“So why put together another report telling us a bunch of gloomy stats that we already know?”
Check out these stats:
African American and Latino children are 3.4 times more likely than white children to live in poverty.
In California, African American mothers are two times more likely than white mothers to have less than a high school education, while Latino mothers are more than ten times more likely than white mothers to have less than a high school education.
Nationally, the risk of contracting HIV or AIDS is 6.9 times higher for African American male adults and adolescents than for whites. Latinos are 3.1 times more likely than whites to have HIV or AIDS.
Overall, 1 in 3 African American men, 1 in 6 Latino men, and 1 in 17 white men are expected to go to prison during their lifetime.
Homicide is the sixth-leading cause of death among African American men and the seventh-leading cause of death among Latino men in California. Young African American men (15-24 years) have a homicide death rate at least 16 times greater than that of young white men, and young Latino men have a homicide death rate 5 times greater than that of young white men.
African American Californians over age 25 are nearly twice as likely to be without a high school diploma as whites, while Latinos in California are almost seven times as likely to be without a high school degree.
When I read the report, as heartbreaking as it is, I thought that it sounded like information I'd already heard.
After all, in 2006, the Dellums Commission examined policies that negatively impact young men of color and recommended policy solutions.
So, why put together another report telling us a bunch of gloomy stats that we already know?
The answer, says lead author Lois Davis, lies in the way that we approach solutions to the problems.
“If you look at a lot of the ways our programs are structured,” says the Senior Policy Researcher, “they tend to think about the issues, for example, from a kind of a one-issue-at-a-time perspective.”
Davis adds that what's really needed, “is thinking about it more comprehensively for a locality, and not just thinking about do we need more after-care programs, do we need more mentoring programs, but really seeing that this constellation of factors that influence the trajectories that children face in these different communities really come together and needs a comprehensive strategy.”
But what do comprehensive strategies look like? And how will the “Reparable Harm” report be used?
Check back Wednesday and Thursday to learn what a gang interventionist, an education scholar dedicated to Latino dropout prevention and the California Endowment told me about comprehensive solutions.
I'm talking about Measure B, a proposal that would allow L.A.'s local utility, the LADWP, to install solar panels on the rooftops of L.A. buildings. It is on the March 3rd ballot and has obviously caused quite a stir.
I caught up with Young Urban Leaders, a South Los Angeles group that wants to make sure that Measure B is passed and that Los Angeles doesn't miss out on an opportunity, as they put it, to create “green jobs” for low-income residents of color.
“The visions of impending doom seem just as likely to be true as not, and, powerless, we must wait and see what the future will hold.”
This week's New York Times Magazine features a story about the epidemic of foreclosures in Cleveland, where, it is estimated, some 10,000 homes are vacant. The story follows a Cleveland city councilman around his neighborhood, in the process, explaining how such devastation was wrought. The picture of streets filled with boarded-up homes, stripped of their fixtures, plumbing, is bleak. Accompanied by statements like the following, it makes for a somber and foreboding portrait of the years to come.
“Ravaged by the closing of American steel mills, Cleveland has long been in decline. With fewer manufacturing jobs to attract workers, it has lost half its population since 1960. Its poverty rate is one of the highest in the nation. But in all those years, nothing has approached the current scale of ruin.”
It seems like no one really knows how bad the economy will get, and how long the current recession will last. A recent New York Timeseditorial compares the youth of today to those who grew up in the Great Depression, suggesting that the next era may become known as “The Great Recession.”
Of course, it's all too easy to predict the end of all things, visions of a coming apocalypse having long served as an easy way to sell papers, boost ratings and populate religions. And yet, the visions of impending doom seem just as likely to be true as not, and, powerless, we must wait and see what the future will hold.
On a recent episode of Chicago Public Radio's This American Life, which was devoted to explaining the current state of banks in America, the outlook wasn't much better. A dense and complicated situation, even for those directly involved, as host Ira Glass said, it would be easy enough just to “sit this one out.” But can we afford to? It would seem not.
