, it is equities it would not be wise to leave nate from or are the products of racial hard to overstate the importance of ra- the impression in public discussions exclusion, traits, such as verbal skills, cialist structural factors that Dr. Mar- that cultural problems do not matter. that may impede successful maneuver- tin Luther King, Jr. fought so hard Indeed, proposals to address racial in- ing in the larger society. against. Aside from the enduring ef- equality should reflect awareness of the As Sharkey points out, “when we fects of slavery, Jim Crow segregation, inextricable link between aspects of consider that the vast majority of black public school segregation, legalized structure and culture. families living in America’s poorest discrimination, residential segregation, neighborhoods come from families that the FHA’s redlining of black neigh- Framing Public have lived in similar environments for borhoods in the 1940s and 1950s, the Policy Discussion generations . . . continuity of the neigh- construction of public housing projects borhood environment, in addition to in poor black neighborhoods, employer For all of these reasons, it is ex- continuity of individual economic sta- discrimination and other racial acts and tremely important to discuss how the tus, may be especially relevant to the processes, there is the impact of po- issues of race and poverty are framed study of cultural patterns among dis- litical, economic and policy decisions in public policy discussions. How we advantaged populations.” Unfortu- that were at least partly influenced by situate social issues in the larger con- nately, very little research attention has race. text of society says a lot about our com- been given to these cumulative cultural In contrasting the combined impact mitment to change. A useful example experiences. of the structural factors with cultural of how this works comes to me from Thus, in addition to structural in- factors, it would be very hard to argue Robert Asen, a professor in the De- fluences, exposure to different cultural that the cultural factors in the black partment of Communication Arts at the influences in the neighborhood envi- community are equally as important in University of Wisconsin. He has re- ronment over time has to be taken into determining life chances or creating minded me that the political framing account if one is to really appreciate of poverty—that is, the way in which and explain the divergent social out- political leaders formulate arguments comes of human groups. But, to re- The political framing of about how we as a nation should talk peat, in delivering this message we poverty in the New Deal about and address issues of poverty— must make sure that the powerful in- era was quite different in the New Deal era was quite differ- fluence of structural factors do not re- from today. ent from the political framing of pov- cede into the background. erty today. During the New Deal era, the em- racial group outcomes. For example, phasis was on structure—namely, the The Relative Importance if one attempts to explain rapid changes devastating impact of the economic of Culture and Structure in social and economic outcomes in the crisis. Americans clearly recognized inner city, there is little evidence that that hundreds of thousands of citizens Indeed, a fundamental question re- cultural forces have the power of were poor or unemployed mainly be- mains: What is the relative importance changes in the economy. We only cause of a severe and prolonged job of these two dimensions in accounting need to consider the impact of the eco- shortage. In the public arena today, for the formation and persistence of the nomic boom on the reduction of con- poverty tends to be discussed in refer- inner-city ghetto, the plight of black centrated racial poverty in the 1990s ence to individual initiative. This dis- males and the breakdown of the black to illustrate this point. tinction, he points out, reveals how family—three subjects that I focused Policymakers who are dedicated to larger shifts in society have influenced on in my book. Culture matters, but I combating the problems of race and our understanding of the nature of pov- poverty and who recognize the impor- erty. Housing and tance of structural inequities face an Therefore, we ought to consider the Civil Rights important challenge—namely, how to contingency of political frames at par- generate political support from Ameri- ticular moments in time. These “de- cans who tend to place far more em- Recent advocacy on liberative frames” not only orient our phasis on cultural factors and individual “affirmatively furthering fair debates on public policy, but they can behavior than on structural impedi- housing” in federal housing also be shifted through debate. So, ments in explaining social and eco- programs available at: just because cultural explanations reso- nomic outcomes. After all, beliefs that nate with policymakers and the public www.prrac.org/projects/ attribute joblessness and poverty to in- today does not mean that structural ex- civilrightshousing.php dividual shortcomings do not engen- planations cannot resonate with them der strong support for social programs tomorrow. To shift political frames,

