I know you are asking today, ‘How long will it take?’…Somebody’s asking, ‘When will the radiant star of hope be plunged against the nocturnal bosom of this lonely night…How long will justice be crucified, and truth bear it?’

I come to say to you this afternoon, however difficult the moment, however frustrating the hour, it will not be long, because ‘truth crushed to earth will rise again.’ How long? Not long, because ‘no lie can live forever.’

How long? Not long, because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Speech from the steps of the state capitol
Montgomery, Alabama
March 26, 1965

This week we’re gearing up for and looking forward to our upcoming briefing, The Word on Election R.A.P. (election reform, administration and protection): Why it Matters and how we can Engage, happening this Wednesday in San Francisco.

The Word on Election RAP: Why It Matters and How We Can Engage will be an opportunity to define and discuss the impact and importance of election reform, administration and protection issues on low-income communities of color, particularly in California. This briefing brings together community-based organizing leaders with leaders from civil rights and “good government” groups as well as election officials to explore the possibilities, challenges and needs of communities of color to monitor, influence, and provide leadership around how elections are run.

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The annual Education Summit  for African American and Latino Youth is happening again, Saturday, February 25, 2012 at Cal State East Bay.  Registration is now open. You don’t want to miss this event.

Saturday, February 25, 2012
Cal State East Bay
25800 San Carlos Bee Blvd.
Hayward, CA

Register Online

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Youth Speaks Presents:

The 15th Annual Bringing the Noise for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Monday, January 16, 2012 @ 7PM
Herbst Theatre – San Francisco

Every year, Youth Speaks gathers the community to celebrate the ongoing life and legacy of Dr. King. Our celebration—Bringing the Noise for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.—is not a reenactment of speeches, a slideshow, or a polite revue of well-honed platitudes. It is a showcase of young people from throughout the Bay Area who have written, in their own voices, original works that grapple with the thoughts and work of the man, who are working to demand—in their own voices, in their lifetimes—huge leaps into possibility, an ongoing commitment to love like a consuming fire. The event creates a safe space—a beloved community—where our young people can—in the presence of many—give voice to realities that must be understood, embraced, and integrated into our common lives if we are to survive.

Click HERE to buy your tickets!

Cost:
Regular Adult – $16
Youth Under 24 – $6

Aspiration Tech, Community Technology Project, and Google are hosting a one-day training event for Bay Area nonprofits and social justice organizations at the Google offices in Mountain View, California!

This is a great opportunity to work with three different organizations offering support to empower you with tech skills so you can magnify your social justice passions and priorities.

During this 1-day event, nonprofit staff will have the opportunity to:

• better understand how to assess and engage their online audiences
• coordinate various online channels including web, email and social media
• work with volunteers from Google

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Like many, I’ve looked at the arrival of 2012 with a sense of unease, knowing that the turbulence of a potentially nasty election season will soon begin in earnest. Then I had the good fortune to read a blog post by author and ideas man Seth Godin, The Chance of a Lifetime (thanks for the tip, Shawn Dove!):

A friend asked me the other day, “…given the sorry state of so much in the world, what’s possible to look forward to?” The state isn’t sorry. It’s wide open. Interest rates are super low, violence is close to an all time low, industries are being remade and there’s more leverage for the insurgent outsider than ever before in history. The status quo is taking a beating, there’s no question about it. That’s what makes it a revolution...

So stop thinking about how crazy the times are, and start thinking about what the crazy times demand. There has never been a worse time for business as usual. Business as usual is sure to fail, sure to disappoint, sure to numb our dreams. That’s why there has never been a better time for the new. (Read more here).

I’m excited by “the new” in 2012 here at the Kapor Foundation! We’re shifting some of our program priorities to better align with other areas of work underway at the Kapor Center; namely, we’re exploring how to better support information technology that will “accelerate or positively disrupt” mission-driven social change work. And riding off of the heels of Mitch’s appearance on CNN’s Black in America IV last November, we’re also getting positioned to play a role in diversifying the startup industry. Read more about our goals and 2012 priorities here.

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Yesterday, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder gave a speech at the Lyndon B Johnson Library and Museum on the right to vote – as he described it, “the lifeblood of our democracy” – in the face of recent legislative voter id attacks. It was a reassuring commitment to act from the Justice Department (read the speech here, watch it here).

It comes amidst other encouraging election and voter protection news and efforts.

Cedric and I heard about many of these efforts at the Funders’ Committee for Civic Participation‘s annual winter convening, where we had the privilege of moderating a session on the topic with presenters Judith Browne-Dianis of the Advancement Project, Eric Marshall from the  Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and Biko Baker of the League of Young Voters Education Fund.

And here, we’re pleased to share Color of Change’s new campaign targeting the source of much of the voter suppression legislation: (more…)

 In the first of Zinch’s series of webinars specifically for high school counselors, Center for Student Opportunity (CSO) will share tips and suggestions on ways first-generation and traditionally underserved students can better explore and evaluate colleges during their search and selection process.

Join CSO at 4PM EST on Thursday, December 15th to teach your students how to pay more attention to the crucial initiatives on college campuses designed to help them get admitted. CSO will also offer an overview of the Center for Student Opportunity’s programs and resources that help students make better informed choices in their college search and selection.

To register click here.

The online application for SMASH 2012 is now open. Please share this information with talented STEM-focused 9th grade students of color, and encourage them to apply.  All program and application details are here.  Applicants must be registered online by February 23, 2012.  Applications are due March 1, 2012.

SMASH will also be hiring passionate and talented instructors and RAs to staff SMASH, and launching our Teachers as Leaders Training Academy.  Stay tuned on their website here.