According to Glass' program, which outlined the banking crisis in layman's terms, the culprit, rather than shady lenders, greedy bankers, or corrupt regulatory agencies, is us. Yes, you read that right. Sure, lenders took advantage of many hardworking people looking for their slice of the American dream, looking to better their lives and the lives of their children. The bankers got rich. The regulators did nothing. All the while, though, Americans continued to buy and spend far beyond our means, using the seemingly limitless credit we were afforded not just on our homes, but on credit cards, too.
The standard of living has increased dramatically in the United States in the last quarter of a century, and that is in a large part because credit has been so easily available. Whether we are heading for a depression or a “Great Recession,” we would all be well-served to reconsider our debt-loving ways. Just as the previous generation who came of age in 1930s did, we may be forced to learn some lessons about economics from hard times. That, it seems, is the only way people learn.
Tuesday I mentioned that a recent RAND report found that many of California's boys and men of color are facing a load of issues that need fixing, and the answer is a comprehensive strategy.
The report's lead author, Lois Davis, says that comprehensive solutions take into account all barriers—health, safety, socioeconomic characteristics and education—and addresses them head-on.
L.A. gang interventionist Clifford “Skipp” Townsend agrees. He says that he sees better results when he goes after every part of a person's life.
“Sometimes we can just give people jobs, but then we don't teach them to be good people,” says the founder of 2nd Call, a community-based organization that offers personal development programs to at-risk youth, ex-felons and parolees.
“We teach them how to swing a hammer…and we teach them how to be good employees, but how do you become a good person,” Townsend asks. “To keep your job…to pay your rent,” he adds. “That's the key part right there. How to deal with life?”
Running interference
Katherine Larson, who developed Achievement for Latinos Through Academic Success (ALAS), says that comprehensive strategies are “really the only way to reach any child living in poverty.”
ALAS monitors middle school students' attendance, teaches parents how to participate in schools, improves students' problem-solving skills and connects students and families with other community services. Larson says “you have to help them in all walks of their life,” adding that, “you have to do whatever it takes.”
‘Whatever it takes' for Larson has meant going beyond the focus of her dropout prevention program. For example, when her program inquired about a 12-year-old child who had not been showing up to school, they found that the 12-year-old was staying at home with a younger sibling who had not been inoculated, and, therefore, was not allowed to attend school.
ALAS worked with the children's mother to make sure that the younger sibling was inoculated so that both children could make it to school.
“Whatever we saw was the barrier, we went after it to remove it or run interference, whatever it was,” Larson says. “We didn't' prescribe a territory for ourselves,” Larson adds. “Everyone has to work together.”
What are they running from?
And the comprehensive work isn't always pretty.
Townsend, whose organization focuses on job readiness and retention, attitudes and behaviors, effective communication, mental health, life at home and family support, says that in his work it's about identifying what the boys and men are dealing with, but also what they are covering up.
“Often society looks at what they're running to,” Townsend says. “They run to drugs. They run to gangs. But they're not looking at what are they running from? Let's address what they're running from.”
Townsend says that sometimes he uncovers that a young man can't read, or in one case, that a boy was unhappy that his mother worked as a stripper.
“We found ourselves doing a complete community wraparound service” for the family. In this case comprehensive service meant helping the mother find a different job, Townsend says.
Now what?
Okay. So there are a lot of factors that contribute to the disparities that California's men and boys of color face. The help must be comprehensive and aggressive. But where do we start? How do we ensure that another of these reports isn't needed five years from now or ten years from now?
The California Endowment says that they are working on a plan that they believe will answer those questions. Check back Thursday to learn what they told me about how boys and men of color factor into their Building Healthy Communities Initiative.
The evangelicals are just like us, albeit more homophobic and obsessed with Christ. So concludes Kevin Roose, the author of The Unlikely Disciple, a new memoir which launches this month.
