All posts by Tamara
California’s Math Problem and Preparing Our Youth
I recently read an article from New America Media, entitled “Community College Students Struggle to Pass College-Level Math” highlighting exactly that: the problem within California’s community colleges whereby students are failing to pass math courses. For students of color, the situation is even more dismal.“According to an EdSource analysis, in the fall of 2010, 45 percent of students taking college-level math courses at California’s 112 community colleges received a failing grade below a “C” or dropped the class before the end of term.” For African American students there is a 41 percent math course success rate and for Latino students a 49 percent success rate.
Here at the Kapor Foundation, we are also trying to address problems like these. Through our College Bound Brotherhood program we connect with youth and provide a network of support on the path to college readiness.This year we are hosting our second annual Black & Proud to Be College Bound conference, which will focus on tech tools and tech careers as well as including a session on charting an academic path in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Additionally, our sister organization here at the Kapor Center, Level Playing Field Institute, is also committed to eliminating the barriers faced by people of color in STEM and works to foster their untapped talent for the advancement of our nation. Their Summer Math & Science Honors Academy (SMASH) has been a hallmark of STEM education for students of color since 2004. And SMASH is expanding from UC Berkeley and Stanford to two additional college campuses this summer. Please check them out!
Curbing Corporate Monies and Building Democratic Participation in Election 2012
Michael Waldman, Executive Director of the Brennan Center for Justice (and Kapor Foundation grant recipient), wrote a feature article in the January issue of Capitol Investments. He writes about the importance of decreasing corporate power and maximizing voter participation in this year’s election.
Waldman warns that in this year’s race, we can expect to see the kind of corruption that was seen in Watergate. Yikes. Secret funds, unlimited special-interest gifts, and big independent expenditures will dominate this race. So what can be done to change this?
Organizing and lobbying is crucial, yes. But in order to increase voter participation and create a more democratic movement, serious reform around campaign finance should also be fought for. Two reforms in particular should be pushed:
1) adoption of a public funding model that would build the power of small donors
2) assurance that all eligible citizens can vote.
Social Media as a Tool to Mobilize Communities of Color
How can social media tools be used to engage and mobilize low-income communities of color?
As the world of social media continues to grow, more and more community-based organizations are seeking answers to this question.
Having recently attended a free social media training for non-profit organizations in addition to speaking with some of our grant recipients about their use of new media, I have found a growing number of groups establishing a voice and space within the social media sphere. Furthermore, some groups, like the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and ColorofChange.org, two Kapor Foundation grant recipients, are figuring out creative ways of using new technologies to engage and organize communities of color around voter participation.
The Shift of Race and Class in the SF Bay Area
The latest volume of Race, Poverty, and the Environment: the National Journal for Social and Environmental Justice published by Urban Habitat is an important must-read of the month. It includes a wealth of information on some of the most pressing issues affecting communities of color locally and nationally.
In this issue you will find discussions on the changing landscape of race and class within Bay Area cities and suburbs, the increasing wealth gap, local job creation and redevelopment plans, and what all of this means for social justice organizing in the Bay Area.
Many Kapor Foundation grant recipients contributed to the journal, including: María Poblet of Causa Justa :: Just Cause who writes Challenging the Wealth Gap with New Majority Organizing; and Andrew Dadko and Rui Bing Zheng of the East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy (EBASE) who write The Fight for Good Jobs and Clean Air at the Port of Oakland.
Wrap Up of “The Word on Election RAP: Why It Matters and How We Can Engage”
This past Wednesday, the Kapor Foundation hosted “The Word on Election R.A.P.: Why It Matters and How We Can Engage,” a briefing about the importance of election reform, administration, and protection (RAP) issues on low-income communities of color in California.
Held at the Public Policy Institute of California, the event included the perspectives of leaders from community-based organizing, civil rights and “good government” groups, as well as elections administration officials. Panelists and moderators included:
