Another Real Tragedy in the Trayvon Martin Story
By Stephen Menendian, Legal Research Associate,
Also published on the Huffington Post and Race-Talk
By now everyone is familiar with the story of 17-year old Trayvon Martin. Visiting a family friend with his father, Trayvon fatefully walked to the corner store for an ice tea and skittles and never again would see his friends or family after a violent confrontation with self-appointed neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman.
This story, which has now gripped the nation for over two weeks, has progressed from a heart-wrenching tragedy to organized outrage to serious examination of the facts to political drama as competing narratives sediment and the legal process slowly cranks forward.
While the final chapter has yet to be written, the real tragedy of this story is that the death of Travyon Martin has not changed this nation’s conversation on race. In fact, it’s dredged up the same old conversation, revived the same tired narratives and distracting questions that almost every race incident that garners national headlines prompts. Until we start asking the right questions, we will never change the conversation on race. Read This Article
The Future of Affirmative Action: Justice Kennedy Is the Key
By Stephen Menendian
The United States Supreme Court recently agreed to take up the case of Fisher v. University of Texas. The case will once more put the issue of affirmative action squarely into national focus just eight years after the Court upheld the use of race in the University of Michigan’s admissions decisions in Grutter v. Bollinger. By a 5-4 vote, the Court in Grutter upheld the use of race in university admissions, but placed strict limits on the practice. Now that the composition of the Court has changed, attention will fall on Justice Kennedy, the current Court’s critical swing vote. Since recent appointee Justice Kagan has recused herself from the case, on account of her participation in these cases in her previous role as solicitor general, the stakes are higher than ever. One way or the other, Justice Kennedy will decide the fate of affirmative action. His dissenting opinion inGrutter is a roadmap to the outcome in Fisher.
Also Published on Huffington Post and AlterNet.
Kirwan Institute’s article on fair housing in Galveston Texas after Hurricane Ike published in Galveston Daily News
Kirwan Institute offers housing recommendations
Galveston Daily News – News story March 1, 2012
Featured experts: Jason Reece, Christy Rogers, Matthew Martin, Sarah Lawson, Jonathan Lee, and Avrita Singh
Almost four years after the destruction of Hurricane Ike, the shortage of affordable housing in Galveston remains a major challenge to recovery.
The city of Galveston has a great need to replace its demolished affordable housing stock. Galveston’s “base” of pre-hurricane affordable housing units is relatively small compared to other regions in the U.S., and post-hurricane displacement of low-income families and especially families of color has been extensive.
For example, the city of Galveston lost 16.5 percent of its population between 2000 and 2010. Population loss for whites during this time was 11.4 percent. Population loss for the African-American community during this time was three times greater, with the African-American population declining by 36.7 percent.
Kirwan Institute Recommends Solutions for Equitable Rebuilding of Galveston After Ike
Almost four years after the destruction of Hurricane Ike, the shortage of affordable housing in Galveston remains a major challenge to recovery.
The city of Galveston has a great need to replace its demolished affordable housing stock. Galveston’s “base” of pre-hurricane affordable housing units is relatively small compared to other regions in the U.S., and post-hurricane displacement of low-income families and especially families of color has been extensive.
For example, the city of Galveston lost 16.5 percent of its population between 2000 and 2010. Population loss for whites during this time was 11.4 percent. Population loss for the African-American community during this time was three times greater, with the African-American population declining by 36.7 percent.
Many high opportunity census tracts exist on Galveston Island — in fact, many Galveston public housing sites are closer to high opportunity neighborhoods on the island than they are in other parts of the county.
The majority of Galveston’s public housing sites are less than a half-mile from high opportunity areas. This proximity provides an opportunity to rebuild in a manner that assures continued access to these higher opportunity areas and to potentially anchor broader community revitalization initiatives.
Unfortunately, the former Oleander public housing site is in a low opportunity area surrounded by incompatible industrial uses.
It is critical that sufficient public housing units with three and four bedrooms be reconstructed to house families with children.
Neighborhoods exert their biggest effects on children — a recent study showed that living in a concentrated poverty neighborhood was the equivalent of losing a year of school.
The Kirwan Institute’s opportunity mapping combines data on educational opportunities, economic health and neighborhood stability and health to assess which neighborhoods are ripe with opportunity for individuals and families. Our complete report is available at kirwaninstitute.org.
The Kirwin Institute suggests the following recommendations:
• Rebuild affordable housing on the island that was destroyed by Ike: Cost-burdened households were increasing throughout the county before Ike. The largest rates of cost burdened households are found on the island.
• Rebuild in places in or near high-opportunity areas: As the opportunity maps show, many of Galveston Island’s neighborhoods are higher opportunity areas, which could be considered for additional public housing and affordable housing development.
• Target additional public housing units near institutions like hospitals and universities: These institutions are sources of valuable services and jobs that form the basis of opportunity.
• Ensure affordable housing is rebuilt near accessible public transportation.
• Engage and involve public housing residents in redevelopment decisions: Restoration and improvement of housing will only be effective when informed by the desires and needs of the residents themselves.
The housing authority and the city should engage in “groundtruthing,” whereby the aspirations of residents can be clearly understood in the context of the opportunity landscape. Affordable, sustainable and supportive housing is an important component of a healthy and economically vibrant Gulf Coast community for all residents.
Kirwan Institute’s research on housing segregation mentioned in the Toledo Blade
Most of Brand Whitlock’s ex-residents staying in Toledo
Toledo Blade Daily Newspaper – News Story February 27, 2012
Featured expert: Jason Reece, research director at Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at Ohio State University.
… When families can’t move to neighborhoods with better opportunities, that harms the entire region, said Jason Reece, a senior researcher at the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race & Ethnicity at Moritz College of Law at Ohio State University.
“What is the societal cost of denying those folks their rights and keeping them in those [low opportunity] neighborhoods? Every bit of research in the last half century shows us that those kids are going to struggle … The societal cost to that is huge.” When vast numbers of children struggle in central-city neighborhoods and don’t receive a good education, “a place like Toledo is not going to be able to compete. And that’s not just the inner city’s problem. That is the region’s problem,” Mr. Reece said.