The Unlikely Disciple tells the story of a semester spent at the late Jerry Falwell's ultra-conservative Liberty University. That a college student would choose to spend a semester at Liberty (where dancing and R-rated movies are strictly verboten) is a little odd. That Roose would is downright weird. What makes it so strange is that Roose is about as liberal as they come. Raised by moderate Quaker parents in a liberal college town, mid-way through an English degree at Brown, and a lover of drinking, partying and all other typical college exploits, Roose seems like the last person to be drawn to Falwell's flock.
It does, however, make for a good story, and as an aspiring journalist, Roose couldn't resist the prospect of telling the story of Liberty from the inside. Unsurprisingly, what Roose discovers is rather surprising: Evangelicals are just like everyone else. Except they pray a lot more. And, they generally frown on all forms of homosexuality. To say that sums up Roose's findings, of course, oversimplifies the matter. The book is an important and extremely balanced look at a much maligned and misunderstood segment of America, and Roose does everything he can to humanize the people he writes about. But, as he discovers, humanizing someone isn't always a positive treatment.
In the course of his time at Liberty, Roose sings in the Thomas Road choir, goes evangelizing on spring break in Florida and interviews the late Jerry Falwell (as it happens, a couple of weeks before he died). He prays, is prayed for and joins a male support group called "Every Man's Battle." He goes on dates, plays on the softball team and otherwise immerses himself in Liberty life. After months of this, his findings are refreshing and insightful.
His interactions lead to observations like the following:
Within five minutes of meeting a new hallmate, I've been asked how often I pray, which is not something I'm used to. But after answering enough of these questions, I'm starting to realize that in the evangelical world, prying can be an indicator of compassion. In Liberty's theology there are only two categories of people: believers and nonbelievers, people headed to heaven and people condemned to hell. So Rodrigo's attempt to suss out my faith isn't intended to be obnoxious. He just wants to make sure I'm safe.
Such is the manner in which Roose gives his new friends and peers the benefit of the doubt, singing the praises of the groundedness and congeniality of Liberty's students, and the strong sense of community and inclusiveness he immediately feels among them. He does, however, point out that this feeling would be somewhat tempered were he not white, straight and (more or less) Christian. And there lies the elephant in the room of the whole project. As much time as Roose spends humanizing the faculty, students and Falwell himself, he can't escape a few very important factors that make Liberty the kind of place that it is. Homophobia is one, which Roose describes as being totally accepted, even encouraged. Outright bigotry is slightly less so, and he gives examples of racists and violent homophobes being ostracized socially, although they receive no official reprimands.
Another is the strict dogma of Falwellian Christianity, which he sums up nicely in one pastor's remarks, “My biggest worry about all of you,” says the Evangelism 101 lecturer, “is that you'll become educated beyond your obedience.” As much as Roose portrays the people he meets and interacts with as loving, kindhearted Christians, there seems to be something fundamentally wrong with a “liberal arts” university that teaches a literal interpretation of the Bible, Noah's Ark, Leviticus, and all, no exceptions.
The Unlikely Disciple is a good read, and an important book for these times. As far apart as the left and right have drifted in the last eight years, books like this are vital to closing the gap. Roose is a fine writer, and at 21 years old, seems to have a bright future ahead of him in investigative journalism. Still, though, the fact remains that as human and endearing as the characters in Roose's book come across, the dogma that they unquestioningly serve still appears as backwards and hypocritical as ever.
I'm well aware that there are other things happening in the world right now (even in our own country) than the economic downturn (or crisis or collapse, depending on your news source), but there just seem to be so many angles on it that I thought it warranted another post. Yes, it's not the first, and it surely won't be the last, but hopefully it's worth reading.
