Race and Ethnicity Commons^™

Torch (December 2007), Amy Homans, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Torch (November 2007), Amy Homans, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Cracking Silent Codes: Critical Race Theory And Education Organizing, Celina Su

Publications and Research

Critical race theory (CRT) has moved beyond legal scholarship to critique the ways in which “colorblind” laws and policies perpetuate existing racial inequalities in education policy. While criticisms of CRT have focused on the pessimism and lack of remedies presented, CRT scholars have begun to address issues of praxis. Specifically, communities of color must challenge the dominant narratives of mainstream institutions with alternative visions of pedagogy and school reform, and community organizing plays an important role in helping communities of color to articulate these alternative counter-narratives. Yet, many in education organizing disagree with CRT's critique of colorblindness. Drawing on five …

Torch (October 2007), Amy Homans, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Torch (September 2007), Amy Homans, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

The Voting Rights Act And The Election Of Nonwhite Officials, Pei-Te Lien, Dianne M. Pinderhughes, Carol Hardy-Fanta, Christine M. Sierra

Publications from the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy

Voting Rights Act (VRA) is one of the most important—if not the most important—public policies developed over the last half century to increase access to the U.S. political system for people of color. The VRA also provides an important context for understanding the ascension of nonwhite groups into the elected leadership of the nation (Browning, Marshall, and Tabb 1984; Davidson and Grofman 1994; Menifield 2001; Mc-Clain and Stewart 2002; Segura and Bowler 2005; Bositis 2006). This essay assesses the present-day significance of the VRA for the political representation of communities of color by examining the implications of majority-minority districts and …

A Seat At The Table? Racial/Ethnic & Gender Diversity On Corporate, Hospital, Education, Cultural & State Boards, Carol Hardy-Fanta Phd, Donna Stewartson

Publications from the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy

As part of its larger Diversity Initiative, the McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies at UMass Boston has undertaken a number of projects. The first was a public opinion survey conducted around the time of the November 2006 elections. The report, Transformation and Taking Stock: A Summary of Selected Findings from the McCormack Graduate School Diversity Survey, included a comprehensive look at race relations in the Commonwealth at a time of significant transition—demographically and politically. This report was followed by A Benchmark Report on Diversity in State and Local Government, which focused on the percentage of positions filled …

Torch (May/June 2007), Amy Homans, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Torch (April 2007), Amy Homans, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

A Benchmark Report On Diversity In State And Local Government, Carol Hardy-Fanta Phd

Publications from the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy

The Pipeline to Public Service Initiative asked the McCormack Graduate School’s Center for Women in Politics & Public Policy at the University of Massachusetts Boston to ascertain the racial diversity in state and local government. The project had the following three goals:

--To identify the race (and gender) of those holding top-level positions filled through gubernatorial appointments, e.g., secretaries, commissioners, directors, deputy commissioners/directors, and undersecretaries, in the Commonwealth’s executive offices and major departments.

--To compile the same information for members of the most influential boards and commissions in the Commonwealth filled through gubernatorial appointments.

--To assess the diversity of elected …

Torch (February/March 2007), Amy Homans, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Ameriquest Mortgage Activity In Milwaukee County, John Pawasarat

ETI Publications

The analysis of mortgage lending practices, evictions and foreclosures in Milwaukee County conducted by the Employment and Training Institute for Legal Action of Wisconsin showed Ameriquest Mortgage Company as one of the major subprime lenders operating in Milwaukee County. As part of an agreement signed with 49 states, including Wisconsin, Ameriquest is providing settlement payments for many of those who borrowed from the company from 1999 through 2005. The data showed Ameriquest with the largest volume of loan applications and second largest volume of approved loans, of the 92 subprime lenders issuing mortgages in Milwaukee County from 2003 through 2005. …

The Earn (Early Assessment And Retention Network) Model For Effectively Targeting Wia And Tanf Resources To Participants, John Pawasarat, Lois M. Quinn

ETI Publications

his technical assistance project was developed by the Employment and Training Institute for the Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board to demonstrate the advantages of implementing a large-scale comprehensive data-driven IT capacity for administering WIA and TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) training programs. Longitudinal state wage match data, WIA data bases, welfare files, corrections data, and driver’s license records provide essential program planning and evaluation tools to assess the effectiveness of program interventions by client characteristics and can offer an early warning system for agencies on their progress on measures of post-program employment outcomes. The key lesson of the project …

Barriers To Employment: Prison Time, John Pawasarat

ETI Publications

This paper was prepared at the request of Legal Action of Wisconsin and the Private Industry Council of Milwaukee County to assess the legal and employment needs of prisoners released from Wisconsin correctional facilities. Released prisoners are among the most difficult populations to serve and least likely to be successfully engaged in sustained employment due to persistent legal problems, low education attainment levels, high recidivism rates, and driver’s license suspension and revocation problems. The stigma of being an ex-inmate alone and the limitations it places on those released and expected to become gainfully employed are compounded by further legal sanctions …

