Poverty & Race OVERTY ACE ESEARCH CTION OUNCIL PRRAC P & R R A C

January/February 2008 Volume 17: Number 1

How Colleges and Universities Can Promote K-12 Diversity: A Modest Proposal by Julius Chambers, John Charles Boger, and William Tobin

Today, court-supervised desegre- are currently opting for student assign- The developing consequences of gation at the K-12 level is encounter- ment policies that lead inexorably to these new legal and institutional pat- ing an array of serious impediments. racial and economic isolation. And terns are clear: According to a report Indeed, some 50 years after Brown, while the portion of the Supreme by the Civil Rights Project at Harvard very few legal or compulsory means Court’s recent majority opinion in University, in 2006 51% of all Afri- remain to ensure that our nation’s Parents Involved in Community can-American students in the North- schools remain racially and economi- Schools v. Seattle School District No. east, 46% in Border states, 42% in the cally diverse. Unless school boards can 1 authored by Justice Kennedy suggests Midwest and 30% in the South now be shown to be acting intentionally to that challenging racial and economic attend schools that are 90-100% mi- promote segregation by race, federal isolation at the K-12 level may consti- nority. Ironically, in districts like courts have no constitutional tools to tute a compelling interest, the Court’s Jefferson County, Kentucky and Se- compel school authorities to provide closely divided ruling likely will dis- attle, Washington, where school boards racially diverse educational environ- courage most school districts from us- opted for integrated pubic schools, ments. Freed from judicial oversight, ing race and ethnicity in current and disgruntled white parents have alleged many local school boards and districts future student assignment programs. that these choices designed to main- tain public school integration violate the Fourteenth Amendment. Julius Chambers (jchambe1@ erty law. Prior to joining the UNC Law In this environment, it is not sur- email.unc.edu) is Clinical Professor of faculty, he was director of the Capital prising that parents of school-age chil- Law and Director of the Center for Punishment Project and the Poverty dren are increasingly raising questions Civil Rights at the University of North and Justice Program at the NAACP (Please turn to page 2) Carolina School of Law. He formerly Legal Defense and Educational Fund, was Director-Counsel of the NAACP Inc. He has been the PRRAC Board Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Chair since 1989. Inc. He argued seminal cases before William Tobin ([email protected]. CONTENTS: the U.S. Supreme Court in the areas edu) is a consultant at the Center for of school desegregation, voting rights Civil Rights at the University of North Universities and K-12 and employment discrimination. He Carolina School of Law and a Visit- Diversity ...... 1 also served as Chancellor of North ing Associate Professor in the Depart- Lead Poisoning ...... 3 Carolina Central University. ment of Sociology at Duke University. Minnesota’s School John Charles Boger (jcboger@ He has published on education reform, Desegregation...... 5 email.unc.edu) is Dean and Wade and his study of civic education and HOPE VI Reauthor– Edwards Distinguished Professor at nationalism, American State Building ization ...... 7 the University of North Carolina as Theatre: Making Washington, D.C. Food Justice ...... 8 School of Law, where he teaches and a National Center, is forthcoming from Resources ...... 15 researches in the areas of constitutional Duke University Press. law, education law, and race and pov-

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 (DIVERSITY: Continued from page 1) tegrated public schools. In the Grutter University of Michigan case, indicate and Gratz cases in 2003, however, the that diversity is an appropriate goal in about the benefits of integrated public nation’s elite colleges and universities the field of higher education. The Su- schools at the K-12 level. Many par- came forward in numerous friend-of- preme Court’s decision in Grutter il- ents whose prime concern is helping the Court briefs to assert their ongo- lustrates how authoritative the higher- their children gain admission to our ing interest in racially diverse learn- education community can be on ques- nation’s best colleges have made sec- ing environments. We are convinced tions of diversity. Justice O’Connor ondary school choices largely on the that these schools have not only the explained in her majority decision in basis of what they perceive these col- knowledge, but the the tools, the self- Grutter that the university’s “educa- leges want. Convinced that colleges interest and the moral authority to help tional judgment that such diversity is and universities are primarily con- ensure that America’s public second- essential to its educational mission is cerned about high academic achieve- ary schools remain economically and one to which we defer.” ment and that diversity and high aca- racially integrated. Colleges and universities can help demic standards are incompatible, Our selective universities have an parents appreciate the value of indi- many families have spurned diverse extraordinary, implicit power, in their vidual accomplishments achieved in an high schools. Parents who appreciate environment that mirrors and does not the value of diversity would gladly elide the diverse character of our soci- send their children to an inclusive high America’s elite colleges ety. For parents who wish to send their school if they believed their child’s and universities have children to diverse high schools, but access to the college of their choice a unique opportunity are afraid that racially mixed schools would be “protected.” Many African- to re-order parental might have lower statewide testing re- American parents find themselves in a sults, colleges and universities can different kind of dilemma: Their chil- priorities. help address these fears by making it dren are frequently trapped in grossly clear that they too attach great value inferior segregated schools. In most own admissions policies, to influence to schools that reflect the make-up of cases, high-achieving schools that are the kinds of educational choices par- present-day America. For parents in racially and economically diverse are ents demand for their children. For the failing schools that are racially and simply not available for their children. past two years, we have been working economically segregated, colleges and with college administrators, scholars, universities can send the message that university general counsels and higher- their children have not been forgot- An Opportunity for Elite education organizations to explore the ten. If those parents who acquiesce in Colleges and Universities viability and promise of awarding an racially isolated public schools are admissions advantage to academically motivated largely by their desire to As interest in integration has waned qualified college applicants who have improve the chances of their children within our federal courts, few voices attended a high school with demon- to attend the colleges of their choice, in American civil society have strated capacity to prepare a racially and if they now believe that a homo- emerged to champion the cause of in- inclusive student body for college and geneous secondary education is likely who have personally demonstrated the to be more rigorous and/or safe for ability to compete, cooperate in this their children, America’s elite colleges diverse educational setting. Over the and universities have a unique oppor- Poverty and Race (ISSN 1075-3591) long term, we believe that providing tunity, by acting upon their own deep- is published six times a year by the Poverty & Race Research Action Coun- an admissions advantage to such high est values, to abate those tensions and cil, 1015 15th Street NW, Suite 400, schools and students can critically shift re-order parental priorities. Washington, DC 20005, 202/906- the current calculus of millions of par- 8023, fax: 202/842-2885, E-mail: ents, and can encourage the creation [email protected]. Chester Hartman, of more high schools that are both in- Our Approach Editor. Subscriptions are $25/year, clusive and academically rigorous high $45/two years. Foreign postage extra. schools capable of producing gradu- We have used Justice Powell’s Articles, article suggestions, letters and general comments are welcome, as are ates who may be thought of as agents holding in Bakke—which the Grutter notices of publications, conferences, of diversity, first in our college com- Court recognized as the “touchstone job openings, etc. for our Resources munities and later in our nation’s com- for constitutional analysis of race ad- Section. Articles generally may be re- munities. missions policies”—as a starting point printed, providing PRRAC gives ad- The higher-education community for our efforts to move this initiative vance permission. knows well that diversity and excel- forward. Powell wrote that “race or © Copyright 2008 by the Poverty lence can co-exist. Indeed, the amici ethnic background may be deemed a & Race Research Action Council. All rights reserved. curiae briefs submitted by colleges and ‘plus’ factor in the context of a flex- universities in Grutter v. Bollinger, the (Please turn to page 11)

2• Poverty & Race • Vol.17, No. 1 • January/February 2008 A Matter of Racial Justice: The Alarming Disparities of Lead-Poisoning Rates in New York State by Michael L. Hanley

Lead poisoning may be color- ethnicity should consider taking a close are more White children than non-white blind, but it is by no means an “equal look at their own state health depart– children living in poverty. It’s time to opportunity” menace. Although lead- ment’s data to compare lead-poison- admit a harder truth: Although the based paint can poison any child, re- ing incidence rates to patterns of resi- highest-risk areas were identified by gardless of race or ethnicity, the dential segregation. the state nearly a decade ago, and al- shameful truth is that in New York though during that time we have also State lead-paint hazards pose a far known the techniques that are effec- greater threat to Black and Latino chil- The Troubling Facts tive for finding and removing lead- dren than to their White, non-Latino paint hazards, we have nonetheless counterparts. Worse yet, our public In New York State, outside of New failed to make a concerted effort to health and legal systems are failing to York City, a Black child under age 5 prevent children in the state’s highest- respond effectively to that inequity. In is 8.5 times more likely to live in a risk areas from becoming poisoned fact, the progress that has been made neighborhood linked to high inci- when we could have done so simply in fighting lead poisoning in the popu- dences of lead poisoning than is a by inspecting the housing in those lation at large over the last two de- White, non-Latino child. There is a neighborhoods and making it lead- cades is now typically presented by link between lead poisoning and pov- safe. Not surprisingly, most of those state and local health agencies as a erty, of course, but the inequity in the neighborhoods in which lead hazards great success story. That story, how- risks of lead poisoning isn’t due sim- were lurking were areas that were then ever, masks the degree to which lead ply to the higher percentage of minor- and are now overwhelmingly Black poisoning remains at crisis levels in the ity children living below the poverty and Latino. No one would seriously neighborhoods that are home to a stun- level. In fact, in sheer numbers there (Please turn to page 4) ning proportion of the children of color in our state. What once may have been prima- rily a public health issue has now be- come a matter of racial justice. This is Augustus Hawkins, not simply a question of minorities Victor Rabinowitz suffering because they may be at the bottom of the economic ladder. This We dedicate this issue of Poverty & Race to the long and illustrious is a situation in which a remedy is at careers of Augustus (Gus) Hawkins, who died in November at the age of hand, the state is failing to act, and 100, and Victor Rabinowitz, who died in November at the age of 96. those suffering as a result are over- Hawkins, the first African American to be elected to Congress from whelmingly children of color. Persons California (South Los Angeles was his district), championed civil rights, outside of New York State who are fair housing and workers’ rights during his 28-year Congressional career. concerned about disparities in health Among his many accomplishments, he sponsored the equal employment and housing issues related to race and section of the 1964 Civil Rights Act that created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; co-wrote the 1978 Humphrey-Hawkins Act de- signed to reduce unemployment and inflation; helped form the Congres- Michael L. Hanley (mhanley@ sional Black Caucus in 1971. EmpireJustice.org) is a housing and Victor Rabinowitz was one of the country’s great lawyers on the left. civil rights attorney with the Roches- He, his law partner Leonard Boudin and other of the firm’s lawyers de- ter, NY office of the Empire Justice fended such clients as Julian Bond, Paul Robeson and Black Panthers, plus Center (www.EmpireJustice.org), a taking on lots of labor’s causes. He was a founding member of The Na- not-for-profit public interest law firm tional Lawyers Guild, and when his daughter Joni was convicted of perjury that conducts policy analysis on mat- in federal court for her work with SNCC, he won her release by persuading ters of race and poverty in connection the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to strike down the federal system for with its legislative and litigation ac- selecting grand jurors throughout the South because it underrepresented the tivities in order to “make the law work Black population. for all New Yorkers.”

