Diversity Headlines

SELL, Ariz.  – Despite accusations that undocumented immigrants are largely responsible for the surge in drug and immigrant trafficking along the U.S. border with Mexico, official studies and lawenforcement agencies point instead to U.S. citizens and Native Americans as the dominant figures in... La Opinion http://publisher.namx.org/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=19&id=103

A veteran teacher raises questions about charter schools in advance of a couple of documentaries that will examine the concept. Having taught in both standard public schools and charter schools, I have seen the massive disparity between these two educational... Oliver Williams http://publisher.namx.org/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=19&id=103

July 31 marks the one-year anniversary of the detention in Iran of three young Americans. Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Josh Fattal were arrested by Iranian authorities when they apparently strayed across the Iran-Iraq border in the Kurdish area of... Inga Buchbinder http://publisher.namx.org/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=19&id=118

Prudential cheated the families of dead American soldiers and Marines out of more than $100 million in interest on their life-insurance policies, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday in a Massachusetts federal court.The suit, brought by the parents of two... Aaron Glantz http://publisher.namx.org/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=19&id=117

From Arizona to Capitol Hill, it's been a tough week. But in crisis, there's always an opportunity to think hard -- and, if you're lucky, laugh a little. Because we love you, dear reader, we'll try to do both.

And don't forget: You can always find ColorLines on Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook.

Here's the latest from the Twittersphere:

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President Obama showed up at the National Urban League's annual conference yesterday to take on the civil rights groups that have become top critics of his education initiatives. He discussed Race to the Top, his administration's controversial $4.35 billion competitive grants program that hands out money to states that adopt the Obama reform agenda, blaming resistance to Race to the Top on a "general resistance to change; a comfort with the status quo."

Earlier this week, the National Urban League, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and the NAACP issued a 17-page report criticizing Race to the Top as exclusionary and short-sighted. They charged that the very idea of forcing states to compete for money runs counter to our nation's promise that a quality education is still every child's civil right:

"By emphasizing competitive incentives in this economic climate, the majority of low-income and minority students will be left behind and, as a result, the United States will be left behind as a global leader."

The civil rights groups also take issue with many of the fundamentals of Obama's education agenda that further solidify the centrality of standardized test scores for gauging success and initiatives that bolster charter schools while shutting down so-called "failing" public ones.

But Obama focused yesterday on the most controversial aspect of his reform agenda: his efforts to institute what he calls systems of "accountability" that tie a teacher's salary and job security to students' standardized test scores. He had sharp words for those who believe his tactics amount to teacher bashing. "So, for anyone who wants to use Race to the Top to blame or punish teachers - you're missing the point," Obama said. "Our goal isn't to fire or admonish teachers. Our goal is accountability. It's to provide teachers with the support they need to be as effective as they can be. It's to create a better environment for teachers and students alike."

Try asking those in Rhode Island. Obama applauded the state's move back in February to fire every single teacher at a high school with a lower than 50 percent graduation rate. Obama's critics have asked: what happens when a town runs out of teachers to fire? And if the teachers are the problem, the students are left in a lurch while Obama soldiers on to keep firing every other ineffective teacher.

Last Friday D.C. school chief Michelle Rhee announced she'd fired 241 teachers in her district and put another 737 on notice. They'll have a year to raise their students' test scores or risk termination, too. The New York Times reports Rhee fired 79 teachers in the 2007-08 academic year, and another 96 in the 2008-09 school year before hiring another 500 new teachers in 2009, and then firing 266 teachers in the fall of 2009 because of budget problems. Teacher unions have called it the "hire-fire-rehire" syndrome.

There's little proof of how well this crusade against so-called ineffective teachers will pay off. But Obama insisted that he hasn't got it in for teachers:

I want teachers to have higher salaries. I want them to have more support. I want them to be trained like the professionals they are - with rigorous residencies like the ones doctors go through. I want to give them career ladders so they have opportunities to advance, and earn real financial security. I want them to have a fulfilling and supportive workplace environment, and the resources - from basic supplies to reasonable class sizes - to help them succeed. Instead of a culture where we're always idolizing sports stars or celebrities, I want us to build a culture where we idolize the people who shape our children's future.