A few days ago on boingboing.net, my go-to site for all things weird and wonderful, there was a post about a group of artists in Detroit who bought up a few houses for cheap (one was just $100) and set about creating a new, off the grid community. The story itself was remarkable, and gave some hope that good may come of this recession in the end.
There was, however, another story on the same page that caught my eye: a photo essay by two French photographers that appeared originally in Time magazine. There's very little I can say about the pictures of architectural gems of a once-industrious city literally rotting away, except that it is quite tragic.
Elsewhere on the blog, more recently, are pictures from around the world of people and places affected by the current global economy, from discarded newspaper boxes in San Francisco, to unemployed factory workers in China, to unfinished apartment towers in Kiev. It reminded me that we're all in this together, and one way or the other, things will come around in the end, eventually.
“It it just me, or has The Huffington Post become a tad sensationalist of late?”
It it just me, or has The Huffington Post become a tad sensationalist of late?
Perhaps that even understates the case a bit. The blog, billed as an "Internet Newspaper" was once a bastion of intelligent left-wing news and commentary on the Web. Founder Arianna Huffington's blogs were always thought-provoking and well-crafted, if fairly predictable politically. There were also guest blogs by her celebrity friends, as well as other prominent Americans from all areas. These things persist—you can still find intelligent commentary from diverse voices there—but one can't help but notice the site, of late, has begun to cater more towards the lowest common denominator.
Here's a sampling of today's headlines, for example:
Cloris Leachman Tells Of "Epic" Sex With Gene Hackman
Natasha Richardson's 911 Transcripts: Her Struggle To Survive
SLIDESHOW: Presidents Getting Married! A Retrospective
And, not to be omitted:
ShamWow Pitchman Arrested For Battering Hooker
Granted, these stories come mostly from the site's "entertainment" coverage. There still are plenty of stories about American politics, international news and commentaries from famous people (in today's edition: John Mellencamp on the decline of the music industry).
Also, to be fair, not not every newspaper, online or otherwise, can afford to cover only the driest, most high-brow topics. These are businesses based on readership, after all. It just seems to me like The Huffington Post used to be more New York Times, and now it's more New York Post, and that seems like a failure on somebody's part. Who knows, maybe next they'll have free credit report advertisements up all over the place. Lets hope not.
Ousted GM CEO Rick Wagoner may spell trouble for other executives.
When the President of the United States asks you to do something, you respond. That sounds simple enough, right? Well, what happens if he asks you to quit your job? The answer is you leave. Sound harsh? Believe it or not, it's exactly what happened to General Motors former CEO Rick Wagoner.
Wagoner was one of the 3 auto executives who flew to DC asking the federal government for taxpayer dollars in 2008. Despite concessions from the auto workers' union and a troubled restructuring plan, nothing seemed to get General Motors moving in the right direction quickly enough. That is, of course, until now.
In a tough economic environment where car purchases have been down, it's become almost commonplace to see heads of companies roll out to Washington, DC for a loan. The practice has become so prevalent that Capitol Hill has truly becomethe new bank of America.
Many people realize however that the money from Washington can't continue to flow like this forever, and the President has stepped in to ensure top execs get the message. The president sat down to address his concerns with Bob Schieffer, Sunday, on CBS' Face the Nation. The president stated that, while companies still may need government funds, they must first shape up.
The departure of Wagoner has sent ripple effects through Wall Street, and shares of GM's stock have remained relatively constant.
Some 48 hours after Wagoner's removal, some are speculating as to who might be seen as the next CEO to receive the presidential boot.
This was a bold, yet decisive, move on the part of this newly elected president, to ask for Mr. Wagoner's removal. It won't be surprising to see more action like this come from the White House in the coming weeks.
“The notion that young adults today are so lackadaisical that we don't care about our own lives is really comical.”
I recently read a story online about a group of individuals one reporter dubbed “Young Invincibles” the 18-29 year olds who don't get health insurance. The article made a lot of sense, and I agreed with certain aspects about the need for younger Americans to get healthcare.