January/February 2008 • Poverty & Race • Vol. 17, No. 1 • 3 (LEAD: Continued from page 3) lion housing units. the lip service paid to primary preven- Unfortunately, the overall (i.e., tion in each annual report from the De- believe that we would have reached statewide) drop in the incidence rate partment of Health, the Division of this same result had those same high for lead poisoning has not been re- Housing and Community Renewal, incidence rates been found in an flected in the high-risk areas now and the Department of State, the state equivalent proportion of the state’s populated by minority children. Even has never actually taken the steps more affluent, non-minority neighbor- if the current statewide incidence rate needed to make those inspections hap- hoods. of 2-3% drops below 0.5%, as pro- pen, or for that matter even made any Under the our last Governor, the jected, it is cold comfort for those liv- effort to lay the groundwork for pri- state Department of Health and its ing in a neighborhood in which the mary prevention inspections other than housing agencies (the Department of incidence rate may still be more than on a voluntary basis or in connection State—which has responsibility for 40 times that level. And that’s what with federally-funded lead-hazard overseeing housing code enforcement the case would be in a neighborhood elimination grant programs. —and the state Division of Housing with a 20% incidence rate, meaning Whether intentional or not, by fail- and Community Renewal) did not have that one child in five who has been ing to embark on any building inspec- any plan for systematically inspecting tested is found to be poisoned by lead. tion initiative while simultaneously housing for lead-paint hazards—at The lead paint that was put on the walls holding out to the public that lead poi- least until it was already too late for of the housing in those neighborhoods soning incidence rates have been drop- the child living there. That is, no health ping, the state has masked the severity or building official would go out to of the problem. Eager to highlight the inspect a house or apartment for lead Lead poisoning is by progress that has been made (which hazards until after a child had already no means an “equal many attribute to the continuing ef- become poisoned and had become per- opportunity” menace. fects of the federal elimination of lead manently impaired by lead. from gasoline in 1974, and, for newer State Department of Health data in most cases is still on the walls, just homes, the elimination of lead in paint show that in 2001 over 41% of the as it was when a different generation, in 1978), the state has simply failed to new cases of children poisoned by lead the baby-boomers, grew up playing on take the next critical steps. The state in the state (outside of New York City) those same floors and porches. But the continues to maintain in its most re- lived in only 36 of the state’s nearly risk of hazards in those units has in- cent major document on the subject, 1,700 zip codes. The Department of creased dramatically. That housing is “Eliminating Childhood Lead Poison- Health labeled these areas as “high now nearly a half-century older, and ing in New York State by 2010,” that incidence rate” zip codes. Of these 36 as the years have gone by, the paint in “[t]he statistical models indicate that zip codes, 9 were in Buffalo, 6 were those houses has become more and incidence rates in NYS, exclusive of in Rochester, 5 were in Syracuse and more likely to peel and flake off. Once NYC, will have decreased by the year 5 were in Albany. Lead poisoning has owner-occupied properties have be- 2010 to very low levels.” Reading this had a devastating social and economic come rental properties that are less report, you would think that the prob- impact on these cities, imposing over- likely to be well-maintained. And, like lem is well on the way to being solved. whelming burdens on their schools and the boomers themselves, the infrastruc- In the absence of a mandate or criminal justice systems. ture isn’t what it used to be. Roofs and guidance from the state, however, none According to 2000 Census data, windows have deteriorated, adding to of the housing in these high-incidence these 36 high-risk areas are home to the flaking and peeling of the paint, neighborhoods has ever been routinely over 91% of the Black children under and creating lead new lead-poisoning inspected for lead-paint hazards. Per- age 5 living in Buffalo; over 87% of hazards. haps local health officials saw build- those in Albany; nearly 80% of those ing inspections as a “housing” prob- in Rochester; and over 65% of those lem, and local building inspectors saw in Syracuse. The numbers are nearly The Failure of them as a “health” problem. At any as high for Latino children. Almost Governmental Action rate, no one apparently has seen it as unbelievably, over 33% of all of the his or her job. State officials simply Black children under age 5 in New The situation is even more egregious never addressed the administrative gap. York State (outside of New York in light of the unfulfilled promise made In most municipalities, the presence City) lived in one of these 36 zip by state officials when they identified of lead-paint hazards is not even a codes. these high-risk areas in 2001. At that building code violation. Although haz- In a way, that should have been time, they said the state would pursue ards can be cited under the state Pub- really good news. It meant that we a plan for “primary prevention”— lic Health Law (see PHL §1375), as should have been able to attack the that’s the term used for the strategy of far as we know, no local building of- problem without trying to inspect ev- finding lead hazards in buildings be- ficials have been designated (as the ery one of the state’s more than 7 mil- fore children are poisoned. But despite (Please turn to page 10)

4 • Poverty & Race • Vol. 17, No. 1 • January/February 2008 When the Feds Won’t Act: School Desegregation, State Courts, and Minnesota’s The Choice is Yours Program by Myron Orfield and Baris Gumus-Dawes

New strategies are needed to fight rolled in Minneapolis public schools. While the legal settlement that resulted school segregation, which continues to The plaintiffs argued that a segregated in The Choice is Yours Program ex- undermine equality of opportunity in education violates the Minnesota State pired in June 2005, the Program’s in- the U.S. Since the early 1990s, fed- Constitution’s education and Equal ter-district transfer component contin- eral courts have been more unwilling Protection clauses. ues to operate under the West Metro to mandate desegregation under the The plaintiffs alleged that the State Education Program’s comprehensive Constitution’s Equal Protection clause. of Minnesota had not taken effective desegregation plan, thanks to ongoing Plaintiffs therefore are increasingly action to desegregate Minneapolis support from the receiving districts. turning to state courts, seeking rem- schools and that the state reinforced At the beginning of the 2005-06 edies under state constitutional Equal school year, approximately 1,680 chil- Protection clauses and/or by invoking dren were enrolled in The Choice is the fundamental right to education in Eighty-one percent of Yours Program; 1,090 of these stu- state constitutions. the participants were dents were returning from the previ- In one seminal Connecticut case— students of color. ous year. The majority of the partici- Sheff v. O’Neill—the court recognized pants had previously attended over- that a segregated education was a state whelmingly poor Minneapolis constitutional violation and ordered racial and economic inequality through schools. African-American and Asian Connecticut to desegregate its schools. its school construction policies. A ma- students participated in the Program In Minnesota, the state settled a some- jor part of the settlement agreement at rates higher than their respective what similar claim by initiating a vol- was creation of The Choice is Yours shares in the student population. Be- untary integration program, The Program. cause the Program was designed to tar- Choice is Yours. This promising pro- get students by income, and not by gram shows the viability of state court race, it was not completely efficient desegregation remedies in the face of The Choice is Yours in achieving racial desegregation. the waning federal commitment to de- Program Nonetheless, 81% of the participating segregation. The success of The students were students of color. Geo- Choice is Yours also demonstrates that The Program has an inter-district graphically, North Minneapolis a voluntary school integration program student transfer component, which neighborhoods were the largest con- can achieve acceptance in predomi- greatly expanded educational oppor- tributors to the Program. Not surpris- nantly white communities if adequate tunities for low-income children in ingly, suburban districts immediately financial incentives are put in place. Minneapolis. Under this component, adjacent to these neighborhoods re- children of Minneapolis residents who ceived more students under the Pro- qualify for free or reduced-cost lunch gram than any other district. The Settlement programs are eligible for priority placement in participating schools in The Choice is Yours Program was eight suburban school districts. Almost A Promising Public created in 2000 in response to a law- all of the sending Minneapolis schools School Choice Model suit filed on behalf of the children en- were predominantly non-white, with for School Integration high percentages of children receiving Myron Orfield ([email protected])) free and reduced-cost lunch. Receiv- Students who participated in The is Executive Director of the Institute ing school districts ranged from 41% Choice is Yours Program experienced on Race & Poverty at the University white to 87% white, with much lower significant achievement gains. Aver- of Minnesota and Associate Professor rates of school poverty. aged across all demographics, students at its Law School. The Program allocated a minimum from grades 3 through 7 made consis- Baris Gumus-Dawes (bdawes@ of 500 priority placement slots per tent and significant improvements in umn.edu) is a Research Fellow at the year, starting with the 2001-02 school reading and mathematics. In compari- Institute on Race & Poverty, Univer- year, eventually setting aside an esti- son with the Program-eligible but non- sity of Minnesota. mated 2,000 slots over four years. (Please turn to page 6)