All I'm asking in return - as a president and as a parent - is a measure of accountability. Surely we can agree that even as we applaud teachers for their hard work, we need to make sure they're delivering results in the classroom. If they're not, let's work with them to help them be more effective. And if that fails, let's find the right teacher for that classroom.

All lofty and uncontroversial ideals, of course. But the National Urban League and its civil rights partners have said judging teachers' merits on their students' test scores as Obama demands is unsatisfactory. The groups' report argued teacher evaluations must be based on a teacher's experience and skills and individual contributions to the school environment. The groups called for an end to zero-tolerance policies that criminalize young boys and men of color and Obama's drastic turnaround models that shut down the poorest schools without replacing them with better schools or offering long-lasting solutions to the communities they're in.

The education reform discussion is long from over. But Race to the Top--along with the controversy that surrounds it--likely will not disappear soon either.

[[UPDATE 6:55pm EST]] On a conference call earlier today, John Boyd, Jr., president of the National Black Farmers Association, announced that that Senate will vote on a stand-alone authorizing funds for settlement claims.

To clarify, last week the Senate struck down a supplemental war spending bill, which included money for the black farmers' settlement and another claim made by Native American farmers.  They then unanimously passed a revised version of the bill, which is set for a vote on Monday.

It's a last minute effort to resolve the issue before Congress goes on recess.

Thanks reader Ashleyist.

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Remember that $1.25 billion dollar settlement President Obama announced back in February for black farmers discriminated against by the USDA? It's gone, according to Talking Points Memo.

An estimated 70,000 black farmers stood to gain from the settlement.

But last week the Senate quietly voted to strip funding for the case, known as the Pigford II settlement. The move came on the heels of the Shirley Sherrod scandal, as conservative opposition to the settlement grew after conservative lawmakers learned that a farm collective founded by Sherrod and her husband was set to receive $13 million from the case.

"I hoped that tonight the Senate could finally right a wrong that has been left unresolved for far too long. But Republicans stood in the way," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said in a statement.

"As recent events have reminded us, the fact that justice and fairness were denied to black farmers for so many years continues to have ramifications today. ... Republicans should be held accountable for standing in the way of justice for those affected."

According to Talking Points Memo, part of the Pigford Settlement offered $50,000, on top of loan forgiveness and tax offsets, to eligible black farmers who had complained of discrimination since 1983. Sherrod and her husband were two of 170 plaintiffs who fought much larger settlements.

We've reported before on the long journey leading up the announcement in February, and this is just the most recent instance of the U.S. government failing to deliver. Back in 1999, black farmers won one of the largest civil rights settlements in U.S. history in another class-action lawsuit. Over a decade later, the $2.3 billion settlement has still yet to be paid in full.

Despite all the outrage lawmakers in Utah supposedly had at the release of the state's infamous immigrant hit list, at least some seem to be caving into conservative pressure. At least three dozen social security numbers from the list are under review by the Utah Attorney General's office:

Spokesman Paul Murphy says only two of the 36 numbers on the list were valid. He says the state will investigate to see if any numbers were used fraudulently.

The AG's office is investigating whether two Department of Workforce Services employees compiled the list. The department alleges the employees inappropriately accessed private data to create the list, which was sent to law enforcement and news media.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Utah has asked the Department of Homeland Security to condemn the list. A DHS spokesman says the department doesn't believe the list has been used for any investigations.

The news was announced yesterday, as 200 people rallied at the state capitol building in protest of Arizona's SB 1070. Utah lawmakers are considering similar legislation, and with the list, they seem to be one step ahead of the game.