However, I happen to fall within the age group of said population, and am by no means a “young invincible," just strapped for cash. The notion that young adults today are so lackadaisical that we don't care about our own lives is really comical.
Let's be honest for a moment. Healthcare was expensive before the economy went down, and it definitely hasn't gotten any cheaper. Think about it: back when millions of college students were getting by on health coverage provided by their parents, there was no need to worry about coverage.
Now, with job loss numbers on the rise and young adults reaching the age where they're no longer eligible on their parent's insurance, these so-called "young invincibles" are stuck between a rock and a hard place.
So, I wouldn't say I was totally cavalier in my aspirations to receive healthcare. I just happen to realize, like the other 40-plus million Americans, the staggering cost of being insured. While young people are typically said to take too many chances and throw caution to the wind, I'm not the type of guy who enjoys the idea of playing with his life.
Furthermore, I wouldn't say that my generation is entirely carefree when it comes to healthcare. Instead, I‘d say we don't have a system that makes it affordable for people to get coverage, but that's my opinion.
So which is it? Are young people just indifferent when it comes to their health or are we just economically unable to purchase it?
Superstar Madonna is in Malawi looking to begin the adoption process for a 4-year-old girl, Mercy James.
A lot of controversy seems to be surrounding Madonna and her desire to adopt a baby from the country of Malawi. On the surface, it seems as though there's no need for alarm. Madonna is clearly able to provide for her family and is looking to add another child to her household. I also think adoption is great. Every child that needs love in this world should have it. For that reason, I'm grateful to the many men and women who are willing to open their hearts to a new child in their home. Madonna appears to be one of those unique individuals.
Others argue however that the baby Madonna's looking to adopt should stay with the family already in Malawi. Now, for the record, this isn't Madonna's first adoption, nor her first introduction to the country. Her first adopted child was from Malawi, and she's created a charity foundation within the country. She's also working to build a school for the children in the area.
So, amid all of the talk surrounding this story, should Madonna be compelled to give up on the adoption process? Does her celebrity status automatically taint her intentions? Or is all of the attention and bickering much ado about nothing?
Simon Baker, one of last week's guests, was one of the more colourful interviews of late. After Tavis spent some time making light of the beat-up boots Baker wore on the program (in Baker's defense, he claims they were the only shoes that worked with his outfit), they proceeded to embark on a fascinating discussion about Baker's hit show, The Mentalist.
On the surface, the show is a standard one-hour cop drama, like any number of those on TV, which frankly in the last few years have become rather tired and rote indeed. Happily, on further examination, The Mentalist reveals itself as much, much more. Rather than relying on high-tech solutions like CSI, or on some kind of supernatural sixth sense, Baker plays a detective who uses his keen senses of observation and deduction to solve crimes.
His character harks back to some of the greatest TV detectives of all time, like Poirot and Columbo, men of incredible intelligence and sharp wit who do amazing things in the most unassuming way, always leaving you to guess at how they did it until the last minute.
As Baker put it, “What we're trying to do is present the box of what [a cop show] is and then step outside; take the audience outside of the box to solve the problem in a different way. We don't rely on science… we try to find the truth less under the microscope and more sort of in the fabric of human nature.”
Therein lies what makes The Mentalist such a compelling show. Rather than falling back on arbitrary deus ex machinae, like cutting-edge technology and supernatural abilities, the show goes back to the roots of all drama: human nature.
President Obama addresses members of the media at a press conference Tuesday night in an effort to reassure Americans on his economic and domestic policies.
The president spoke yesterday evening to the American public, addressing a host of questions in prime time. He stood before a sea of reporters and spoke confidently to Americans, hoping to reassure them that the White House is moving intelligently and swiftly to solve the challenges the country faces.
He fielded questions on a range of issues such as executive pay, bonuses and the economy. The Tuesday night press conference was his second since taking office in January. The conference, which lasted nearly an hour, demonstrated his candor, temperament and understanding of the issues facing everyday Americans.