January/February 2008 • Poverty & Race • Vol. 17, No. 1 • 5 (CHOICE: Continued from page 5) Interviews with parents of the stu- district. This means that suburban dis- dents who participated in the Program tricts receive more state aid for The participating students, The Choice is revealed great satisfaction with it. Choice is Yours participants than they Yours suburban students made annual Ninety-eight percent of all the parents do for other students. In addition, gains that were nearly a third higher. whose children participated claimed these districts receive state desegrega- Ideally, one needs to compare the they would recommend the Program tion transportation aid funds to finance test scores of Program participants to others. During the 2005-06 school the transport of Program participants. with the scores of eligible students who year, 70% of the parents reported that were not accepted into the Program in they had actually recommended the order to control for the self-selection Program to other parents. Parents rated Strengthening the bias of highly motivated students and the schools well on a variety of fac- Program parents who seek public choice pro- tors, including setting high standards grams. However, such a comparison for achievement, creating community While The Choice is Yours Pro– is impossible since enrollment capac- and making students feel welcome. gram’s inter-district choice model is a ity limits for The Choice is Yours have Academic quality and school safety promising approach and has been not yet been reached and no applicants were the main reasons parents enrolled proven beneficial to the students in- have yet been rejected. their children in suburban school dis- volved, its limited geographic scope Instead, the Minnesota Department tricts. has been counter-productive. Because of Education attempted to correct for Suburban school districts participat- of neighborhood transition in inner- this self-selection bias by studying stu- ing in the Program have been recep- ring suburbs participating in the Pro- dents who began in the Program with tive to incoming students for two rea- gram, increased racial segregation and a wide range of achievement levels. sons. Many of these districts have been poverty concentration have become Students who scored below the 50th facing declining or stagnating enroll- growing issues in some participating percentile initially made gains similar ments and as a result have been losing schools. Two changes to the Program to other Program participants. In both state revenues. The Program fills these are necessary for its continuing suc- reading and mathematics, low-per- empty seats and not only brings needed cess in the short run. forming participants scored 19 percen- diversity but also the per-pupil state Instituting poverty caps on indi- tile points higher in mathematics revenues the suburban districts need to vidual schools would limit the num- progress than non-participants and 13- maintain their level of service. More- ber of Program participants any indi- 22 percentile points higher in reading. over, these school districts are given vidual school could enroll. This would These findings show that The Choice additional financial incentives for re- prevent future concentrations of pov- is Yours Program holds promise for ceiving students. Minnesota’s school erty in individual schools. Ensuring a its academic quality. finance law rewards suburban districts wider distribution of Program partici- The Program has been favorably re- for receiving students who participate pants across districts would also pre- garded by parents, students, the Min- in The Choice is Yours Program be- vent any school district from becom- nesota Office of the Legislative Audi- cause these students bring with them ing racially and economically segre- tor and even the Bush Administration. what is known as “compensatory rev- gated. One of the nine choice programs na- enue” in addition to the base amount In order to implement its original tionwide to receive a federal grant of state aid allocated to all students. goal of integrating disadvantaged stu- while those monies were still available, Compensatory revenue is awarded un- dents into opportunity-rich, well-per- the Program was considered the best der a state formula based on the num- forming schools in the long run, how- among these programs. ber of low-income children in each ever, the Program should be signifi- cantly expanded to encompass many more school districts. Increasing the Resources number of participating suburban Institute on Race & Poverty, “The Choice is Ours: Expanding Educational Opportu- school districts could help distribute nity for all Twin Cities Children (May 2006), available at http://www.irpumn.org/uls/ poverty enrollments over a larger set resources/projects/CIYFInalReport_topost.pdf of schools and school districts, and Myron Orfield. “Choice, Equal Protection and Metropolitan Integration: The Hope of ensure that all participating schools the Minneapolis Desegregation Settlement, 24 Law & Inequality 269 (2006). remain economically and racially in- tegrated. The Program’s continuing Erica Frankenberg, “Boston’s METCO Program: Lessons for the Hartford Area” success depends on avoiding future available at http://www.prrac.org/pdf/ProjectChoiceCampaignFinalReport.pdf (PRRAC concentrations of poverty and racial 2007) segregation in participating schools and Erica Frankenberg, “Improving and Expanding Hartford’s Project Choice Program” school districts. ❏ http://www.prrac.org/pdf/ProjectChoiceCampaignMETCOReport.pdf (PRRAC 2007)

6 • Poverty & Race • Vol. 17, No. 1 • January/February 2008 Public Housing Redevelopment: Balancing the Right to Return and the Right to Expanded Housing Opportunities

Since its inception in 1993, the federal HOPE VI public housing redevelopment program has received ample criticism both from housing preservation advocates and civil rights organizations. The original promise of the program—to replace severely distressed public housing with vibrant mixed-income communities and wider housing opportunities for former residents—has often been obscured by frustration: Families who want to return to their former, now revitalized community have sometimes been turned away, and in some sites, the relocation process has not opened up new housing opportunities for former residents, but has simply resegregated them in other high-poverty neighborhoods. And while the program has dramatically improved conditions in many former distressed public housing sites, it has also resulted in a net loss of public housing units in the areas where it has been implemented. (A number of these points were also raised in the 2002 report, “False HOPE: A Critical Assessment of the HOPE VI Public Housing Redevelopment Program,” prepared by the National Housing Law Project, PRRAC, the Center for Community Change and other groups). Congress is now in the process of reauthorizing the HOPE VI program, which, if passed, would be the only new public housing program on the horizon (the larger Section 8 voucher program does not fund traditional public housing develop- ment). The major positive change in emphasis in the pending reauthorization bill is a serious consideration of one-for-one replacement of public housing units in the regions where the program is implemented. However, civil rights advocates have expressed concern that the bill steers too much of this replacement housing back to the same site and neighborhood of the originally segregated developments, and does not adequately recognize the desire of many residents to move to different neighborhoods and schools. In trying to balance these fair housing concerns with the legitimate interests of tenants who wish to return to a revitalized HOPE VI community, we have helped to develop the following statement of principles, which has been endorsed by PRRAC, the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educa- tional Fund, the National Fair Housing Alliance, the Inclusive Communities Project, the Maryland ACLU and (as of publication time) 16 additional state and local fair housing groups. For a full list, go to www.prrac.org/policy.php. — Philip Tegeler, PRRAC Executive Director

Statement of Fair Housing and Civil Rights Advocates on HOPE VI Reauthorization

In the ongoing discussions concern- public housing development, begin- income families in the broader hous- ing the reauthorization of the federal ning in the era of Jim Crow and con- ing market. HOPE VI public housing revitaliza- tinuing through the late 1950s and 60s, (2) We support meaningful and en- tion program, there has been much said must be understood in the context of forceable involvement of residents in about specific details of wording but each city and region where a HOPE the planning process. At the same time, less discussion about “first principles.” VI redevelopment is proposed. advocates and policymakers must also As H.R. 3524 moves to the full House (1) We support one-for-one replace- recognize that the interests of residents and eventually to the Senate, we offer ment of all units. The replacement of are not “monolithic.” In any given the following set of constitutional and units that have already been vacated development, some residents may civil rights principles for interested or demolished before HOPE VI rede- wish to return to the original site, parties to consider. velopment is essential to prevent the while others may wish to leave. These The important civil rights issues loss of housing that has been a part of preferences will vary depending on the surrounding the HOPE VI program— the affordable housing inventory. location of the development. The op- including the right to return to the re- Because a portion of this housing is portunity to move to racially inte- developed site, the impacts of reloca- currently unoccupied (or demolished), grated or low-poverty communities tion on nearby neighborhoods, and the due to the condition or undesirability should not be denied because a major- right to expanded housing opportuni- of the location, one-for-one replace- ity of residents wish to remain in the ties throughout the region—cannot be ment creates a pool of units that does neighborhood, or because housing in considered without an understanding not involve even temporary displace- such areas will take longer to build. of the historical use of public housing ment of current residents, and can be The future interests of families on the as a policy to segregate and contain used to address the issues of segrega- public housing waiting list—and their poor people of color. The history of tion and lack of housing choice for low- (Please turn to page 14)

January/February 2008 • Poverty & Race • Vol. 17, No. 1 • 7 PRRAC Researcher Report

Food Justice Activism in West Oakland, California

It’s virtually impossible to buy Alcoholic Beverage Control produces rican-American speech patterns more fruits and vegetables in most inner-city an ideal ratio of liquor stores to popu- generally. areas, particularly in the neighbor- lation; West Oakland is 28 liquor stores But despite the best efforts of food hoods populated by low-income people above that ratio, more than twice that justice activists, many of these projects and people of color. This simple state- of any other Oakland neighborhood. do not seem to be reaching their in- ment, confirmed by a wealth of social Liquor stores sell candy, fast food and tended audiences. The farmers mar- science and public health research, has other options likely to lead to poor ket and community gardens are largely given rise to a social movement aimed health. Because of the scant access to populated by middle-class whites who at providing food security—access to fresh food, activists have labeled West have recently moved to the neighbor- healthy, culturally appropriate food at Oakland and other neighborhoods like hood. Wary that food justice projects all times through non-emergency it food deserts. could become another engine of sources—to communities that other- Amidst this bleak landscape, food gentrification, the Environmental Jus- wise lack it. Activists in this move- justice activists have developed a vari- tice Institute partnered with Alison ment use the phrase food justice to in- ety of programs aimed at empowering Hope Alkon, a Univ. of California- dicate that food security should be a Davis researcher studying the farmers human right. market mentioned above, aided by a West Oakland could be the poster Food security should be PRRAC research grant, to try to bet- child for food insecurity. Food inse- a human right. ter understand how food justice activ- curity exists disproportionately among ists could connect with food-insecure low-income people of color. Eighty West Oakland residents to improve residents. percent of West Oakland’s nearly their health as well as their economic 20,000 residents self-identify as Afri- situations. These projects have in- can-American or Latino/a, and 61% cluded school and community gardens, Research Strategy of households earn incomes below a farmers market, a cooperatively- $30,000 per year. Only 14% of resi- owned grocery store, a bulk buying While activists knew anecdotally dents have completed a bachelors de- club and a backyard garden project. that their projects weren’t reaching gree, compared to 35% for surround- Many of these projects encourage West their intended audience, the first step ing Alameda County overall. Thirty- Oakland residents to become more in our research was to better under- four percent of residents age 25 and self-sufficient by producing a portion stand who was making use of food over did not finish high school. of their own foods, or to become pro- justice programs and why. Our re- While the popular press often casts ducers and distributors, as well as con- search strategy consisted of three com- overweight, obesity and diet-related sumers, of this newly bountiful pro- ponents: diseases such as diabetes as the conse- duce. 1. A survey of farmers market cus- quences of lax discipline and poor per- Racial empowerment is a key theme tomers; sonal choices, food-justice activists in many of these projects and a strat- 2. Interviews with food justice understand the links between poverty egy through which they particularly project participants; and food availability. Like predomi- target African Americans. While some 3. Focus groups with food-insecure nantly African-American neighbor- programs espouse racially neutral West Oakland residents who did not hoods in other American cities, healthy rhetoric through slogans such as participate in food justice projects. food is hard to come by in West Oak- “healthy food for all,” others develop Our survey was distributed using land, while unhealthy choices abound. language that incorporates traditionally a sample of convenience—meaning we West Oakland contains only one gro- African-American food practices. For approached as many customers as pos- cery store to feed its 20,000 residents. example, one local non-profit calls its sible and asked them to fill out our This grocery store, according to one youth program “collards ‘n com- brief questionnaire. food justice activist, is overpriced and merce,” featuring a vegetable common Interviews allowed for a deeper unsanitary. On the other hand, West to African-American cuisine. Another understanding of those who had made Oakland has over 40 liquor stores, organization is named Mo’ Better commitments to food justice projects. more than 1.5 times the city’s aver- Foods, which alludes not only to Spike They ranged from 20-minute discus- age. The California Department of Lee’s “Mo’ Better Blues,” but to Af- sions during market hours to several

