Rinku on Maddow, Facing Race Proposals, Digital Divide

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Applying Our Research 

On the eve of the Thanksgiving holiday, ARC President Rinku Sen appeared on the Rachel Maddow show, with special guest host Melissa Harris Perry, to discuss "Shattered Families," ARC's report offering the first national data available on the perilous intersection of immigration enforcement and the child welfare system.

In November, ARC also held a public information webinar to review the findings in “Shattered Families” and present policy and practice recommendations for Department of Homeland Security, various levels of legislature, state child welfare departments, immigration and juvenile dependency attorneys and courts on how we can better protect families from separation and reunify families in a timely way. Presenters included Kara Finck, Attorney, Bronx Defenders, and Loreta Ruiz, Vice Consul for Protection, Consulate of Mexico – Santa Ana, CA. The webinar recording is available for viewing here.


Network News

ARC continues to invite submissions for workshop proposals for our 2012 Facing Race National Conference, scheduled for November 15-17, 2012 in Baltimore, Maryland. Facing Race is a major hub for racial justice activists, thinkers, writers and artists -- and due to overwhelming demand, the deadline to submit proposals has been extended. Submit your proposal online by January 13, 2012, or you may email workshop submissions with subject heading “Workshop Proposal for Facing Race 2012” to [email protected]. For additional information, contact Donna Hernandez at 646.502.8841.

And if you haven't already, sign up now to be on the Facing Race 2012 email list. You will receive exclusive discounts and information available only to email list members!

In other Network News, Restaurant Opportunities Centers United has released a Diners’ Guide evaluating more than 150 popular restaurants and chains nationwide against 3 criteria: provision of paid sick days, wages of at least $9 per hour for non-tipped workers and $5 per hour of tipped workers, and opportunities for internal advancement. ROC United has found that a system that enables internal promotion so that back of the house workers can get access to front of the house jobs, is a key element of restaurants that don’t discriminate.  You can get your copy of the guide at ROC United’s website. May your eating out be flavored with justice this holiday season.


Colorlines.com Spotlight

People of color are fast closing the digital divide by using smart phones to vaunt themselves past the cost of broadband connections and computers. But they may also be dialing into a uniquely 21st century form of racial injustice. Colorlines.com’s Jamilah King tunnels into the mobile Web market this month. She finds that there are two Internets emerging in the United States.

The first is the one that's driven innovation and commerce for the past two decades: traditional hookups that connect cables to desktops and allow users to work, play and explore from the comfort of their home. That Internet is regulated--loosely, but regulated--by the federal government, which has issued rules that prohibit Internet service providers from interfering with their users' online experience. Meanwhile, mobile wireless is quickly taking shape as a second Internet, one in which people of color and users with little income are entirely dependent upon cell phone companies for access. In that Internet, companies are free to control what users see, do and say online.

Whether and how policy makers allow this new digital divide to persist may determine who gets a voice in our 21st century economy, and who's left as prey to it.


President's Message


It has been an amazing year at the Applied Research Center. With your help, we checked off key items on our to-do list.

We talked directly with young people to find out if they really are “post-racial” to understand that the answer is no. We helped hundreds of activists craft and implement new racial equity plans to change the dynamics in schools, hospitals, and workplaces.  We broke a major story on non-citizens losing their children permanently when they are caught at the intersection of the child welfare and immigration enforcement systems, generating multiple investigative reports across the nation and a response from President Obama himself.

Every day we learn something new about the best ways to frame the country’s race debate, to elevate stories of great racial justice organizing, and to engage people in taking action on race. If that work has helped you get something done this year – have a conversation, start a campaign, craft a workplan – please support our work with a donation today.

Your financial support tells not only that we’re on the right track, but also that the racial justice community values and wants us to be on that track. The money gets spent quickly – let’s be honest – but the feeling that the racial justice community backs itself up lasts forever.

 

Rinku Sen
President, ARC
Publisher, Colorlines.com



ARC Updates

  • Drop the I-Word is asking for people to take action and tell the Charlotte Observer to drop the i-word. Take a moment to send a letter today. http://bit.ly/dtiwcharlotte
  • We're looking for interns! In New York: Colorlines.com - journalism, ARC - communications, and Drop the I-Word - outreach. And in Oakland: ARC - research. For more information on how to apply, click here.
  • After 10 years at ARC, we are bidding a fond farewell to our colleague Gina Acebo.  She is leaving ARC to pursue an MSA for Social Practice at the California College of the Arts.  We look forward to experiencing the many beautiful things she will be creating!
  • At ARC, we lift up the voices of individuals and communities of color that are often at risk of being unheard. We hope you’ll join us in this effort by donating to ARC today!
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