10 • Poverty & Race • Vol. 18, No. 3 • May/June 2009 however, and hopefully provide a confronted and that there is an urgent more balanced discussion, requires need to address them. The issues of You can now parallel efforts among politicians, en- race and poverty should be framed in donate gaged citizens and scholars. such a way that not only a sense of fair- online! at In my previous writings, I called for ness and justice to combat inequality the framing of issues designed to ap- is generated, but also people are made www.prrac.org peal to broad segments of the popula- aware that our country would be bet- tion. Key to this framing, I argued, ter off if these problems were seriously would be an emphasis on policies that addressed and eradicated. would directly benefit all groups, not the “African-American community and just people of color. My thinking was the larger American community to- that, given American views about pov- Barack Obama’s Speech day”—disparities that “can be traced erty and race, a color-blind agenda to inequalities passed on from an ear- would be the most realistic way to gen- In considering this change of lier generation that suffered under the erate the broad political support that frame—indeed, a change of mindset on brutal legacy of slavery and Jim would be necessary to enact the re- race and poverty—I am drawn to then- Crow.” He also discussed the lack of quired legislation. I no longer hold to Senator Barack Obama’s speech on economic opportunity among black this view. race given March 18, 2008. His ora- men, and how “the shame and frustra- The question is not whether the tion that came from not being able to policy should be race-neutral or uni- Very little research provide for one’s family contributed versal, the question is whether the attention has been given to the erosion of black families.” policy is framed to facilitate a frank However, Obama did not restrict his discussion of the problems that ought to cumulative cultural speech to addressing structural inequi- to be addressed and to generate broad experiences. ties; he also focused on problematic political support to alleviate them. So cultural and behavioral responses to now my position has changed: In fram- tory provides a model for the type of these inequities, including a cycle of ing public policy, we should not shy framing I have in mind. In taking on violence among black men, and a away from an explicit discussion of the the tough topic of race in America, “legacy of defeat” that has been passed specific issues of race and poverty; on Obama spoke to the issue of structure on to future generations. And he urged the contrary, we should highlight them and culture, as well as their interac- those in the African-American commu- in our attempt to convince the nation tion. He drew America’s attention to nity to take full responsibility for their that these problems should be seriously the many disparities that exist between lives by demanding more from their fathers, and spending more time with their children “reading to them, and Resources teaching them that while they may face challenges and discrimination in their Asen, Robert. 2002. Visions of Poverty: Welfare Policy and the Political Imagi- own lives, they must never succumb nation. Lansing: Michigan State University Press to despair or cynicism; they must al- ways believe that they can write their Obama, Barack. 2008. “A More Perfect Union.” Text of speech, March 18. own destiny.” http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/hisownwords By combining a powerful discussion Patterson, Orlando. 2006. “A Poverty of the Mind.” New York Times, March 26. of structural inequities with an empha- sis on personal responsibility, Barack Pew Research Center. 2007. Optimism about Black Progress Declines: Blacks Obama did not isolate the latter from See Growing Values Gap Between Poor and Middle Class. Washington, DC, the former, as is so often the case in Nov. 13. the remarks of talk show hosts, jour- nalists, and conservative politicians and Sampson, Robert J., and Stephen W. Raudenbush. 2008. commentators. Obama’s speech gave “Durable Effects of Concentrated Disadvantage on Verbal Ability among an honest appraisal of structural racial African-American Children.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sci- ences of the United States of America 105 (Jan. 22):845-852. inequality as he called for all Ameri- cans to support blacks in their struggle Sharkey, Patrick. 2008. “The Intergenerational Transmission of Context.” to help themselves. To repeat, I feel American Journal of 113 (Jan.):931-69. that this speech could serve as a model for the kind of careful political fram- Wilson, William Julius. 1987. The Truly Disadvantaged: The Inner City, the ing of the issues of race and poverty and Public Policy. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press. that we need in this country in order to move forward. ❏

May/June 2009 • Poverty & Race • Vol. 18, No. 3 • 11 Victory for Farmworkers in California Mobile Home Park