8 • Poverty & Race • Vol. 17, No. 1 • January/February 2008 hour-long conversations at peoples’ focus groups demonstrated that the through which food-insecure people farms, homes and local cafes. We then most food-insecure residents regularly can read themselves into participation transcribed all the interviews and purchase items from supermarkets be- in local food systems. searched our data for patterns. Those cause they value price over conve- we interviewed were paid for their nience. Taken together, these reports time. can tell us much about why West Oak- Economic Strategies Focus groups enhanced our under- land food justice programs are not gar- standings of the food shopping and nering participation from food-inse- Food justice activists rarely ac- eating practices of food-insecure neigh- cure residents. knowledge the difficulty, and indeed borhood residents in the hopes that the contradiction, in trying to employ food justice projects could tap into strategies based in the “free” market their already existing routines. We Counterculture —the exchange of goods for money— hired a West Oakland resident to pass in order to reach low-income people. out flyers, and the response was over- Members of both demographic Perhaps the most important result from whelming. Five focus groups were groups that frequent the market— the focus groups was the discovery that held, lasting approximately one-and- young, white, low-income but highly the majority of participants do not ob- a-half hours each. We videotaped these educated recent residents and middle- tain the majority of their food from discussions so we could later take notes class blacks from outside the neigh- expensive corner stores. Rather, they on what was said and who said it. leave the neighborhood to shop at a Taken together, these reports can chain grocery store. Again, they do tell us much about why West Oakland Food justice activists this because price, rather than conve- food justice programs are not garner- understand the links nience, is the primary factor inform- ing participation from food-insecure between poverty and ing shopping choices. While food residents. Many of our conclusions made available by food justice pro- many be applicable to those working food availability. grams is much less expensive than simi- to bring healthy food to low-income lar food from health food stores or people in other locations. borhood—maintain associations with other nearby farmers markets, it is still leftist counterculture—something more expensive than processed food likely true of food justice movement from grocery stores. This conclusion Exploring the Disconnect participants. Many West Oakland cus- is anecdotally supported by the results tomers are involved in some kind of of coupon programs employed by vari- Survey data provided an important political or voluntary activity, most ous food justice organizations. On sev- understanding of the demographics of commonly oriented towards social jus- eral occasions, organizations have of- food justice supporters, as well as their tice. Indeed, the very forms through fered coupons as incentives to try to motivations for attending. They re- which the food justice movement draw in local residents, sometimes vealed that although farmers market works—farmers markets, community even distributing them to children in customers were more highly educated, gardens and the like—have their roots school to share with their families. wealthier and more racially diverse in the back-to-the-land movement and Customers tend to use the coupons, but than typical West Oakland residents, its urban counterpart. In a place like rarely return to spend additional both black and white customers es- adjacent Berkeley, local food systems money. poused support for black farmers as a overcome their hippie connotations This conclusion also points to the primary rationale for shopping at the through the association between fresh difficulty in doing economic empow- farmers market. Interviews provided organic food and elite gourmet tastes. erment through food justice programs. a more in-depth examination of what While this is problematic in a number Because few food-insecure residents the market’s most dedicated support- of ways, it does bring local organic make use of the programs, little rev- ers—its managers, vendors and regu- food further into “the mainstream.” enue is generated from them. This lar customers—seek to accomplish While much of West Oakland food lack of revenue makes it difficult to through market participation. These justice activism re-works the imagery sustain producers, both farmers and interviews highlighted a variety of associated with local organic food by home-based businesspeople, who sup- community development, health, eco- merging it with racial empowerment, ply many of the goods on which food nomic and racial empowerment goals. it remains characterized by a counter– justice programs depend. The mis- Lastly, focus groups yielded a perspec- cultural ethic. While food-insecure match between economic strategies and tive on the lived realities of food-in- local residents have heard of many of low-income communities may also secure people. While food justice ad- the West Oakland food justice projects, explain why the majority of food jus- vocates tend to assume that geographic they continue to believe that local or- tice employees match the demograph- barriers prevent food desert residents ganic food is not something for them. ics of farmers market attendees. In from accessing proper nutrition, our Activists need to provide a framework (Please turn to page 10)

January/February 2008 • Poverty & Race • Vol. 17, No. 1 • 9 (FOOD: Continued from page 9) (LEAD: Continued from page 4) Visit PRRAC’s order to participate, community ser- state law allows) to enforce the Public website at: vice rather than money must be one’s Health Law. It was not until the City www.prrac.org primary motivation. This choice is of Rochester adopted a local ordinance more available to those with greater requiring inspections in high-risk ar- means. eas that there was any requirement for the routine inspection for lead-paint ficials to work, with assistance from hazards in any of the 36 zip codes iden- the state, to develop true primary pre- Advocacy tified by the state as “high-incidence vention plans targeted to the highest- rate” areas. risk areas. Updated data should be Our report has been made available made available to the public, on an on- to the staff of many West Oakland food going basis, in order to assure the justice organizations who have revised The state is failing to transparency needed to monitor their strategies in order to better meet act, and those suffering progress. the needs of West Oakland’s food-in- as a result are over- Additionally, legislation is needed secure residents. Mandela Market- whelmingly children of not only to secure the guarantee that place, a worker-owned grocery store color. the state, regardless of who is sitting supported by the Environmental Jus- in the Governor’s office, will be vigi- tice Institute slated to open next year, lant in protecting children from lead has decided to feature a greater vari- Consider this: Even though the poi- poisoning, but also to provide eco- ety of goods, as well as free food give- soning rate in the city of Rochester— nomic assistance to building owners to aways, to entice new customers. Oak- where I work—has dropped from over remove lead hazards safely. land Food Connection has focused its 1,000 children per year five years ago Legislation passed in the State As- efforts on school lunches, in part be- to slightly fewer than 500 children per sembly in 2007, and two bills offered cause cooking at that scale allows for year today, that means that, in the in the State Senate, would require the the meals to be cheaper than nearby twelve years that it takes for a child to Department of Health each year to fast food. After learning from our go through school, there will be nearly identify the neighborhoods where the focus groups that food-insecure resi- 6,000 additional children in the school lead poisoning risks continue to be the dents make extensive use of local meal system who are permanently dimin- highest. The legislation would then re- giveaways, People’s Grocery began ished in their intellectual capacity and quire the Department of Health to give donating their locally grown organic exhibiting aggressive and distracting local health and building officials in produce to several nearby and highly behaviors. those communities the help they need utilized food distribution programs to develop effective “primary preven- working to improve the health quality tion plans.” And, to make sure the of the food that residents already eat. What’s Needed housing gets fixed, the legislation In addition, their new Community would provide financial assistance to Supported Agriculture program will Our new Governor, Eliot Spitzer, property owners, in the form of tax distribute boxes of locally grown pro- and his Executive agencies can act im- credits, to make sure they have help duce that will be given to local resi- mediately to address this problem. In to eliminate lead-paint hazards. fact, this should be a top priority for It is certainly unlikely that this is- dents for six months at no charge. the newly appointed Children’s Cabi- sue is limited to New York State. The Through these means, food justice ac- net. What better challenge to tackle adoption of a highly targeted code tivists hope to whet the appetites of than the future health of our state’s enforcement inspection system for local residents, encouraging them to most vulnerable and highest-risk chil- lead-paint hazards should be evaluated participate in budding local food sys- dren. Talk about investing in the fu- for every city or state where such haz- tems. As these local food systems grow, ture. ards are likely to be concentrated they will also provide economic op- Several steps can be taken adminis- in limited geographic areas. Compre- portunities. ❐ tratively, essentially with the stroke of hensive, strategically targeted efforts For a copy of the full report, con- a pen. State training for local build- are critical to eliminating lead-paint tact Alison Alkon at halkon@ucdavis. ing officials to learn how to identify hazards in buildings before children edu lead-paint hazards needs to be in- are poisoned, and before lives are creased, and the state needs to desig- ruined. When lead-paint hazard areas nate local building inspectors to cite overlap areas of minority segregation, owners for lead-paint hazards under the then the failure to address that injus- existing Public Health Law. Similarly, tice is simply unconscionable. ❏ the state can require county health of-