July 29 was a day of civil unrest across the country as hundreds took to the streets to protest Arizona's SB 1070. In Arizona, Sheriff Joe Arpaio wasted no time rounding up protesters. A total of at least 50 people were arrested in Phoenix after peacefully confronting police dressed in riot gear, including several journalists covering the story, as well as faith leaders and at least one formerly elected official. Arpaio's office even had to postpone an immigration sweep scheduled for last night because his officers were too busy rounding up arrested marchers.

The actions in Phoenix began at dawn as protesters marched to Arpaio's office chanting," Sheriff Joe, we are here, we will not live in fear." The sheriff has taken criticism for years because of his frequent immigration sweeps and treatment of detainees.

As marchers gathered outside a Phoenix courthouse and blocked entry to a local jail, Arpaio demonstrated his landmark hubris.

"My deputies will arrest them and put them in pink underwear," Arpaio said, referring to one of his odd methods of punishment for prisoners. "Count on it."

Those arrested included civil rights leaders, politicians, clergy, and attorneys who had attempted to provide legal counsel to marchers.

At least three people were arrested at the courthouse, including former state Sen. Alfredo Gutierrez.

Hundreds of people also reportedly gathered at the county jail, where they beat on a metal door and blocked police entry. At least 32 people were arrested, including a photographer for the Arizona Republic.

Aarti Shahani reported for New America Media that Sunita Patel, an attorney with the Center for Constitutional Rights who flew to Phoenix from New York to provide legal counsel to detained protesters, was also arrested and taken to Third Avenue Jail.

Longtime Phoenix civil rights leader Salvador Reza was also arrested, along with faith leaders, including Reverend Susan Frederick-Gray.

Hundreds gathered in cities across the country to protest Arizona's SB 1070. At least 300 marchers gathered in New York City, and of the 200 who protested yesterday in Los Angeles and shut down Wilshire Boulevard, at least 30 were arrested.

The battle against SB 1070 is far from over. Several lawsuits are still pending, and Gov. Jan Brewer has filed an appeal of a federal injunction earlier this week.

Welcome to a new feature here on ColorLines, where we lift up some of the week's best reader conversation happening around our articles. We want to hear your voice, too -- get involved on Twitter @colorlines, on Facebook, on Tumblr, and right here in the comments.

Let's dig in:

One of our most-commented pieces of the week, spawning many great conversations, was Daisy Hernandez's analysis of the race politics buried in the new movie The Kids Are All Right. And that's not to say that everyone agreed with Daisy, or with each other. All the responses to "The Kids Are All Right, But Not the Queer Movement" are recommended reading, including Daisy's responses to the responses. Here's an excerpt of a late comment by dyke2watchout4:

It's a very very very liberal (in the bad way) thing to say, "mentioning this will cause division in the community, when we should all just join together." the point is, we're not united right now. we cannot be until we mention this, admit to it, acknowledge it, and work through it. it takes privilege to ignore it. it takes privilege (class, racial, sexual, etc.) to say "stop creating strife among the queers." that means that you can ignore the fact that the strife exists, especially because it must not affect you adversely.

Jenny H. digs deeper on Jamilah King's "Arpaio Arrests Dozens in SB 1070 Protests":

I hadn't heard the detail about the pink underwear before, but it's very telling; his racism is closely connected with homophobia and misogyny in that he thinks forced feminization is an act of humiliation and control. 

All the "isms" are connected. If we could only see each other as allies, all of us, rather than competing for the scraps from the table of the privileged, we could change the world.

In a thread on Michelle Chen's "The Coming Fight Over Paying For The Pill," convo_girl says social conservatives are denying science, and invents a new verb:

Like every other prescription drug, hormonal contraceptives regulate the human bodily functions in a way that it can not be achieved naturally. Just like high blood pressure medicines, anti-depressives or digestive aids. There is nothing earth-shattering about that. By and large, birth control is safe, esp compared to many, many other drugs out there. Women, however, must find the right drug for them.