The following is a just-in report many respects, exploited. The Manzanar for these residents to go. from Ilene Jacobs and Arturo Court must also add that, despite The Court, since the early hearings Rodriguez, attorneys with Califor- these disadvantages, these very in this case, has pressed the govern- nia Rural Legal Assistance. same people, based on the evidence ment to identify and present reloca- In a remarkable decision issued at trial, are an honest, hard- tion proposals for the residents of yesterday, Federal Judge Stephen working, proud, colorful, and the Park. Although the Court rec- G. Larson ended six years of litiga- family-oriented community of ognizes and applauds the efforts of tion brought by the United States people committed to educating their various government actors, includ- Government to close Duroville, a children and raising them to be pro- ing the United States Attorney him- mobile home park in California ductive and successful members of self, to explore potential alterna- with 270 mobile homes which serve our society. The evidence at trial tives, and although the County of as low-cost housing for over 2,000 indicates that some are undocu- Riverside, under the leadership of full-time residents, 90-95% of them mented, some are resident aliens, Supervisor Roy Wilson and his col- farmworkers. At peak harvest sea- and some are United States citizens; leagues, and with the support of sons, the park’s population would this complicated combination of Senators Dianne Feinstein and Bar- double as migrant workers came to immigration statuses places many bara Boxer, have together made sig- the Coachella Valley and stayed with of the residents of the Park in the nificant strides in developing and friends and families. One resident crossroads of our Nation’s incon- funding potential alternatives, the testified that the park was home to gruous immigration and agricul- evidence at trial clearly establishes 1,500 members of the Purepecha, tural policies that, on the one hand, that any such alternatives are many an indigenous people from the portend that undocumented work- months, and perhaps several years, Mexican State of Michoacan, and ers lack legal status while at the away. Moreover, any of the pro- that they were a community, same time predicating the economic posed alternatives are further com- self-governing and largely indepen- efficiency of an agricultural indus- plicated by the immigration issue dent. Evidence at trial established try on their hard work; it appears referenced above. As unsafe and that the park was home to over 450 to this Court that we have, once unhealthy as the Park may be—cir- school-age children who attended again, established a rather ‘pecu- cumstances the Court has observed state-of-the-art schools located liar institution’ to service our agrar- first-hand through its visits to the within a couple of miles from the ian needs. park—it nonetheless offers a shelter park. The park manager estimated “In any event, the evidence at in place for a people who otherwise that there were an additional 600 trial clearly established that to ac- have nowhere to go. Until and un- children at the park too young to cede to the government’s—and now less alternative housing is avail- attend school. Mr. Duro’s—request to promptly able—alternative housing that is Here is the excerpt from Judge close the Park, without identifying safe, healthy, affordable and truly Larson’s opinion: where the vast majority of its resi- available to the residents—this “The Park, or Duroville or Los dents would then live, would cre- Court will not close Duroville.” ❏ Duros, as it is better known by its ate a major humanitarian crisis. For Judge Larson’s full ruling is residents, is not a business, it is a the Court to close the Park under available at www.prrac.org/pdf/ village; thousands of our fellow current conditions would create one duroville.pdf. PRRAC’s Chester human beings call the Park home. of the largest forced human migra- Hartman was an expert witness for It is not nearly as safe or as healthy tions in the history of this State. the families at trial, testifying to the as we would want it to be; it is, Unlike another forced migration in dire consequences of displacing the nonetheless, home for a community this State’s history—the internment residents into Riverside County’s of people who are poor, under- of Japanese citizens during World upscale housing market. educated, disenfranchised, and, in War II—there is not even a