10 • Poverty & Race • Vol. 17, No. 1 • January/February 2008 (DIVERSITY: Continued from page 2) Nobel Peace Prize for Pete Seeger? ible and individualized consideration A petition campaign is under way to nominate folksinger/activist Pete of each college applicant.” Looking Seeger for the Nobel Peace Prize. Individual and organizational signatures to the future, Powell urged adoption are being solicited—see http://nobelprize4Pete.org or contact Eleanor Walden of admissions criteria that are “often ([email protected], 2951 Derby St., #140, Berkeley, CA individual qualities or experiences not 94705). Seeger’s lifelong (he will shortly be 90) activism on behalf of civil dependent on race, but sometimes as- rights, peace and the environment are legendary. A 93-minute documen- sociated with it.” tary, Pete Seeger: The Power of Song, recently opened in NYC. The lauda- Our approach emphasizes collabo- tory NY Times review was illustrated with a 1957 photo of Seeger, standing ration. In an era in which top-down, with Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks and Ralph David Abernathy in judicially-mandated desegregation at front of the Highlander Library (and the editor of P&R cannot resist noting the K-12 level is largely over, we are that several years earlier, as part of summer project sponsored by the convinced that the greatest challenge Unitarian-Universalist Assn., he helped build that library). —even for attorneys—is to develop vol- The April 17, 2006 New Yorker had a first-rate profile of Seeger—”The untary and creative ways to ensure ra- Protest Singer,” by Alex Wilkinson. cial and economic integration at that level. Our first challenge was to de- vise a collaborative strategy that would then publicly explore the viability of communities within the university energize and mobilize the higher-edu- this initiative. We further believed that world: admissions officials, who cation community. We grappled with there would be productive synergy be- would implement this initiative; schol- the challenge of building a social tween these two approaches. ars—who could test the empirical as- movement within the higher-education sumptions that animate the initiative; community and how best to bring university general counsels and other about institutional change, both within Four Related Trajectories relevant attorneys—to consider the individual institutions and across the initiative’s legal viability and the lim- higher-education community at large. We began to implement this strat- its of race-neutral programs; and, most While we realized that the participa- egy in September of 2006 when Julius importantly, presidents/chancellors, tion of college presidents and chancel- Chambers formally introduced the ini- who would commit their institutions lors would be critical, we also recog- tiative at the Politics of Inclusion Con- to this idea. Over the past months, we nized that much preliminary work and ference, a national gathering of col- have coalesced four related and ongo- relationship-building would be re- lege and university administrators held ing trajectories involving these groups. quired before we approached these in Chapel Hill. We built on the mo- For this article, we focus on our work leaders. So we began close to home. mentum of his address by forging in- with college and university admissions We first talked with administrative directors across the country and, more officials at Duke University and the briefly, efforts to engage college lead- University of North Carolina-Chapel The greatest challenge ers. Hill—universities with which we are is to develop voluntary, affiliated. creative ways to New Ideas in Under- These conversations persuaded us ensure K-12 racial graduate Admissions that we should pursue a strategy that and economic is simultaneously “bottom up” and integration. After discussions with more than a “top down.” We should first build re- dozen admissions directors in the Fall lationships with middle-level actors of 2006, in January of 2007 we con- dividual relationships with admissions within universities, including under- vened a group of seven admissions di- directors, diversity officers, general graduate deans of arts and sciences, rectors representing selective private counsels, deans and provosts from col- chief university diversity officers, uni- and public institutions to discuss the leges across the country. From these versity general counsels, education viability of our initiative. Soon after conversations we learned that (in ad- scholars and, of course, admissions this meeting, the College Board—best dition to the moral appeal we were directors. We believed these actors known for the SAT, but which also making) it was critical to emphasize would have an institutional interest in sponsors meetings and colloquia that how the presence of high school stu- this initiative, would be able to advo- attract college officials throughout the dents with diverse experiences would cate for it within their institutions, and country—expressed interest in co- directly benefit colleges and universi- would ultimately be responsible for its sponsoring (with the UNC Center for ties. In addition, these conversations implementation. Second, we focused Civil Rights) a meeting that would fur- on engaging university presidents/ convinced us that our strategy would chancellors who—we hoped—would be most effective if we targeted four (Please turn to page 12) January/February 2008 • Poverty & Race • Vol. 17, No. 1 • 11 (DIVERSITY: Continued from page 11) diversity capital at both the individual holistic review that most of our selec- and collective levels. Individual stu- tive colleges now undertake.) Third, ther develop the concept. More than dents who possess diversity capital and a focus on diversity capital would make 20 admissions officials from around the qualities associated with it may dis- this initiative race-neutral, even as its the country—including those repre- play a range of improved outcomes introduction would be undertaken with senting large public universities that both within and outside the classroom. the knowledge that at present few white are grappling with new state laws that Students with diversity capital might students who apply to our selective limit the use of race in the admissions be expected to do better in a range of colleges and universities attend diverse process—met in June of 2007. areas, both in high school and college. high schools. Indeed, while the lan- Together, these meetings helped us And the presence of a critical mass of guage is certainly race-neutral, the in- refine our original idea, which was an students who possess this capital may tent is also race-neutral. Conversations “admissions plus” for simply attend- advance the general educational mis- with a broad range of attorneys have ing a racially and economically diverse sion of our colleges by serving as convinced us that the knowledge that high school. The admissions officials agents of engagement and inclusion. at present historically under-repre- encouraged us to focus on identifying: These, of course, are merely assump- sented minority students are more 1) qualities that would enable students tions. We are now in the process of likely to have these qualities—precisely to adeptly negotiate and enrich an in- testing these assumptions with relevant because they are more likely to have clusive educational setting, and 2) the national data. attended a diverse school—does not characteristics of the environments There are a number of advantages make this merely a “proxy for race” where students would likely acquire to this focus on diversity capital. First, and, thus, a policy requiring strict these qualities—in most, but not all scrutiny by the courts. Finally, di- cases, high schools. Our plan is to create an versity capital might be used to These insights led us to develop the “admissions plus” for complement quantitative data collected concept of “diversity capital.” Diver- at the individual, school and, increas- sity capital is an alternative way to con- simply attending a ra- ingly, at the neighborhood level—i.e., ceptualize diversity in both high school cially and economically GPA, class rank and quantitative mea- and college settings. Diversity capital diverse high school. sures of the socio-economic make-up is analogous to “human capital” or of the neighborhoods and high schools “cultural capital.” It denotes the quali- unlike many other admissions criteria from which applicants are drawn. ties, skills and life experiences that —legacy status, for example—the abil- How would diversity capital actu- enable a student to communicate, co- ity to work cooperatively in an inclu- ally operate in the undergraduate ad- operate, compete and achieve in a truly sive educational setting is a skill that missions process? At one of our na- inclusive setting. While diversity capi- is directly transferable to the college tional meetings, an admissions direc- tal is an attribute of individuals, it is setting. Second, unlike athletic prow- tor provided one vision of how this experientially acquired, not ascrip- ess, diversity capital would be an ad- concept might be operationalized. He tively given. Students develop diver- missions criterion that would be rel- began by noting that every admissions sity capital. Put differently, diversity evant to all applicants. Potentially, all initiative his college had designed to capital might be considered one form applicants could develop diversity attract students who could enrich an of cultural competence necessary to be capital. (Of course, the development inclusive educational environment on successful in our contemporary democ- of bridge-building skills—like the de- his campus had been “gamed”—mostly racy and globalized world. velopment of special music skills— by parents, advisors and personal From a social scientific perspective would not be a requirement for all ap- coaches. Typically, the family’s week- we would anticipate clear benefits of plicants in the type of individualized, long vacation to the Dominican Re- public, or Costa Rica, or Mexico had enabled the applicant to develop at Thank$ once an appreciation for and familiar- ity with difference. He said that the We are grateful to the following for their recent contributions to PRRAC: idea of diversity capital would create Larry Adelman, Nancy Adess, Susan Bennett, Richard Bieder, Joel a different set of incentives. Indeed, Blau, California Newsreel, Jack Casford, Sheila Crowley, Anthony he went on to say that his college was Downs, Joseph Guggenheim, Willis Hawley, Lorraine/Victor Honig, prepared to give an admissions advan- Henry Kahn, David Kandel, Peter/Frances Marcuse, S.M. Miller, Tom tage—“a thumb on the scale”—to that Mortenson, Rehana Patel, Suzanne Post, Sara Quandt, Yale/Barbara student who: 1) attended a high-per- Rabin, Florence Roisman, Bill Rubenstein/Judith Eisenberg, Jay Siegel/ forming, inclusive diverse secondary Mona Sarfaty, Ann/Alvin Schorr, Catherine Schreiber, Stephen Siegel, school—a school, for example, in Laura Siena, Bill Taylor, Don Watkins, Denis Woods, Jody Yetzer. which the demographic profile of the college track resembled the profile of

12• Poverty & Race • Vol.17, No. 1 • January/February 2008 the overall student body, and 2) dem- onstrated leadership or bridge-build- New on PRRAC’s Website ing qualities—one form of diversity capital. Under this policy, “gaming the Two “shadow reports” to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial system” would both produce more of Discrimination: the kinds of applicants this college Unequal Health Outcomes in the United States (submitted by a coalition desired as it challenged the increasing of 25 health, civil rights and environmental organizations, and supported by racial and economic isolation in our leading public health researchers) country. Indeed, according to another Residential Segregation and Housing Discrimination in the United States admissions director, our challenge is (prepared for PRRAC by volunteer lawyers at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver to proceed in a manner that links indi- & Jacobson on behalf of a coalition of 16 housing and civil rights organiza- vidual private gain with long-term tions and 28 academic researchers) public good. Both reports are available at www.prrac.org/projects/CERD.php

Engaging University Leaders The conversation that followed was a diverse high school was not a suffi- far-ranging and passionate. Four criti- ciently nuanced instrument to address A related trajectory centers on our cal points emerged. First, there was this problem. This reaction (along with efforts to involve university leaders in general agreement that this issue was our conversations with admissions of- our work. This past April, Chancel- directly relevant to the mission of our ficials) led to our present focus on in- lor James Moeser at UNC-Chapel Hill greatest public and private universities. dividual qualities and school charac- led a discussion at the American As- The assembled presidents assumed that teristics and development of the con- sociation of Universities that focused at a meeting of university presidents it cept of diversity capital. We are ac- on this initiative. He began the con- was important to talk about racial and tively engaged in finding ways to con- versation by asking his fellow presi- economic isolation at the K-12 level. tinue this conversation among the lead- dents and chancellors if our nation’s Second, there was great pessimism ers of the higher-education commu- finest universities had a collective—as about the future of integrated school- nity. distinct from an institutional—respon- ing, not only at K-12—and this was sibility to challenge increasing racial before the Supreme Court’s ruling in and economic isolation at the K-12 the Jefferson County and Seattle Next Steps level. cases—but also at the higher-education level. One president predicted that “in In addition to continuing work on the very near term the only integrated these trajectories, we intend to focus Resources schools left will be the private acad- on extending this conversation to the www.law.unc.edu/centers/civilrights emies that are very intentional in their K-12 sector. We began this work try- (for more information on this initiative.) admissions policies.” He was con- ing to gauge the interest of the higher- www.admission.umich.edu/process/ vinced that “we have lost integration education community in our concept. index.html (The University of Mich– altogether in the public schools.” Sev- We are now convinced that there is igan’s Admissions website—redeveloped eral presidents who are also law school ample evidence of such interest. We in the wake of that state’s Proposition graduates believed that the Supreme now seek to engage leaders at the K- 2—is a model of transparency) Court would soon reverse Grutter, 12 level. Indeed, the project cannot www.collegeboard.com/diversity given how quickly they are reversing move forward without the active par- collaborative (A wealth of information elements of the Roe decision. Third, ticipation of these leaders. Specifically, on admissions and the law in the wake of Grutter and Gratz.) many of the assembled presidents in the coming months we seek to ex- stressed the necessity of developing plore how to define a genuinely inclu- Lani Guinier, “Admissions Rituals as new ideas. “We are losing affirmative sive and high-performing high school; Political Acts: Guardians at the Gates of Our Democratic Institutions,” Harvard action,” one Ivy League president what individual qualities—and these Law Review, vol. 117 (2003), 114-224. noted. He continued: “It is soon go- presumably would vary depending on Douglas Massey, et al., The Source of ing to be completely shut down in this the mission, geography and make-up the River: The Social Origins of Fresh- country, either by the Supreme Court of the school—should be privileged; men at America’s Selective Colleges and in a reversal of Grutter, or through a and how the relationship between Universities. Princeton: Princeton Uni- series of state-wide initiatives. We school characteristics and individual versity Press, 2003. (A systematic study have to figure out how to work in a qualities should be conceptualized. of college preparation, access and suc- cess for different racial and ethnic totally new environment.” Fourth, We would welcome the suggestions groups.) several presidents believed that an ad- and comments of P&R readers. ❏ missions “plus” for simply attending