Throughout the night, Obama maintained his position on a host of issues. On the question of charitable giving, Obama reemphasized his belief that the wealthiest American income earners should get a 28% deduction instead of the 36-39% deductions they had received under the Bush administration.
In part, when asked about race, Obama said he wanted the American people to judge him on his ability to fix the economy, create jobs and keep Americans safe. On the key issue of the economy, Obama urged patience. He later dispelled critics who were quick to judge and pointed out that those who did criticize weren't offering any real solutions.
Forever the optimist, Obama stated his belief in being persistent to solve America's challenges. He also noted the fact that, while he's only been in office sixty or so days, the country is headed in the right direction.
I think the president is on the right track in his demeanor and tone. He is being both pragmatic and methodical as he looks at a host of options geared towards finding solutions for our economic and domestic affairs.
What are your thoughts? Is the president making the right decisions for the future of our country?
South Carolina Democratic Congressman and House Majority Whip James Clyburn
I had the opportunity this month to listen to Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina speak. He spoke before a group of young adults looking to gain further insight into the political process.
While he spoke on the challenges of being a leading member of Congress along with the challenges America faces, he spoke most candidly on how he got to the national stage from which he works today. His story is an interesting one with a positive message of hope.
As he enters his 17th year as a member of Congress, James Clyburn began his congressional career at 52 years of age. He originally ran in 1970. He tried to run for secretary of state in 1978. No Blacks at that point had made it to that position in South Carolina. After the 1876 Tilden-Hayes compromise, none have yet to sit in that office today.
Clyburn ran for a number of positions early on and was unsuccessful during those attempts. After a string of defeats, a friend of his said that it was 3 strikes and you're out. He said that was a baseball rule and ignored the concept. Instead, he followed the South Carolina motto of “while I breathe, I hope.”
It's that mantra that has allowed Clyburn to persevere through obstacles and overcome challenges in his political career. The congressman also remarked that the concept of hope wasn't lost on another political figure: Barack H. Obama.
The congressman recounted a story that both he and Barack Obama have shared about Obama's experiences during the South Carolina primaries.
Politically speaking, after the losses in both New Hampshire and Nevada, Obama was coming into South Carolina limping.
As the story goes, after a long day of campaigning, Obama was flying into South Carolina exhausted. He was told despite getting into his hotel room at 1 a.m. that he would need to leave the hotel the next morning by 6 a.m. for Greenwood, SC because of a promise he had made earlier that year.
Despite feeling frustrated and a bit grumpy that early morning, it was an important day for Obama. On that day he came across the woman who initiated the chant “Fired up, ready to go!” The energy and excitement of that chant served as the catalyst of renewed hope and vision in the aspiring candidate's bid for the presidency.
He went on to win 44 of the 46 counties in South Carolina. He also picked up the South Carolina theme of “while I breathe, I hope.”
The Majority Whip said Obama truly took that theme to heart and has since internalized the concept of hope. South Carolina proved to be pivotal not only in each man's political aspirations, but their inner spirit as well.
In terms of his own political career, Clyburn says he's only fortunate to the extent that he didn't let failure dictate his options. It's a message he wanted students in attendance to walk away with. He said he studied his losses precinct by precinct and learned from those experiences.
He was told by more than one person that he would not win certain elections. He was told that he had no chance. Then, after studying his loses and maintaining a spirit of hope, the winds began to change. James Clyburn of South Carolina went on to win his first election with 56% of the vote. It was the result of hard work and perseverance. Now, Rep. Clyburn is doing the work he's dreamed of doing sine 1948.
Personal belief in one's self along with an abiding spirit of hope can help us all to achieve our goals. It's a lesson students from all walks of life can learn from.