12 • Poverty & Race • Vol. 18, No. 3 • May/June 2009 Resources

Most Resources are Rebecca Blank, is the 7- available directly from the page lead article in New Please drop us a line letting us know how useful our issuing organization, England Community Resources Section is to you, as both a lister and either on their website (if Developments, 2008, Issue requester of items. We hear good things, but only given) or via other con- 3, the publication of the sporadically. Having a more complete sense of the tact information listed. Federal Reserve Bank of effectiveness of this networking function will help Materials published by Boston. Available (likely us greatly in foundation fundraising work (and is PRRAC are available free) from them, 600 awfully good for our morale). Drop us a short through our website: Atlantic Ave., Boston, note, letting us know if it has been/is useful to you www.prrac.org. Prices MA 02210, 617/973- (how many requests you get when you list an item, include the shipping/ 3201, Anna.Steiger how many items you send away for, etc.) Thank handling (s/h) charge @bos.frb.org [11385] you. when this information is provided to PRRAC. “No • Poverty & Public price listed” items often Policy: A Global Journal • “2008 Hate Crimes and Alan Mallach of are free. of Social Security, Aid, Survey: Summary and Brookings Inst. Inf. from and Welfare is a new When ordering items from Recommendations” is the Campaign, 1707 L St. journal from the Policy PRRAC: SASE = self- available (free online) NW, #1050, Wash., DC Studies Organization. addressed stamped from Human Rights First, 20036, 717/545-9991, Contents of initial issue envelope (44˘ unless 333 Seventh Ave., 13th sschermer@schermer- and other inf at otherwise indicated). flr., NYC, NY 10001- assoc.com [11380] Orders may not be placed www.bepress.com/ 5108, 212/845-5200, by telephone or fax. pso_poverty [11389] www.humanrightsfirst.org Education Please indicate from [11382] • “Center for Eco- which issue of P&R you • “PTA National nomic Opportunity: are ordering. Standards for Family- Early Achievements & Economic/ School Partnerships Lessons Learned” (149 Community Assessment Guide” (29 pp., Jan. 2009) is avail- Race/Racism pp., 2008) is available able (possibly free) from Development (possibly free) from the the Office of Mayor • “Civil Rights Moni- Nationsl Congress of Michael R. Bloomberg, • “Crisis on Main tor 2007-2008,” whose Parents and Teachers, City of New York, NYC, Street: Recommenda- Senior Editor is PRRAC 800/307-4782, Bd. member William L. NY 10007. [11399] tions for Small Business Recovery” is a 7-page, [email protected], Taylor, (39 pp.) is www.pta.org [11387] available (possibly free) • “Overcoming Pov- March 2009 Policy Brief erty, Building Capacity” from Seedco Financial from the Leadership • “The Growing (82 pp., Oct. 2008) is (possibly free), 915 Conf. on Civil Rights Imbalance: Recent available (possibly free) Broadway, 18th flr., Educ. Fund, 1629 K St. Trends in U.S. from VISTA, 800/942- NYC, NY 10010, NW, 10th flr., Wash., DC Postsecondary Education 2677, americacorps.gov [email protected], 20006, 202/466-3311, Finance” (64 pp., 2008), [11401] www.Seedco.org [11381] www.civilrights.org a report of the Delta Cost [11383] • “Reclaiming Vacant Project, is available free online; the Project is at • “The State of Black Properties: Building Criminal Leadership to Restore 1250 H St. NW, #700, America 2009” is Wash., DC 20005, available ($19.95) from Justice Communities,” spon- sored by the National deltaproject the National Urban @deltacostproject.org, League, 120 Wall St., • “The Changing Vacant Properties Racial Dynamic of the Campaign (“Creating www.deltacostproject.org NYC, NY 10005, 212/ [11388] 558-5300. [11409] War on Drugs,” by Marc Opportunity from Mauer (April 2009, 20 Abandonment”) and pp.), is available (possibly others, will be held June • “Arne Duncan and free) from The Sentencing 1-3 in Louisville. Invited the Chicago Success Poverty/ Proj., 514 10th St. NW, speakers include Louis- Story: Myth or Real- Welfare #1000, Wash., DC 20004, ville Mayor Jerry ity?,” by Jitu Brown, Eric 202/628-0871, Abramson, Marc Morial (Rico) Gutstein & Pauline Lipman, a highly critical • “Promoting Bank www.sentencingproject.org of the Natl. Urban review of the new Services among Low- [11377] League (and former Education Secretary’s Income Customers,” by mayor of New Orleans)