January/February 2008 • Poverty & Race • Vol. 17, No. 1 • 13 (HOPE VI: Continued from page 7) similar interest of future residents, in- cluding the thousands of families on Teaching Gigs children—should also be considered. PHA waiting lists. (3) We support requiring public (7) We support replacement of units This semester, PRRAC’s Di- housing authorities (PHAs) to account with units of comparable size. Under rector of Research Chester for and keep track of every family who no circumstances should the demoli- Hartman and Executive Director is relocated, both temporarily and per- tion and replacement under HOPE VI Philip Tegeler both are doing some manently. If temporary displacement result in a smaller number of family teaching on the side at Columbia is necessary because of the condition units unless it can be convincingly University. Chester will be a vis- of the housing, relocation should be demonstrated that the housing need in iting professor in the graduate done in such a way that minimizes the the eligible community is dispropor- Urban Planning Program, teach- hardship on families and insures that tionately for smaller units as demon- ing a seminar on Housing Policy people do not get lost in the process. strated by census and planning data, and leading a team of students (4) We support every current as well as the composition of the wait- working for the Manhattanville resident’s right to be placed in a hous- ing list, and that the market is not pro- [public housing] Residents Assn. ing unit that is as good as or better ducing smaller units than can be used Phil will join the adjunct faculty than the housing on the redeveloped with housing subsidies. In most mar- at the Law School, where he will site. PHAs must provide assistance in kets, as HUD has recognized, it is more co-teach a civil rights seminar on the housing search process to insure difficult for families to secure three- “Equality and Disparity” with this right is protected. bedroom and larger units in the mar- PRRAC Board member Professor (5) Right of Return: We support the ket. Olati Johnson. right of all current residents who (8) If a development is determined choose to do so to return to the rede- to be “distressed” as a result of physi- veloped site. We further support a cal factors, but is located in a higher- placement housing be located in an area redevelopment process that insures that income, non-minority or racially in- with higher poverty or greater racial an adequate number of replacement tegrated neighborhood—or in an area concentration than the development site units are replaced on-site. which can reasonably be expected to will have after redevelopment. (6) Right to a Desegregated Hous- attract significant market-driven in- (9) If a development is determined ing Opportunity: We support the right vestment in the near future—then the to be “distressed” as a result of non- of all current residents who wish to revitalization plan should preserve as physical factors (e.g., environmental relocate to an area/development in many affordable housing units as pos- factors, or distressed conditions in the which their race does not predominate, sible, consistent with the other prin- surrounding neighborhood), but HUD either in a public or assisted housing ciples outlined in this statement, on the does not consider it infeasible to de- unit or with a voucher. Further, we site or in the surrounding neighbor- velop on the site, then no more replace- support decisions that consider the hood, and in no instance shall any re- ment public housing units will be re- turned to the site than are necessary to accommodate the preference of cur- Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday: rent residents to return, and current How Did It Happen? residents shall be given a range of locational choices in terms of replace- The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars held a program ment based upon their expressed pref- on Jan. 14, featuring Congressman John Conyers (D-MI); Elsie L. Scott, erence. President & CEO of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation; Denise (10) Finally, we support the require- Rolark Barnes, publisher of The Washington Informer, the District’s lead- ment that each HOPE VI redevelop- ing community newspaper serving the African-American community; and ment plan take into consideration the Moses Boyd, former Senate staffer, public policy scholar at the Wilson extent to which public housing in that Center, and now senior counselor with the Washington Group. In prepara- housing market area has operated to tion for the event, Don Wolfensberger, Director of the Center’s Congress perpetuate racial and economic segre- Project, researched and distributed a detailed, carefully documented history gation of low-income families, and of the 15-year campaign, in which Rep. Conyers played the central role, to whether the replacement housing plan takes adequate steps to correct this seg- get Congress to pass this law and the President to sign it. It is available on regation by expanding housing oppor- the Center’s website, www.wilsoncenter.org tunities in more varied locations, in- The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation has also initiated Avoice cluding housing in low-poverty and (http://www.avoiceonline.org), “the first and most comprehensive virtual non-minority concentrated areas library on African-American political and legislative contributions to throughout the city and region. ❏ America’s democracy.”

14 • Poverty & Race • Vol. 17, No. 1 • January/February 2008 Resources

Most Resources are Reconciliation Commis- available directly from the sion (see P&R, Jan./Feb. Please drop us a line letting us know how useful our issuing organization, 2006). Inf on screenings, Resources Section is to you, as both a lister and either on their website (if purchase, private show- requester of items. We hear good things, but only given) or via other ings at www.greensboro sporadically. Having a more complete sense of the contact information listed. themovie.com/ effectiveness of this networking function will help Materials published by NewsScreen.html [10690] us greatly in foundation fundraising work (and is PRRAC are available awfully good for our morale). Drop us a short through our website: • Rebuilding Native note, letting us know if it has been/is useful to you www.prrac.org. Prices Nations: Strategies for (how many requests you get when you list an item, include the shipping/ Governance and Develop- how many items you send away for, etc.) Thank handling (s/h) charge ment, ed. Miriam you. when this information is Jorgensen (384 pp., Nov. provided to PRRAC. “No 2007, $20), a joint price listed” items often project of the Native campaign to end the slave • “Civil Rights South: are free. Nations Inst. and the trade and emancipate In the Footsteps of the Harvard Project on slaves throughout the Movement,” a Georgia & When ordering items from American Indian Eco- British Empire. Published Alabama tour led by PRRAC: SASE = self- nomic Development, has by Houghton Mifflin. Julian Bond, Chair of the addressed stamped been published by Univ. [10732] NAACP, former Georgia envelope (41¢ unless of Arizona Press, 800/ civil rights activist/state otherwise indicated). 426-3797, http://www. • Lessons from ‘The legislator, and Univ. Orders may not be placed uapress.arizona.edu/ Color of Fear’, eds. Virginia professor, will by telephone or fax. [10704] Victor Lewis & Hugh take place March 1-7. Please indicate from Vasquez, is a 2008 4- Inf. from 800/346-3882. which issue of P&R you • “Race & Ethnicity in volume curriculum to [10696] are ordering. America: Turning a accompany the documen- Blind Eye to Injustice” is tary film, “The Color of Race/Racism a Dec. 2007 ACLU Fear.” $214 for institu- Poverty/ response to the U.S. tions, $110 indivs./comm. • Racism in the United report to the United gps. Ordering inf. from Welfare States: Implications for Nations’ Committee on Speak Out, PO Box the Helping Professions, the Elimination of Racial 99096, Emeryville, CA • “Report on Jewish by Joshua Miller & Ann Discrimination (CERD). 94662, 510/601-0182. A Poverty,” by Jacob B. Marie Garran (324 pp., Inf. from 212/549-2582; film screening/panel Ukeles & David A. 2008), has been published downloadable at discussion (with cast Grossman (68 pp., Jan. by Thomson Brooks/Cole, www.aclu.org/cerd members, filmmaker and 2004), is available (no 800/423-0563. [10669] [10706] others) to launch the new price listed) from the curriculum will take place Metropolitan Council on • “Community • Revolution ‘67, Feb. 28, 7pm, at the First Jewish Poverty, 80 Changes and Progress in produced/directed by Congregational Church of Maiden Ln., 21st flr., Addressing Racial Marylou Tibaldo- Oakland, 2501 Harrison NYC, NY 10038, 212/ Inequities,” by Maggie Bongiorno (released in St., Oakland, 800/838- 453-9500, http:// Potapchuk (86 pp. + DVD Dec. 2007), is an 3006, info@speakoutnow. www.metcouncil.org/ App., Oct. 2007), is 83-min. documentary on org, http://www. [10655] available (possibly free) Newark’s urban rebellion. speakoutnow.org/ [10739] from The Aspen Inst. Available (along with a • “Jewish Near- Roundtable on Commu- Facilitator Guide) from • Hispanics at the Poverty in New York nity Change, 281 Park California Newsreel, 877/ crossroads: Opportuni- City” (31 pp., Dec. 2005) Ave. South, NYC, NY 811-7495, www.newsreel. ties and Risks is the focus is available (no price 10010, 212/677-5510, org/nav/title.asp?tc= of a 2007 report by Marta listed) from the Metro- http://www. CN0203 [10712] Tienda, available (no politan Council on Jewish aspenroundtable.org/ price listed) from the Poverty, 80 Maiden Ln., [10670] • Bury the Chains: Univ. of Wisconsin Inst. 21st flr., NYC, NY Prophets and Rebels in for Research on Poverty, 10038, 212/453-9500, • Greensboro: Closer to the Fight to Free an 1180 Observatory Dr., http://www.metcouncil. the Truth is a 2007 film Empire’s Slaves, by Madison, WI 53706, org/ [10656] by Adam Zucker on the Adam Hochschild (466 www.irp.wisc.edu/ 1979 KKK killings in pp., 2005), is a marvel- publications/focus/pdfs/ • “[NYC] Center for Greenboro, NC and the ously written account of foc251d.pdf [10746] Economic Opportunity: subsequent Truth and the successful organizing Strategy and Implemen-

