On this day.

“It is a crime for people to live in this rich nation and receive starvation wages. And I need not remind you this is our plight as a people all over America.”
Martin Luther King in Memphis, March 18, 1968

I often wonder what happens the day after the annual celebration of the King Holiday. After the pomp and circumstance of the all of the events, I think about whether or not people are actually living the dream. Sure, we all want equality, but do we do anything to advance that ideal? And yes, we say that we want a fully integrated society, but recently released Census statistics are a sobering reminder of how separated we really are.


But the days after the King Holiday were different this year. About a month after Dr. King’s birthday, the spirit of protest and social change swept the state of Wisconsin. The protests were multiracial and relatively peaceful, but that’s not the King connection I want to make. The Wisconsin protests reflect a version of Dr. King that we don’t always hear about. We usually hear about the “I Have a Dream” King. However, Dr. King realized that the acquisition of civil rights was only one component of the equality for which he fought. During a five day retreat with a group of close aides in 1967, King began to plan an equality campaign that he hoped would bring about a radical change in the American way of life. This second phase of the civil rights movement was to known as the Poor People’s Campaign. Dr. King wanted to pressure Congress into passing an Economic Bill of Rights for the American poor. King believed that the Economic Bill of Rights would force Congress to work to decrease unemployment and increase affordable housing for the poor.

The speeches that King made during this era in his life were far more radical than the speeches we hear in sound bites during King celebrations and Black History Month. As a champion for the poor, King wanted to sound the alarm and make the connections between the evils of the war in Vietnam and the injustice of racism and poverty. His 1967 speech, “Where Do We Go From Here” outlines his social vision that linked economic inequality to race and culture. King believed that a fundamental reorganization America’s economic life would result in far-reaching benefits for communities of color: “Beyond these advantages, a host of positive psychological changes inevitably will result from widespread economic security. The dignity of the individual will flourish when the decisions concerning his life are in his own hands, when he has the means to seek self-improvement. Personal conflicts among husbands, wives and children will diminish when the unjust measurement of human worth on the scale of dollars is eliminated.”

The whole of King’s life is important. However, the King of the Poor People’s Campaign is precisely what we need at this moment in American life. On this day, 43 years ago, Dr. King was killed during one of his man trips to Memphis. He was there to lend his support to striking sanitation workers and told them, “All labor has dignity … You are going beyond purely civil rights to questions of human rights.” Today, Americans across the county are taking part in demonstrations to remember King and the Poor People’s Campaign. The We Are One Campaign is attempting to breathe new life into the war on poverty and serve as a show of solidarity with workers in Wisconsin, Ohio and other states. In joining together on this day, Americans are continuing Dr. King’s legacy by rallying for affordable housing, the freedom to bargain, an affordable and equitable education and justice for all workers. So, if Dr. King’s birthday is a day of celebration, let the anniversary of his death be a day of action. We can work together to keep all of Dr. King’s dreams alive.

Open Letter to Representative King

Dear Representative King,

I am writing this in the spirit of activism and civic engagement that is sweeping our nation. It’s surprising and inspiring to see so many people taking a stand against inequity and I am happy to do my part. While many people were focused on the Wisconsin protests, some of us were also paying close attention to the hearings that you sponsored last week, “The Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and that Community’s Response.” Wow, that’s quite a title. I care about the safety and well-being of our nation and I care about the growing radicalization taking place across the country; however, I don’t care very much for the way in which you singled out an entire community. I mean, really, do you think it’s a good idea to single out one religion for such scrutiny? Well, let me take the time to express my concerns, because I truly believe that open and honest dialogue has the power to change hearts and minds.

Over the last few months, Muslims in America have been the object of some really interesting conversations. In February, Katie Couric wondered if America needed a Muslim version of the “Cosby Show” so that America could familiarize themselves with Islam and counter the bigotry that many Muslims in America face on a regular basis. Perhaps such a show might be similar to the Canadian show, “Little Mosque on the Prairie.” And just recently, I had the pleasure of watching “Mooz-lum,”, a provocative movie that explores the complexity of the lives African American Muslims. These three moments represent some interesting narratives about Muslim life and underscore our collective need to offset the bigotry with genuine compassion and understanding.