The dirty little secret is that the anti-choice community does not support access to birth control. Because of its alliance with the Catholic church, they not only oppose hormonal contraceptives but condom use as well. Their tactics include spreading inaccurate and misleading information and applying a lot of political pressure.

But it won't work here. Common sense says birth control is right for women, and so does science and health care providers. Take your propaganda elsewhere. We will not let you Shirley Sherrod this issue.

On the ColorLines Facebook page, a mind gets changed by Julianne Hing's "Obama to Critics: I'm Not Bashing Teachers":

On Twitter, 32RED hits up @colorlines to ask about Jamilah King's "Is Essence Leaving Black Women Behind?":

Jamilah replies that, nope:

And at the ColorLines Tumblr, we've reposted a great short narrative film linked to in our comments by its maker, DREAM Activist and filmmaker Jesus 'Chuy' Rosales.

Nine by Jesus "Chuy" Rosales_ Remake from Jesus 'Chuy' Rosales on Vimeo.

That's all for this week. Thanks as always for reading and writing, and for making ColorLines a community!

It's been a lucrative pair of weeks for Christopher Nolan. Inception, his new sci-fi dream-heist thriller, is perched atop the box office for the second straight week and -- no offense, Steve Carell and Zac Efron fans -- looks to hold that spot this go-around as well. The film, unlike most box office-rampaging mega-schlock, is no critical slouch, holding steady at 87% on Rotten Tomatoes and ranking well with the director's other dark, brainy, critically-adored flicks.

read more

WASHNGTON D.C. -- The House of Representatives passed a landmark bill Wednesday that reduces decades-old disparities in crack and powder cocaine prison sentencing that resulted in the disproportionate incarceration of blacks.By voice vote, House Democrats and Republicans acknowledged the racial... Frederick Cosby http://publisher.namx.org/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=19&id=103

If Wyclef Jean, performer, is to make a serious bid to become Haiti’s next president, he has only a couple of weeks to complete and file the necessary paperwork.With Haiti still struggling to recover from a devastating earthquake in January... Herb Boyd http://publisher.namx.org/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=19&id=103

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer filed an appeal this afternoon against U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton's ruling yesterday that blocked portions of SB 1070 from going into effect. Brewer wants the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn Bolton's ruling and allow SB 1070 to go into effect while the courts wrangle over the constitutionality of the law.

Brewer filed a second motion for an expedited appeal to move up the court proceedings so that oral arguments could be heard as soon as September 13. Before then, the Ninth Circuit must determine a schedule for both sides to file the appropriate briefs and papers. That's a month away, but still a very fast turnaround in the legal jungle that is the court system.

"If the federal government wants to be in charge of illegal immigration and they want no help from states, it then needs to do its job," Brewer said in a statement. The Department of Justice's lawsuit against the state of Arizona charges that under the Constitution, the federal government alone has the power to create and enforce immigration policy.

"Illegal immigration is an ongoing crisis the State of Arizona did not create and the federal government has refused to fix," Brewer said in a statement. "SB 1070 protects all of us, every Arizona citizen and everyone here in our state lawfully."

While the Ninth Circuit handles Brewer's appeal, U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton will continue to preside over the Department of Justice's lawsuit against the State of Arizona. Bolton has been assigned to handle all seven legal challenges against SB 1070.

The modified SB 1070 went into effect July 29 at 12:01am. Reuters reported that at least 30 protesters were arrested in Phoenix today for civil disobedience while protesting the law.

From Sacramento to San Bernardino state and local education officials struggled to contain their enthusiasm Tuesday after learning California is a finalist in its second attempt to qualify for a big chunk of federal “Race to the Top” education reform... Chris Levister http://publisher.namx.org/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=19&id=103

The City of Oakland has been facing quite lot of heat within the last month. Recently, Oakland laid-off 80 members of the police force of 776, and issued a list of crimes that the Oakland police would no longer be... Donny Lumpkins and the YO!Radio Crew http://publisher.namx.org/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=19&id=103

This page will be updated throughout the day.