January/February 2008 • Poverty & Race • Vol. 17, No. 1 • 15 tation Report” (l42 pp., consin Inst. for Research Houp Ct. NE, Wash., DC n.d. [2007]) is available on Poverty, 1180 Obser- 20002, 301/656-0348, Economic/ (likely free) from the vatory Dr., Madison, WI http://www.jfa- Community Office of the Mayor, City 53706, www.irp.wisc.edu/ associates.com/ [10662] Development of New York, NYC, NY publications/focus/pdfs/ 10007, nyc.gov/ceo foc251a.pdf [10743] • “Jailing Juveniles: • “Research to Develop [10658] The Dangers of Incarcer- a Community Needs • Four decades of ating Youth in Adult Index” (90 pp. + Apps., • “Poverty in antipoverty policy: Past Jails in America” (50 June 2007) is available America,” a Jan, 2007 developments and future pp., Nov. 2007) is ($5) from HUD USER, US Government Account- directions is the focus of available (no price listed) PO Box 23268, Wash., ability Office report a 2007 report by Robert from the Campaign for DC 20026-3268, 800/ (GAO-07-344), is avail- Moffitt, available (no Youth Justice, http:// 245-2691, http://www. able at http://www.gao. price listed) from the www.campaignforyouth huduser.org/ [10654] gov/ [10688] Univ. of Wisconsin Inst. justice.org/ [10663] for Research on Poverty, • “Taking the Measure • “Spotlight on Pov- 1180 Observatory Dr., • “Education on of Community Develop- erty and Opportunity” is Madison, WI 53706, Lockdown: The School- ment at 40” is the theme a new foundation- www.irp.wisc.edu/ house to Jailhouse of Winter 2007 issue of sponsored initiative, publications/focus/pdfs/ Track” (63 pp., March Shelterforce. Among the focusing attention on foc251e.pdf [10747] 2005) is available (no 6 articles in the 28-page poverty issues during the price given) from Ad- section is “An Unfinished 2008 Presidential cam- vancement Project, 1730 Agenda,” by PRRAC Bd. paign: http:// Criminal M St. NW, #910, Wash., member Elizabeth Julian, www.spotlighton DC 20036, 202/728- on the need for the fair poverty.org/ [10700] Justice 9557, ap@advancement housing and community project.org, http:// development movements • “‘Preventing the • “Financial Risk, www.advancementproject.. to reunite. Shelterforce: Schoolhouse to Jailhouse’ Assets and Poverty” is org/ [10664] The Journal of Affordable Coalition in Mississippi,” the Univ. of Michigan’s Housing and Community along with a companion National Poverty Center • “Where Are the Building is published 4x/ piece, “Education Versus 2008 small grant research Men? The Impact of yr. by the National Incarceration in Tallulah, program. Up to 4 grants, Incarceration and Re- Housing Inst., 460 Louisiana,” appeared in max. award $17,500 per. entry on African- Bloomfield Ave., #211, the Dec. 2007 issue of Application deadline is American Men and their Montclair, NJ 07042, TwelveTen, the communi- Feb. 1. RFA can be found Children and Families” 973/509-2888, subs $30 cations vehicle of the US at [email protected] (2007) has been released for orgs. $18 indivs. Human Rights Network. www.npc.umich.edu/ by Atlanta-based Commu- Indiv. copies $15. http:// Available (possibly free) opportunities/research_ nity Voices: Healthcare www.nhi.org/ [10724] grants/2008_poverty_ from the Network, 250 for the Underserved & Georgia Ave., Unit 330, grants/ [10703] the Natl. Ctr. for Primary • Bedford Stuyvesant: Atlanta, GA 30312, 404/ Care at the Morehouse Neighborhood of 558-9761, info@ • “40 Things You Can School of Medicine. Change, an exhibit ushrnetwork.org, http:// Do To Help End Pov- Downloadable at http:// marking the 40th anniver- www.ushrnetwork.org/ erty” is a pocket-size www.communityvoices.org/ sary of one of the [10686] pamphlet available [10708] country’s leading commu- (possibly free) from the nity development organi- • “America’s Cradle to Sargent Shriver National • “Racial Impact zations, will open Feb. 28 Prison Pipeline” (234 Center on Poverty, 50 E. Statements as a Means of (opening reception, 5:30- pp., Oct. 2007) is avail- Washington St., #500, Reducing Unwarranted 7:30) at the Brooklyn able (no price listed) from Chicago, IL 60602, 312/ Sentencing Disparities,” Historical Society, 128 The Children’s Defense 263-3830, learnmore@ by Marc Mauer (27 pp.), Pierrepont St., 718/222- Fund, 25 E St. NW, povertylaw.org, http:// appeared in the Fall 2007 4111. [10726] www.povertylaw.org/ Wash., DC 20001, 202/ (Vol. 5, No. 1) issue of 628-8787, http://www. [10728] Ohio State Journal of • “Regional Equity childrensdefense.org/ Criminal Law. Reprints ’08,” PolicyLink’s Third [10659] • Fighting poverty available (likely free) Natl. Summit on Equi- revisited: What did from The Sentencing table Development, • “Unlocking America: researchers know 40 Project, 514 Tenth St., Social Justice and Smart Why and How to Reduce years ago? What do we #1000, Wash., DC Growth, will be held America’s Prison know today? is the focus 20004, 202/628-0871, March 5-7 in New Population” (32 pp., of a 2007 report by aboone@sentencing Orleans. Inf. from Nov. 2007) is available Sheldon Danziger, project.org, http:// PolicyLink, 1438 Webster (possibly free) from the available (no price listed) www.sentencingproject.org/ St., #303, Oakland, CA from the Univ. of Wis- JFA Institute, 5 Walter [10733]

16 • Poverty & Race • Vol. 17, No. 1 • January/February 2008 94612, 510/663-2333, • “The High Cost of • Moving Every Child x338, amber@policylink. High School Dropouts: Ahead: From NCLB Hype Environment What the Nation Pays to Meaningful Educa- org, http://www.regional • “Reclaiming Our for Inadequate High tional Opportunity, by equity08.org/ [10675] Healthy Future: Political Schools” is a 2007 Michael Rebell & Jessica Change to Protect the Alliance for Excellent Wolff (208 pp., 2007, Next Generation,” the Education Brief. Avail- $22.95), has been Education 26th National Pesticide able from them (1201 published by Teachers Forum, sponsored by Conn. Ave. NW, #901, College Press, 800/575- • “Reading, Writing Beyond Pesticides, will be Wash., DC 20036, 202/ 6566, www.tcpress.org, and Reality Check: An held March 14-16 at 828-0828), Alliance@ http://www.tcpress.org/ Early Assessment of Univ. Calif.-Berkeley. Inf. all4ed.org; downloadable [10723] Student Achievement in from Beyond Pesticides, at www.all4ed.org/files/ Post-Katrina New 701 E St. SE, #200, HighCost.pdf [10698] • Education Organizing Orleans” (43 pp., Oct. Wash., DC 20003, 202/ is a quarterly newsletter 2007), a report by United 543-5450, www.beyond • “The Turnaround published by the Center Teachers of New Orleans, pesticides.org/forum Challenge: Why for Community Change. Louisiana Federation of [10711] Teachers, and American America’s Best Opportu- May be free. Contact the Federation of Teachers, is nity to Dramatically Center, 1536 U St. NW, available (no price given) Improve Student Wash., DC 20009, 202/ from United Teachers of Achievement Lies in Our 339-9300, http://www. Families/ New Orleans, 4650 Paris Worst-Performing communitychange.org/ Women/ Ave., New Orleans, LA Schools” is a 2007 report [10742] 70122, 504/304-2160, from the Mass Insight Children www.aft.org/topics/ Education & Research neworleans [10665] Inst., available at • “A Vision Fulfilled? www.massinsight.org/ Employment/ The Impact of Proposi- • “High Schools for micontent/trnresources. Jobs Policy tion 209 on Equal Equity: Policy Supports aspx [10714] Opportunity for Women for Student Learning in • “Better Workers for Business Enterprises” (40 Communities of Color,” • “When Girls Don’t Better Jobs: Improving pp., Sept. 2007) is a 12-page, Nov. 2007 Graduate, We All Fail: A Worker Advancement in available (no price given) Policy Brief by the Call to Improve High the Low-Wage Labor from the Thelton E. Stanford Univ. School School Graduation Rates Market,” by Harry Henderson Center for Redesign Network, is for Girls,” a 2007 report Holzer (8 pp., Dec. Social Justice at the Univ. available (likely free) from the National 2007), is available of Calif.-Berkeley Law from Justice Matters, 605 Women’s Law Center (possibly free) from The School (2440 Bancroft Market St., #1350, SF, (whose Co-President is Brookings Institution, Way, 3rd flr., Berkeley, CA 94105, 415/442- former PRRAC Board 1775 Mass. Ave. NW, CA 94704-7230); 0992. The full report and member Nancy Duff Wash., DC 20036, 202/ downloadable at related materials are Campbell), is available at 797-6279, info@hamilton www.law.berkeley.edu/ available at srnleads.org www.nwlc.org/pdf/ project.org, http:// centers/csj [10710] [10676] DropoutReport.pdf www.hamiltonproject.org/ [10715] [10691] • “Supporting Fami- • “New Teacher lies, Nurturing Young Support Pays Off: A • When School Reform • “Transitional Jobs Children: Early Head Return on Investment for Goes Wrong, by Nel for Ex-Prisoners” (Dec. Start Programs in 2006,” Educators and Kids,” a Noddings (112 pp., 2007, 2007) is available (possi- by Elizabeth Hoffmann & 2007 policy brief from $19.95), has been bly free) from MDRC, 16 Danielle Ewen (12 pp., the Univ. of Calif.-Santa published by Teachers E. 34th Street, NYC, NY Jan. 2008), is available Cruz New Teacher College Press, 800/575- 10016, 212/532-3200, (free) from the Center for Center, is available at 6566, http://www.tcpress. www.mdrc.org [10693] Law and Social Policy www.newteachercenter.org/ org/ [10721] (headed by former pdfs/NTC_Policy_Brief- • “Four Strategies to PRRAC Bd. member Alan Hill_Briefing.pdf [10679] • Other Kinds of Overcome Barriers to Houseman), 1015 15th St. Families: Embracing Employment” (Dec. NW, #400, Wash., DC • Teaching for Change Diversity in Schools, eds. 2007) is available (possi- 20005, 202/906-8000, Fall 2007/Winter 2008 Tammy Turner-Vorbeck bly free) from MDRC, 16 http://www.clasp.org/ Catalog is available & Monica Miller Marsh E. 34th Street, NYC, NY [10734] (likely free) from them, (216 pp., 2007, $27.95), 10016, 212/532-3200, PO Box 73038, Wash., has been published by www.mdrc.org [10694] • “Charting Progress DC 20056-3038, 800/ Teachers College Press, for Babies in Child Care: 763-9131, http:// 800/575-6566, http:// Policy Framework www.teachingfor www.tcpress.org/ [10722] Summary,” by Rachel change.org/ [10680] Schumacher, Elizabeth