May/June 2009 • Poverty & Race • Vol. 18, No. 3 • 13 work in Chicago, ap- Equity Will Determine Secondary Schools Containters House, 20 peared in the Spring 2009 Our Future, by Linda toward Excellence with Upper Ground, London issue of Rethinking Darling-Hammond (240 Equity” is the 5th annual SE1 9QB UK, 020 7803 Schools. Contact them at pp., June 2009, $21.95), Research-to-Practice 1100, [email protected], 1001 E. Keefe Ave., has been published by Conf. of Harvard’s www.mentalhealth.org.uk Milwaukee, WI 53212, Teachers College Press, Achievement Gap Initia- [11393] 414/964-9646, 800/575-6566, tive, June 29-July 1 at [email protected], www.tcpress.com [11410] Harvard. Inf. from • “Childhood Poverty www.rethinkingschools.org ronald_ferguson@ and Health: Cumulative [11391] • Unraveling the hks.harvard.edu [11404] Risk Exposure and Stress “Model Minority” Dysregulation” links • “Learning Teams: Stereotype: Listening to poor kids’ stress to brain Creating What’s Next,” a Asian American Youth, Families/ impairment and many report by the Pew Center by Stacey J. Lee (2nd ed., other health implications. on the States, envisions a April 2009, 176 pp., Women/ Available from Gary shortage of teachers as $24.95), has been Children Evans, Departments of retirements escalate. published by Teachers Design & Environmental Available at http:// College Press, 800/575- • Women of Color as Analysis and of Human www.nctaf.org/docu- 6566, www.tcpress.com Social Work Educators: Development, Cornell ments/NCTAFLearning [11411] Strengths and Survival, University, Ithaca, NY Teams408REG2.pdf eds. Halaevalu F. 14853-4401, • NCLB at the Cross- Ofahengaue Vakalahi, [email protected]. • “Reengaging High roads: Reexamining the Saundra Hardin Starks & School Dropouts: Early Federal Effort to Close Carmen Ortiz Hendricks Results of the National the Achievement Gap, (300 pp., 2007), was Housing Guard Youth eds. Michael Rebell & published by the Council ChallenNGe Program Jessica Wolff (April 2009, on Social Work Educa- “Policy Issues in Public Evaluation,” by Dan 312 pp., $36), has been tion; available from them and Assisted Housing” is Bloom (78 pp., Feb. published by Teachers at 1725 Duke St., #500, a Symposium appearing 2009), is available (no College Press, 800/575- Alexandria, VA 22314- in Vol. 10, No. 1 (2008) price listed) from MDRC, 6566, www.tcpress.com 3457, www.cswe.org of Cityscape, the 3x/yr. 16 E. 34 St., NYC, NY [11412] [11394] publication of HUD’s 10016, 212/532-3200, Office of Policy Develop- www.mdrc.org [11397] • The School Leaders • Feminism Seduced: ment & Research. The Our Children Deserve: How Global Elites Use articles include those • “Learning Around Seven Keys to Equity, Women’s Labor and dealing with the Clock: Benefits of Social Justice, and Ideas to Exploit the deconcentration of Expanded Learning School Reform, by World, by Hester housing choice voucher Opportunities for Older George Theoharis (April Eisenstein (272 pp.), has recipients, use of flat Youth” (163 pp., March 2009, 192 pp., $24.95), just been published by rents in the public 2009) is available ($15) has been published by Paradigm Publishers. It is housing program, the role from American Youth Teachers College Press, an “unflinching critique of social networks in Policy Forum, 1836 800/575-6566, of hegemonic feminism’s making housing choices, Jefferson Pl. NW, Wash., www.tcpress.com [11413] complicity in abandoning and other topics. Subs are DC 20036, 202/775- issues of class and race free - [email protected], 9731, www.aypf.org • “Why High Stakes even as it pays lip service www.huduser.org/ [11398] Accountability Sounds to them.” 800/887-1591 periodicals/cityscape.html Good but Doesn’t Work [11403] [11386] • From the Courtroom – And Why We Keep to the Classroom, eds. Doing It Anyway,” an Claire E. Smrekar & April 2009 report by Gail Immigration Ellen B. Goldring (March Sunderman and Heinrich Health 2009, $29.95), has been Mintrop commissioned by • Sleepwalking to published by Harvard the UCLA Civil Rights • “Mental Health, Segregation? Challeng- Education Press, 617/384- Project (headed by Resilience and Inequali- ing Myths About Race 7249, jeffrey_perkins PRRAC Social Science ties” is a 2009 British and Migration, by Nissa @harvard.edu. It exam- Advisory Board member study documenting the Finney & Ludi Simpson ines recent developments Gary Orfield), is available stigma of discrimination (218 pp., 2009, $29.95), pertaining to school at http://www.civilrights as strongly correlated published by Policy Press segregation in the U.S. project.ucla.edu or from with mental health in Great Britain, is [11407] 571/217-7004. problems. An Executive available from Interna- Summary and the full tional Specialized Book • The Flat World and • “Why Teachers report are available from Services, 920 NE 58th Education: How Improve (and How): the Mental Health Ave., #300, Portland, OR America’s Commitment to Achieving Progress in Foundation, 9th flr., Sea 97213-3786, 503/287-