ColorLines hit the streets in Los Angeles, Oakland and New York City to bring you images from demonstrations happening as on the first day of enforcement for the non-injoined sections of SB1070. You'll also see photos from many organizational allies of our publisher, the Applied Research Center. Do you have video or pictures to share? Post links in the comments and we may feature them on this page, too.

New York

Photo by Naima Ramos-Chapman

Los Angeles

Photo by Jorge Rivas

Arizona
Protesters Block Sheriff Arpaio's Jail Entrance (Photo by PuenteAZ/Anita Sarkeesian)

On Wednesday, protesters in Phoenix, Arizona scaled a downtown crane to display their message, "Stop hate, no 287g, no 1070," linking the local racial profiling law with the federal policy of criminalization. The banner was unfurled at approximately 6:00 p.m. and remained on display for over an hour. The climbers released a statement that read, "Stopping the hate means not just stopping SB 1070 and Sheriff Arpaio in Arizona but stopping all the Arpaios that the President's ICE access program is creating all across the country." (Photo by PuenteAZ/Anita Sarkeesian)

San Francisco and Oakland

Golden Gate photo by jonathan mcintosh, Oakland photos: Hatty Lee

. . . .

Los Angeles

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Redwood City, CA--The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill granting additional funding of $67 million for the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation Fund that pays for the lump sum claims of Filipino veterans. The law awards eligible U.S. citizen Filipino... Henni Espinosa http://publisher.namx.org/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=19&id=103

Student activists with United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) recently claimed victory over sports apparel giant Nike. After the company shut down two subcontractor plants in Honduras in 2009, it tried to duck out of paying 1,800 workers several million dollars in severance pay. U.S.-based students started a nationwide boycott campaign, urging their universities to sever contractual ties to the sporting giant. On the heels of Nike's Monday announcement that it would finally pay the workers, Micah Uetricht at In These Times wonders if the strategy will spread to other labor work:

As they had done against Russell, activists crisscrossed the country with workers from the closed plants on a speaking tour at dozens of universities with contracts with the company, meeting with several university administrations. It wasn't long before the prospect of terminating Nike contracts was raised, and the company began to change its position.

It took 89 contract losses before Russell caved. This time, one contract termination at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the threat of another at Cornell were enough to convince Nike to accede to worker/student demands. The company agreed to pay $1.54 million to their former employees, provide healthcare and vocational training for a limited time, and give priority rehiring to the laid-off workers.

The win against Nike marks the second major victory in one year for USAS and garment workers. The students seem to have developed a winning strategy against massive multinationals they accuse of labor abuse: convincing individual universities to cut contracts with the companies while using traditional and new media to publicly shame the company into straightening up their act.

Read more at In These Times.

This morning at 12:01 a.m., SB 1070 went into effect in the state of Arizona. The most controversial portions of the law were blocked by Judge Susan Bolton when she issued her injunction ruling yesterday. But protesters are streaming into the Phoenix area today from all over the Southwest for a day of action and civil disobedience. Several groups have vowed not to comply with SB 1070.

Meanwhile, the modified law went into effect alongside promises from Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio to conduct another of his infamous immigration sweeps today. It will be his seventeenth. "I don't think the activists should be celebrating in the streets yet," Arpaio told the Arizona Capitol Times.

It should be an interesting day in the Grand Canyon State.

In its original language, SB 1070 would have made it a state crime to be caught without papers in Arizona, and would have allowed police officers to question any person's legal status while enforcing state and local law, and even civil code--like failing to recycle, or not cleaning up the weeds in your front yard. The law would have mandated that a police officer question any person they had "reasonable suspicion" to believe was undocumented. Further, a person who was arrested would have to be held in custody until their immigration status was confirmed. These are the parts of SB 1070 that were enjoined yesterday. Judge Bolton blocked those portions temporarily so she can preside over the lengthy court proceedings to now determine the constitutionality of those provisions.