January/February 2008 • Poverty & Race • Vol. 17, No. 1 • 17 Hoffmann & Anne doctoral Fellowships in Sick?, a California CONFERENCES, 633 Goldstein (4 pp., Jan. Sustainable Agriculture Newsreel film, is sched- Third Ave., 19th flr., 2008), is available (free) ($24,000+ annually for 3 uled for PBS broadcast on NYC, NY 10017-6706, from the Center for Law years), administered by 4 consecutive Thursdays 212/841-5277, http:// and Social Policy (headed Iowa State Univ., has a — March 27, April 3, 10, www.casacolumbia.org/ by former PRRAC Bd. Feb. 1 application 17 at 10pm. The series [10673] member Alan Houseman), deadline. Priority consid- will be released on DVD 1015 15th St. NW, #400, eration will be given to in March. Inf. at Wash., DC 20005, 202/ members of groups [email protected] Homelessness 906-8000, http:// traditionally under– [10685] www.clasp.org/ [10735] represented in the food • HUD Snapshot of and agricultural sciences. • The Legacy of Country’s Homeless • “Child Care and Inf. at [email protected], Katrina and Rita — Population: This Feb. Development Block www.sust.ag.iastate.edu/ Health Care Providers 2007 report is HUD’s first Grant Participation in gpsa/ [10692] Remember — And Look such assessment since 2006,” by Hannah Ahead, by Lisa Tracy 1984. Downloadable at Matthews (Jan. 2008), is • “Keeping Food on the (132 pp., 2007, $33), has www.huduser.org/ available (free) from the Table: Challenges to been published by the publications/povsoc/ Center for Law and Social Food Stamps Retention in American Public Health annual_assess.html Policy (headed by former New York City,” eds. Assn., 888/320-APHA, [10709] PRRAC Bd. member Alan Rebecca Widom & Olivia [email protected], www/ Houseman), 1015 15th St. Arvizu Martinez (20 pp., apha.org [10695] NW, #400, Wash., DC Sept. 2007), is available Housing 20005, 202/906-8000, (no price listed) from the • “No Shelter from the http://www.clasp.org/ Homelessness Outreach Storm: America’s • “Local Occupancy [10736] and Prevention Project of Uninsured Children” Codes in Northeast Ohio” the Urban Justice Center, Sept. 2007) has been (22 pp., 2007) is available • Parenting practices, 123 William St., 16th flr., released by the Campaign (possibly free) from The teenage lifestyles, and NYC, NY 10038, 646/ for Children’s Health Housing Research & academic achievement 602-5600, www. Care; downloadable at Advocacy Center, 3631 among African American urbanjustice.org/hopp http://www.childrens Perkins Ave., #3A-2, children is the focus of a [10729] healthcampaign.org/ Cleveland, OH 44114, 2007 report by Ronald [10707] 216/361-9240, http:// Ferguson, available (no • “A Better Recipe for www.thehousingcenter.org/ price listed) from the New York City: Less Red • “Health Action [10671] Univ. of Wisconsin Inst. Tape, More Food on the 2008,” a National for Research on Poverty, Table,” by Rebecca Grassroots Meeting • “Vital Links: 1180 Observatory Dr., Widom, Ella Ewart & sponsored by Families Housing’s Contributions Madison, WI 53706, Olivia Arvizu Martinez USA, will take place Jan. to the Nation’s Health www.irp.wisc.edu/ (26 pp., Jan. 2006), is 24-26 in Wash., DC. and Education Objec- publications/focus/pdfs/ available (no price listed) Speakers (some uncon- tives” (2007) is available foc251c.pdf [10745] from the Homelessness firmed) include Nancy (no price given) from the Outreach and Prevention Pelosi, Anthony Fauci. National Housing Confer- • Meeting children’s Project of the Urban Stan Greenberg and ence, http://www.nhc.org/ needs when parents work Justice Center, 123 (former PRRAC Board [10681] is the focus of a 2007 William St., 16th flr., member) Wade report by Jane Waldfogel, NYC, NY 10038, 646/ Henderson. Inf. from available (no price listed) 602-5600, www. Families USA, 1201 New Immigration from the Univ. of Wiscon- urbanjustice.org/hopp York Ave. NW, #1100, sin Inst. for Research on [10730] Wash., DC 20005, 202/ • “Rethinking the Poverty, 1180 Observa- 628-3030, info@ Effects of Immigration tory Dr., Madison, WI familiesusa.org, http:// on Wages” (Sept. 2006), 53706, www.irp.wisc.edu/ Health www.familiesusa.org/ from the Immigration publications/focus/pdfs/ [10683] Policy Center, finds, foc251j.pdf [10752] • Eliminating based on 1990-2004 data, Healthcare Disparities in • “Sobering Up The that immigration has had America: Beyond the IOM High Society: Substance a positive effect on the Food/ Report, ed. Richard A. Abuse and Public wages of most native-born Williams (500 pp., 207, Policy,” sponsored by the workers. Available at Nutrition/ $59.95), has been pub- Natl. Ctr. on Addiction & http://www.immigration Hunger lished by Humana Press. Substance Abuse at policy.org/ [10716] [10672] Columbia Univ., will be • US Dept. of Agricul- held Feb. 14 at the Kaiser • “Improving Access to ture Graduate/Post- • Unnatural Causes: Is Family Fdn. in Wash., Child Care and Early Inequality Making Us DC. Inf. from CASA- Education for Immigrant

18 • Poverty & Race • Vol. 17, No. 1 • January/February 2008 Families,” by Hannah nnirr.org, http://www. Index (e.g., homicide, Director of Communica- Matthews (5 pp., Jan. nnirr.org/ [10702] battery, robbery, suicide, tions. Inf. at www. 2008), is available (free) deaths by substance nonprofitprofessionals. from the Center for Law abuse) and The Societal com/searches/kirwan- and Social Policy (headed Miscellaneous Index (e.g., harms caused dc.htm [10682] by former PRRAC Bd. by institutions of govern- member Alan Houseman), • “The Middle Class at ment, such as abuse/ • The Academy for 1015 15th St. NW, #400, Risk” (49 pp., 2007) is misconduct by law Educational Wash., DC 20005, 202/ available (no price listed) enforcement; by corpora- Development’s New 906-8000, http:// from The Century tions, such as air pollu- Voices Fellowship www.clasp.org/ [10737] Foundation, 41 E. 70 St., tion; and families, such as Program is accepting NYC, NY 10021, 212/ child abuse). It also applications for its 2008 • “Selected State and 535-4441, http:// includes harm resulting awards, to organizations Local Policies to Support www.tcf.org./ [10701] from the structuring of and their prospective Immigrant and Limited society (including Fellows “addressing English Proficient (LEP) • The U.S. Public poverty and discrimina- needs, solving problems, Early Care and Educa- Service Academy Act was tion). Researchers at and defending human tion Providers,” by introduced in both houses Manchester College and rights related to the Danielle Ewen & Hannah of Congress, March 22, Bentley College have impact on the Gulf Coast Matthews (Jan. 2008), is 2007. Lead sponsors of been gathering NIVAH of Hurricanes Katrina and available (free) from the the Senate bill (S. 960) data since 1995. Further Rita.” Applications (due Center for Law and Social included Senators Clinton inf. from Dr. Neil Jan. 21 — if this issue Policy (headed by former (D-NY) and Specter (R- Wollman, Bentley arrives too late, see if PRRAC Bd. member Alan PA); for the House bill College, Waltham, MA they will relent) from Houseman), 1015 15th St. (H. 1671), Reps. Moran 02452, 260/568-0116, newvoices.aed.org NW, #400, Wash., DC (D-VA) and Shays (R-CT). [email protected] [10718] 20005, 202/906-8000, As of last summer, the [10741] http://www.clasp.org/ bills had 68 co-sponsors. • The Coalition for [10738] Inf. about this “civilian Community Schools West Point” from the Job (Wash., DC) is hiring a • “Claiming Our U.S. Public Service Deputy Director & a Rights, Envisioning Our Academy, 1225 Eye St. Opportunities/ Research Associate ($40- Future: Communities NW, #600, Wash., DC Fellowships/ 55,000 for latter). Send Organizing for Justice,” 20005, 202/712-9121, resume by Feb. 16 to convened by the National http://www.uspublic Grants [email protected]. Network for Immigrant serviceacademy.org/ and Refugee Rights [10740] • The Kirwan Inst. for (headed by PRRAC Board the Study of Race & member Catherine • The National Index Ethnicity at Ohio St. Tactaquin), will be held of Violence and Harm Univ. (headed by PRRAC Jan. 18-20 in Houston. incorporates 19 variables, Board member john Inf. from conference08@ divided into The Personal powell) is seeking a

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January/February 2008 • Poverty & Race • Vol. 17, No. 1 • 19 POVERTY & RACE RESEARCH ACTION COUNCIL Board of Directors CHAIR Darrell Armstrong Olati Johnson Florence Wagman John Charles Boger Shiloh Baptist Church Columbia University Roisman University of North Carolina Trenton, NJ Law School Indiana University School of Law Maria Blanco New York, NY School of Law Chapel Hill, NC Institute on Race, Ethnicity Elizabeth Julian Indianapolis, IN and Diversity Inclusive Communities Anthony Sarmiento VICE-CHAIR University of California Project Senior Service America José Padilla Law School Dallas, TX Silver Spring, MD California Rural Legal Berkeley, CA Spence Limbocker Catherine Tactaquin Assistance Victor Bolden Neighborhood Funders National Network for San Francisco, CA NAACP Legal Defense Group Immigrant & Refugee & Educ. Fund Washington, DC Rights SECRETARY New York, NY Demetria McCain Oakland, CA john powell Sheryll Cashin Inclusive Communities William L. Taylor Kirwan Institute for the Study Georgetown University Project Citizens’ Commission of Race & Ethnicity Law Center Dallas, TX on Civil Rights Ohio State University Washington, DC S.M. Miller Washington, DC Columbus,OH Craig Flournoy The Commonwealth Southern Methodist Institute [Organizations listed for TREASURER University Cambridge, MA identification purposes only] Sheila Crowley Dallas, TX Don Nakanishi National Low Income Thomas Henderson University of California Philip D. Tegeler Housing Coalition Sprenger & Lang Los Angeles, CA President/Executive Director Washington, DC Washington, DC Dennis Parker Camille Holmes American Civil Liberties Chester Hartman National Legal Aid & Union Director of Research Defender Assn. New York, NY Washington, DC

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