Aspen Institute Roundtable on Community Change Community Action Council Board of Directors Meeting February 23, 2009 Presented by: Ty Sturdivant Manager, Neighborhood and Community Services A Framework for Understanding the Causes of Racial Inequalities in 21 st Century America

Aspen Institute Roundtable on Community Change Our Project Goals 1)Implement racial equity analyses in the community 2)Educate and mobilize the community 3)Refine and adapt program strategies based upon racial equity analysis

Aspen Institute Roundtable on Community Change Our Project Team 1)Jack Burch, Executive Director, Community Action Council 2)Ty Sturdivant, Manager, Neighborhood and Community Services, Community Action Council 3)Andrea James, 1 st district Councilwoman, Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government

Aspen Institute Roundtable on Community Change Our Project Team We are not experts. We are excited!

Aspen Institute Roundtable on Community Change What is race and how do we understand it? Social construct No biological or scientific basis behind it Best understood in social and political terms

Aspen Institute Roundtable on Community Change New York Post – February 18, 2009

Aspen Institute Roundtable on Community Change Why are “race” and “racism” such difficult issues to grasp and deal with? We often fail to acknowledge the ways that RACE has been a fundamental axis of social organization in the US We often prefer to address symptoms rather than the roots of social problems We are generally more comfortable discussing issues of Class and Gender They resonate with our deeply held beliefs about “success” and “failure” We are still struggling over the meanings of race and equality We are often reluctant to acknowledge the legacies of race

Aspen Institute Roundtable on Community Change “Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards. Though race related issues continue to occupy a significant portion of our political discussion, and though there remain many unresolved racial issues in this nation, we, average Americans, simply do not talk enough with each other about race.” Remarks by Attorney General Eric Holder at the Department of Justice African American History Month Program – February 18, 2009

Aspen Institute Roundtable on Community Change Remarks by Attorney General Eric Holder at the Department of Justice African American History Month Program – February 18, 2009 (cont.) “It is an issue we have never been at ease with and given our nation’s history this is in some ways understandable. And yet, if we are to make progress in this area we must feel comfortable enough with one another, and tolerant enough of each other, to have frank conversations about the racial matters that continue to divide us.”

Aspen Institute Roundtable on Community Change Community Action Council’s mission is to combat poverty. How do we promote self- sufficiency? Health Criminal Justice Housing Employment Environment Education Social Manifestations

Aspen Institute Roundtable on Community Change It describes the complex ways that history, public policies, institutional practices and cultural representations (e.g., stereotypes, norms) interact to maintain racial hierarchy and inequitable racial group outcomes; thereby allowing privileges associated with “whiteness” and disadvantages associated with “color” to endure and adapt. What is Structural Racism ?

Aspen Institute Roundtable on Community Change Ty’s Metaphor for Structural Racism

Aspen Institute Roundtable on Community Change Disparate Outcomes Poverty Poverty Level for family of 4: $18,100 (US Dept of HHS, 2002)

Aspen Institute Roundtable on Community Change How is it that a nation legally committed to equal opportunity for all – regardless of race, creed, national origin, or gender – continually reproduces patterns of racial inequality?

Aspen Institute Roundtable on Community Change Disparate outcomes Educational Attainment Source: The Education Trust, 2002

Aspen Institute Roundtable on Community Change How is it that a nation legally committed to equal opportunity for all – regardless of race, creed, national origin, or gender – continually reproduces patterns of racial inequality?

Aspen Institute Roundtable on Community Change Source: Kochhar, Rakesh. “The Wealth of Hispanic Households ” Pew Research Center: Net Worth

Aspen Institute Roundtable on Community Change Video Race: The Power of an Illusion

Aspen Institute Roundtable on Community Change How far have we come today?

Aspen Institute Roundtable on Community Change Who Gets What Loans People of color are more than three times as likely as whites to have subprime mortgages High-cost loans account for 55 percent of loans to African-Americans but only 17 percent of loans to whites Foreclosed: State of the Dream 2008, United for a Fair Economy

Aspen Institute Roundtable on Community Change In Closing, Next Steps Introduce the framework to provide a strategy on discussing how to integrate race equity issues into our work, in order to enhance our ability to address community needs. These strategies will serve as a guide in our examination of how closing gaps and disparities will help improve our community.