14 • Poverty & Race • Vol. 18, No. 3 • May/June 2009 3093, www.isbs.com of California Rural Legal Practitioner’s Guide to Freiwirth, [11395] Assistance (headed by Achieving Policy Goals [email protected] PRRAC Board Vice-Chair through Organizational [11368] • “Severing a Lifeline: José Padilla). Likely free: Networks” has been The Neglect of Children 631 Howard St., #300, published by Columbia • The National Priori- in America’s Immigra- San Francisco, CA Books, 888/265-0600. ties Project is hiring a tion Enforcement 94105-3907, 415/777- [11402] Research Director. Policy” (111 pp. + 2752, www.crla.org Resume/ltr./writing Apps., 2009), prepared [11408] • “Thirsting for sample/names-phone#’s of by Dorsey & Whitney (50 Change: Obama’s First 2 refs. to the Project, 243 South St., #1500, Minne- 100 Days” is available King St., #239, apolis, MN 55402, 612/ Miscellaneous (likely free) from the Northampton, MA 01060, 340-2600) for The Urban Institute for Policy [email protected] Institute is available • How to Vote Effec- Studies, 202/234-9382, [11369] (possibly free) from them, tively on a Non-Partisan x227, [email protected], 2100 M St. NW, Wash., Basis, by Morris H. www.ips-dc.org [11414] • Teaching for Change DC 20036, 202/833- Kramer (100 pp., Oct. (Wash., DC) is hiring a 7200, www.ui.org 2006, $11.95), has been Parent Organizer for its [11400] published by Infinity Pub. Job Tellin’ Stories school- Co., 777/BUYBOOK, based and city-wide info@buybooksontheweb. Opportunities/ parent organizing Rural com, www.buybookson Fellowships/ program. 202/238-0109, theweb.com [11390] Ltr./resume to • “California Rural Grants jchoe@teachingfor Legal Assistance Annual • No Enemy to Con- change.org [11405] Report 2007” (CRLA is quer: Forgiveness in an • United for a Fair headed by PRRAC Board Unforgiving World, by Economy (Boston) is • The Center for Vice-Chair José Padilla) is Michael Henderson (230 seeking a new Executive Social Inclusion is available (likely free) pp., Feb. 2009), has been Director. April 10 seeking a Researcher. from them, 631 Howard published by Baylor deadline (but you can see $40-55,000. Ltr./resume/ St., #300, SF, CA 94105- Univ. Press, 800/537- if they are extending). writing sample (6 pp. 3907, 415/777-2752, 5487, www.baylorpress. Ltr./writing sample/salary max.)/3 refs. to Jacob www.crla.org [11378] com [11392] history-requirements/ Farber, CSI, 65 Broad- contact inf. for 3 refs. (in way, #1800, NYC, NY • CRLA in the News is • “The Advocacy MS Word 2003 Docu- 10006. May 22 deadline. the quarterly publication Handbook: A ments attachment) to Judy

If You Are Not Already a P&R Subscriber, Please Use the Coupon Below. ❏ Sign Me Up! ❏ 1 year ($25) or ❏ 2 years ($45)

Please enclose check made out to PRRAC or a purchase order from your institution.

Name ______Address______Address Line 2 ______City, State, Zip ______

Telephone: ______email: ______

Mail to: Poverty & Race Research Action Council 1015 15th Street NW • Suite 400 • Washington, DC 20005

May/June 2009 • Poverty & Race • Vol. 18, No. 3 • 15 Poverty & Race Research Action Council Nonprofit 1015 15th Street NW • Suite 400 U.S. Postage Washington, DC 20005 PAID Jefferson City, MO 202/906-8023 FAX: 202/842-2885 Permit No. 210 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.prrac.org

Address Service Requested

5-6/09

Fellow Policy Health

Dallas, NY York, New TX Kruckenberg Kami

University Union

DC Washington, Southern Liberties Civil American Methodist

Research of Director

Coalition Housing

Flournoy Craig Parker Dennis

Hartman Chester

Income Low National DC Washington, CA Angeles, Los

Crowley Sheila

Center Law California of University

Director President/Executive

TREASURER

Nakanishi Don University Georgetown Tegeler Philip

Cashin Sheryll MA Cambridge,

Columbus,OH DC Washington, Institute

only] purposes identification

University State Ohio Law Under Rights Civil Commonwealth The

for listed [Organizations

Ethnicity & Race of

Miller S.M. for Committee Lawyers DC Washington,

Study the for Institute Kirwan

Brittain John TX Dallas,

Assn. Defender

powell john

DC Washington, Project

Aid Legal National

SECRETARY

Raza La of Communities Inclusive Wood Camille

McCain Demetria Council National DC Washington,

CA Francisco, San

Bowdler Janice VA Annandale, Rights Civil on

Assistance

NY York, New Group Commission Citizens’

Legal Rural California

Fund Educ. & Funders Neighborhood Taylor L. William

Padilla José

Limbocker Spence Defense Legal NAACP CA Oakland,

VICE-CHAIR

Bolden Victor TX Dallas, Rights

CA Berkeley, Project Refugee & Immigrant

School Law NC Hill, Chapel Communities Inclusive

for Network National

Julian Elizabeth California of University Law of School Tactaquin Catherine

NY York, New Diversity and Carolina North of University MD Spring, Silver

Boger Charles John University Columbia Ethnicity Race, on Institute America Service Senior

Johnson Olati Blanco Maria CHAIR Sarmiento Anthony

Directors of Board

COUNCIL ACTION RESEARCH RACE & POVERTY