Neko Case seems to be popping up everywhere these days, as the singer and her new album, "The Middle Cyclone," make the rounds of media outlets across the country and abroad. Details recommends it this month, as does The New York Times, TheWashington Post, the LA Times and Rolling Stone. It would seem we have a concensus.
As far as her appearance on Monday night's program, it's really only icing on the cake that she should appear so genuine and just plain likeable. It's always easier to enjoy someone's music when you know they're not a jerk. In the strange and mystifying world of music, that particular quality unfortunately seems to be more of a help than a hindrance.
The highlight of the interview came at the very end, when Case described the concept behind the cover of her new album. A striking image, it depicts Case standing on the hood of a vintage Mercury Cougar, barefoot, holding an enormous and very lethal-looking sword.
From the interview: I really wanted to get my picture taken in a way that made me not hate getting my picture taken, because I never am a fan of it. I always feel really self-conscious. So I thought if I were to make the picture for the cover as though I were an 8-year-old boy making his fantasy album, what would I have?
Listen to the first two tracks from "The Middle Cyclone" at NekoCase.com.
It's National Women's History Month. So, here's a round-up of tidbits and interesting articles in honor of the month. Be sure to tell us your Women's History favorites as well.
3) Bitch magazine's weekly “Adventures in Feministory” has an interesting post about “The Night Witches” (Note: they flew at night, but they weren't really witches).
4) What else can you read this month? Books, books and more books for, by and about women, of course!
After the oral arguments challenging Proposition 8 were complete in San Francisco, I stuck around Lambda Legal's West Hollywood viewing to get the thoughts of some gay rights activists and advocates on the proceedings.
The seven justices for the California Supreme Court have 90 days to rule.
The California Supreme Court heard oral arguments today in San Francisco in the three lawsuits challenging Proposition 8, a ballot initiative passed by California voters in November 2008, which states that only “marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.”
Lambda Legal and several gay rights organizations hosted a viewing in West Hollywood, CA, for supporters to come out and watch the court proceedings together.
I caught up with one couple who hoped the court would overturn Prop. 8 and allow them to tie the knot this summer.
The California Endowment, a private 13-year-old health foundation, commissioned the RAND report on boys and men of color as part of the endowment's new 10-year initiative called Building Healthy Communities—a “strategic direction” that the endowment will take that is designed to “develop neighborhoods where children and youth are healthy, safe and ready to learn.”
When the endowment began to look at making changes in communities across the state, they noticed that a significant portion of the population was faced with some really harsh issues.
The issues “are man-made and they can be unmade,” says Robert Phillips, who leads the endowment's statewide effort to bring access to health coverage to children.
“We're talking about the lives of these communities, and these boys are just kind of a lens, a look into that community,” Phillips says.
“Can you actually improve the health of the communities that we're going into if the core segment is doing worse than everyone else,” Phillips asks.
So, what will the initiative actually do?
In talking to Phillips I discovered that the RAND report is really the opening conversation for the foundation's 10-year commitment.
The endowment will devote most of its resources to 14 communities across the state where it can build upon the type of community-level work that I mentioned on Wednesday. But also, the endowment will work to impact policy at both the institutional and state level.
If that is not specific enough for you, check out the initiative's overview here, a background on the program here, a video about the initiative here, click here for descriptions of the 14 target communities, and keep in mind that the program is still in the ramp-up phase and will actually begin in 2010.
“All of the efforts that we looked at that have been successful on broader community efforts have, at a minimum, taken 7 to 10 years,” Phillips says. “But we just have to be patient.”
RAND report lead author Lois Davis says she's impressed by the range of foundations that have committed to focusing on the population that she studied and is hopeful that another report like the one she worked on won't be needed in 2020.
“The national dialogue as well as the local dialogue has really become stronger and stronger and gotten a voice in this area,” Davis says. “So we're hoping that we can build on that momentum.”
Later this month RAND is holding a policy forum on improving the odds for boys and men of color in California.
Subscribe to RSS Feed
E-mail a friend