On the other hand, the hearings reflect the type of fear and mis-understanding that has given rise to some of the darkest moments in American history. When I hear some of the rhetoric associated with the hearings, I am reminded of George Santayana’s prophetic words, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” It just isn’t productive or fair for a single group to be singled out for ‘investigation.’ This type of ‘investigation’ reminds me of the anti-immigration nativist Know Nothing Movement that was popular during the 1840s and 1850s. That movement was rooted in a fear that the nation was being taken over by German and Irish immigrants. Similar fears about difference and bigotry fueled Jim Crow and the history of lynchings throughout the nation in the early twentieth century. And might I add that fear and hysteria prompted the interment of over one hundred thousand of Japanese in the early 1940s. As a result, many Japanese American civil rights groups are aligning themselves with the Muslim community in an effort to fight the rampant misinformation and stereotyping that characterizes discussions about Muslim life in America.
I don’t mean to belabor the point, but I just need to know more about how you define radicalization. I just read an enlightening article in the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Intelligence Report that shed some light on the rise of radical hate groups in our country. The article states that “For the second year in a row, the radical right in America expanded explosively in 2010, driven by resentment over the changing racial demographics of the country, frustration over the government’s handling of the economy, and the mainstreaming of conspiracy theories and other demonizing propaganda aimed at various minorities. For many on the radical right, anger is focusing on President Obama, who is seen as embodying everything that’s wrong with the country.” The article also points out that the most dramatic growth of hate groups were in the antigovernment Patriot movement, conspiracy minded governments that see their enemy as the federal government. I tell you, those are some troubling statistics. Will there be hearings about these groups coming soon?
The bottom line is that singling out the Muslim community contradicts the values upon which America was founded. Likewise, it distracts our leaders from researching more productive security strategies. We absolutely have to stop the stereotypes that dominate conversations about Muslim Americans. We are all concerned about the safety of our nation, but there is a better way to talk about the reality of terror in America. We have to learn from our nation’s mistakes. Now is the time for us to be better than our past.


http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-report/browse-all-issues/2011/spring/the-year-in-hate-extremism-2010

PA Day – Make the Call!

Today is Tuesday, March 15, 2011 and it is ‘Make the Call to Save Service Day.’ If you are reading this, please promise to show your support for AmeriCorps and other service programs by calling your Senator. Funding for AmeriCorps is being debated in Washington, D.C. As you know, the House voted to eliminate funding, but the Senate has yet to decide. In short, there is still time to let our voices be heard. Members of the Senate have to hear from each and every constituent who cares about AmeriCorps.

Currently, there are approximately 125 AmeriCorps and National Service members serving in our region. Budget cuts would eliminate or reduce the ability to transform distressed communities into healthy places to live, teach literacy to people of all ages and extend the reach of more than 75 community based organizations.

The message is simple: Don’t cut National Service funding! National Service positively impacts the lives of more than 250,000 people in this community each year. We meet needs. We foster self-sufficiency. We create opportunity. We provide skills and training. We build community. We develop leaders. We make a difference. We change lives. We understand servant leadership. In order to continue serving those in need, we are calling for the understanding and awareness of our impact to be felt by those whose job it is to support our civic leadership.

Now is the time to participate and to stand up for your beliefs. Make the call today. When you call your Senator’s DC Office, there are three simple things that you should say: let them know that you are a resident of the state they represent in Senate, voice your support of National Service and share your story of the PA-AmeriCorps impact in your community.

Click here to find your Senator’s contact information. Those of us in Ohio can reach Senator Rob Portman at 1.800.205.6446 and Senator Sherrod Brown at 1.888.896.6446.

Stand up and let your voice be heard. Make the call to save service!

Every Tuesday is Public Allies DAY!

Welcome to the first PA Day of the year! PA Day on JUSTCause is a new feature that is devoted entirely to the Public Allies Program. Public Allies is a dynamic program in which young adults from diverse backgrounds address some of the most pressing needs in our community. The Allies work in a number of organizations throughout the Greater Cincinnati region, including the UC Racial Awareness Program, YWCA-Girls,Inc. Society of St. Vincent DePaul and The Ohio Center for Progressive Leadership. The Allies’ work is grounded in five core values: focusing on assets, collaborating, continuously learning and improving, valuing diversity and inclusion and leading with integrity. Be sure to visit PA Day on JUSTCause to learn more about Public Allies and this vibrant group of young leaders.

What Emerging Leadership Looks Like

Two years ago when I started as a Public Allies Program Manager, I embraced any element of the program that featured numbers. Data driven decision-making was not only what I knew, but also what I was counting on to help me thrive in my new position.

Scouring the program components, my interest was piqued any place where I came across metrics. There were people served, volunteers recruited, members retained, and objectives achieved. Craving ways to demonstrate the tangible impact of the program on its participants and the community, I created spreadsheets to organize and analyze these numbers.

Among all of the metrics and tools for collecting them, the 360 evaluation, which assesses each Ally’s leadership on a scale of 1-7 in 17 different areas, stood out to me as the crowned jewel of demonstrating impact. With the 360 assessment on the table, my vision of the goal for each Ally coming through the program became clear: to work as hard as possible to reach a 7 in each category. My goal as a Program Manager was also quite straightforward: to support each Ally in the quest to achieve this highest level of excellence in leadership. Over the long term, after a few decades of graduating highly-rated, emerging leaders Public Allies graduates would shape non-profit leadership in this region without any problem.