Legal Action Of Wisconsin Report On Milwaukee's Housing Crisis, Foreclosure, Evictions, And Subprime Lending, John Pawasarat, Lois M. Quinn

ETI Publications

his report was prepared by the Employment and Training Institute for Legal Action of Wisconsin to identify low-income populations in Milwaukee County with legal needs related to evictions, foreclosures, and mortgage lending practices. The number of foreclosure cases filed with the Milwaukee County circuit courts has risen to all-time highs, directly tied to increased mortgage lending activity for low-income households. Foreclosure cases reaching the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office for auction sales have also shown dramatic increases and in the last five years averaged 143 per month, peaking at an all-time high of 229 in January 2007. Eviction cases filed with …

Milwaukee's Housing Crisis: Housing Affordability And Mortgage Lending Practices, John Pawasarat, Lois M. Quinn

ETI Publications

This report examines the recently released 2006 Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data and new 2006 American Community Survey (ACS) census data as part of a series of research papers supported by Legal Action of Wisconsin to assess the impact of the national housing crisis on low-income homeowners and renters in Milwaukee County. The ACS data suggest that the impacts of the unregulated housing loans and resultant housing price increases and property tax assessment (and tax bill) increases, coupled with utility rate hikes and relatively flat incomes have dramatically altered the affordability of housing in urban areas, particularly for Midwest cities …

Report On Mortgage Lending Practices In Milwaukee County: Part Two, John Pawasarat, Lois M. Quinn

ETI Publications

This analysis prepared for Legal Action of Wisconsin as part of its examination of housing issues facing low-income residents identifies refinancing loans, subprime lending and other mortgage practices affecting employed and retired families in Milwaukee County. The report examines 420,633 mortgage loans issued in Milwaukee County, including 49,180 loans issued by subprime lenders, for the period from 1993 through 2001 and 2003 through 2005, using the last available Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data files. Of particular concern are refinancing loans where home owners take out new mortgages to obtain cash for credit card and other debt obligations. Central city …

Update On The Housing Crisis In Zip Code 53206, John Pawasarat, Lois M. Quinn

ETI Publications

The housing crisis appears to be unabated in pockets of Milwaukee’s central city neighborhoods, based on Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data collected federally from lending institutions. A 13-year analysis of mortgage lending in zipcode 53206, one of Milwaukee’s poorest central city neighborhoods, showed continued borrowing and reliance on subprime and high-interest cost loans. In 2006 mortgage borrowing activity continued to rise in zipcode 53206 in contrast to an overall slowdown in the county. The vast majority (85%) of housing loans to owner-occupants in zipcode 53206 were made to single purchasers rather than 2-person co-signers. These trends are consistent with concerns …

Neighborhood Indicators Of Employment And Economic Family Well-Being For Zipcode 53206: Executive Summary, John Pawasarat, Lois M. Quinn

ETI Publications

The 53206 zipcode neighborhood serves as a bellwether for poverty changes in Milwaukee and nationally. In the 1990s prior to welfare reform in Wisconsin it had the largest number of families receiving AFDC. In the 2000 Census it showed the largest number of families in poverty among Milwaukee zipcodes. The 2007 neighborhood indicator analyses showed substantial movement in a negative direction, particularly in the last 4-5 years as the number of men incarcerated from and released to these neighborhoods has risen dramatically and residents have been targeted by subprime lenders for refinancing mortgages. Assets were identified, including the relatively high …

New Indicators Of Neighborhood Need In Milwaukee Zipcode 53206, Lois M. Quinn

ETI Publications

Milwaukee Neighborhood Indicators Reports were initially developed by the Employment and Training Institute with funding from the Greater Milwaukee Foundation and the City of Milwaukee to provide independent, timely and ongoing assessment tools to measure short-term and long-term progress toward improving economic and employment well-being of families in central city Milwaukee neighborhoods. Indicators track changes by neighborhood since 1993, prior to the beginning of state and federal welfare reform. The 53206 ZIP code neighborhood serves as a bellwether for poverty changes in Milwaukee and nationally. In the 1990s prior to welfare reform in Wisconsin it had the largest number of …

Introduction: Movement Politics And Chicano Studies, Anna O. Oleary

Anna Ochoa OLeary

For most students currently entering post-secondary education institutions, El Movimiento is little studied outside classes that specifically focus on topics related to the history and culture of Chicanos/as. Perhaps even less studied is the movement’s most enduring legacy: the establishment of Chicano Studies as an academic field. Indeed, Chicano/a Studies today provides scholars with the academic infrastructure and scholarly communities to advance the research and teaching of topics important to Chicanas and Chicanos.

Torch (January 2007), Amy Homans, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.