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, who signed SB 1070 into law in April to great fanfare and controversy, dismissed the temporary injunction as "a little bump in the road."

"The federal government got relief from the courts not to do their job," she told reporters yesterday. "They need to step up, the feds do, to do the job they have the responsibility to do." She indicated that she planned to immediately appeal the injunction. If filed, that appeal will be heard by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

"This is an injunction, they haven't heard the merits of the bill," Brewer said. "This is just an injunction, this is just an injunction."

The portions of SB 1070 that still stand targed day laborers. They include a new statewide ban on entering a car when hired to work, and conversely, hiring someone who's entering a car that would obstruct the flow of traffic. Judge Bolton blocked another part that makes it illegal to seek labor.

Bolton did not enjoin the portions of SB 1070 that allow for the impounding of a car that's found to belong to a person who's undocumented or is used to transport people who are undocumented. Neither did Bolton enjoin a section that amends employer sanctions and adds new provisions against transporting and harboring undocumented immigrants. A provision barring cities in Arizona from forming "sanctuary" cities was also allowed to stand.

Yesterday's ruling was a response to the Department of Justice lawsuit against Arizona, and there are three outstanding motions for injunctions that Bolton did not respond to, although she mentioned the other cases in her ruling. Linton Joaquin, an attorney with the National Immigrant Law Center, which is one of the organizational plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit, said on a telebriefing yesterday that there's still a long road ahead for SB 1070.

Attorneys from both sides will now return to Bolton's courtroom to begin the real proceedings, debating the constitutionality of the disputed portions of SB 1070--both those that were enjoined and those that were allowed to go into effect. That process could take months.

The Department of Justice's lawsuit against the state of Arizona rests on one clause in the Constitution, which says unequivocally that the federal government alone has the right to create and enforce immigration law. Of course there are many exceptions and tests to what's called the Supremacy Clause--complicated somewhat by the fact that the federal government actually does authorize local governments to assist in immigration enforcement, in the form of 287(g) and Secure Communities programs. The collection of six other lawsuits against SB 1070 charge that the law contains a slew of other constitutional violations (see our graphic breaking those suits down).

While attorneys hunker down for a lengthy legal battle, activists are ready to take to the streets today. Joaquin said now is also the time for people to diligently document their interactions with police and law enforcement. Already, reports abound of Arizonans who've been stopped by the police asking for their papers.

People are already gathered in Phoenix today to join a hundred-day vigil that's been going ever since Brewer signed SB 1070 into law on April 23. People met at 6 a.m. for a mass before marching to Sheriff Arpaio's office at 8 a.m. Vans of supporters are caravanning into the state, and dozens of solidarity actions have been planned from Brooklyn to Los Angeles today. We'll have images from those events later today.

Immigrant rights groups in Arizona are far from ready to claim victory yet. And many are trying to use the momentum against SB 1070 to demand an end to 287(g) and Secure Communities programs that allow for SB 1070-like enforcement and have been quietly unveiled in hundreds of cities. But Judge Bolton's ruling gives reason for cautious hope, at least in the short term.

"The judge ruled that Arizona cannot decide we are going to be a 'papers please' state for every person of color," said Isabel Garcia, a co-chair of the immigrant rights organization Derechos Humanos.

"We have the wind on our backs in a very, very long road to restoring civil rights protections to the state of Arizona," National Day Laborer Organizing Network legal director Chris Newman said yesterday. "We will continue all of our efforts on all fronts, legal, political and community organizing, to restore civil rights to immigrants and people of color in the state of Arizona."

The temperatures are already in the 90s in Phoenix, and there's talk of possible thunderstorms today--whether they'll come rom the skies or from the rising immigrant rights movement, it's hard to tell.