Of course, as with any over-simplified understanding of a concept as multi-faceted as leadership, my perspective on the feasibility of capturing leadership development with 17 ratings began to shift. I recognized that what I held to be the universal qualities of all effective leaders were actually my individual perspectives on one version of leadership, a version that couldn’t possibly encompass the assets of 40 individuals practicing their leadership at organizations throughout the region.

One of the 17 traits that the 360 survey assesses is an individual’s ability to collaborate across boundaries in order to find common ground. When I first imagined what this trait would look like when taken to the highest level, I, naively, pictured a series of orderly community-based meetings all pertaining to a clear goal that an entire neighborhood wanted to achieve. Leading these meetings would be an energetic Ally.

Over the course of my first year, I saw so many different versions of collaborating across boundaries to find common ground, I lost track, and not a single one of them came close to my original vision, yet all of them helped me set a standard for exemplary leadership.

There was the Ally who worked month after month with the same woman, helping her to balance her budget and save a little bit of money. Eventually, this woman was able to buy her first ever pair of winter boots. The purchase meant so much to her that she wrote the Ally a letter. This was collaboration across boundaries that I couldn’t have imagined.
Also collaborating to find common ground was the Ally who at the beginning of the year approached a group of high school students with a community gardening project, only to find that these students thought that gardening was the craziest idea they had ever heard. For a few months this Ally worked to gain the trust of these students. At the end of the year, the class was working in the garden on a weekly basis to tend to what very literally became their common ground.

For each of the other 16 areas of the 360 survey, my preconceptions of what I thought the highest level of performance might look like has been challenged. What’s reassuring is that as I talk with Allies, supervisors, and colleagues, I hear that this diversity in leadership consistently challenges other’s preconceptions of what leadership looks like as well. It is through this process of challenging the status quo to set new standards for what leadership will look like that I believe makes Public Allies a great program.




D.Warner

In Theaters Now: “Mooz-lum”

There’s still time to catch one of the year’s most provocative movie at AMC Newport on the Levee. Quasim Basir’s “Mooz-lum” is playing through this Thursday. The film is a coming of age tale that chronicles the life of a young African American Muslim male in college during the months leading up to 9/11. This movie is particularly timely in light of Peter King’s (R-NY) hearings, “The Extent of radicalization in the American Muslim Community and that Community’s Response.”

I hope you have time to see the film. Stay tuned to JUSTCause for more about
“Mooz-lum.”

Let’s do big things

During the last State of the Union Address, the President reminded Americans that ‘we do big things.’ At the time, he was referring to the creativity and ingenuity that many feel to be synonymous with the American spirit. Now is the time for us to do big things and save the Corporation for National and Community Service.

As you know, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1 on Saturday, February 19, 2011. If this bill is signed into law, the legislation would make severe cuts in government spending for the rest of the fiscal year. Included in this bill is the elimination of the Corporation for National and Community Service and its programs, including Americorps. We cannot allow this to happen.

The Corporation for National and Community Service is the largest grant maker in support of service and volunteering. The organization was founded in 1993 when President Clinton signed the National and Community Service Trust Act. The program oversees Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, VISTA, NCCC, Learn and Serve America, the Volunteer Generation Fund, and the Social Innovation Fund. The citizens involved in these various organizations are making a difference in the lives of Americans. They are serving and helping those of us have who have been made to feel invisible because of the ravages of poverty and inequity. If these programs end, a number of valuable and life-saving services will be lost.

If you can, imagine an America without the Corporation National and Community Service. A world without these services would mean that over 3 million at-risk children would not get instructional support from citizens serving through programs such as Teach for America, City Year, and Citizen Schools. It would also mean that more than 10,000 pre-school students served by Jumpstart tutors will not start school ready to read. Likewise, it would mean that more than 620,000 frail seniors and the disabled served by Senior Companions and RSVP will lose in-home support. In short, the elimination of these services would be a devastating loss to Americans who are already struggling to survive in a world that seems to turn a blind eye to their suffering.

We do big things.

If you want to make a difference in the lives of underserved children, the elderly, and the disabled, please log on to saveservice.org to make your voice heard. Let’s remind our elected officials by making the following appeal: “National service POSITIVELY impacts the lives of more than 250,000 people in this community each year. We meet needs. We foster self-sufficiency. We provide skills and training. We develop leaders. We make a difference. We change lives. We vote. What will you do?”

I don’t want to imagine a world without American service. I hope that you don’t either. Please take the time to stand up in support of service. Please visit saveservice.org.