FEATURES
Public Housing Takes Center Stage in Post-Katrina Struggle
By Crystal N. Hill, Advancement Project
“This is My Home” is a newly released documentary about the fight for public housing in New Orleans, where most of the city’s public housing actually withstood Hurricane Katrina with little or no damage. It is a call to action to all justice-minded people to support the residents’ right to return home. To read the full article, click here. To view the documentary, visit: www.advancementproject.org
Overhauling No Child Left Behind
By Monty Neill, Fair Test
The highly controversial No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law is the latest version of the long-standing federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). It is due to be reviewed and possibly revised in 2007, though that re-authorization process may be delayed. While the law's professed goal of high quality learning for all students, which includes closing achievement gaps, is laudable, the actual structure of NCLB hurts, rather than helps, efforts to reach the goal. As a result, fundamental changes are needed. To read the full article, click here.
When Affirmative Action is Attacked in Your Backyard: Lessons from the Michigan Struggle
By Trisha Stein, Executive Director, One United Michigan
With the passage of Proposal 2 in Michigan on November 7, 2006, 58 percent of voters decided to eliminate local and state government affirmative action programs that help women and people of color attain equal opportunity in education, employment, and contracting. The Michigan Civil Rights Initiative (MCRI), sponsored by Ward Connerly and the American Civil Rights Institute, was adopted as an amendment to the state constitution, making Michigan the third state to eliminate affirmative action by statewide vote. To read the full article, click here.
Year Ahead Promises Renewed Resistance to Anti-Immigrant Ordinances
By M. Aurora Vásquez, Advancement Project
Millions of immigrants and supporters of immigrants’ rights demonstrated in April and May 2006 in response to H.R. 4437, a blatant attempt to criminalize the undocumented and those who provide services to them. While many immigrants and non-immigrants recognized the dangers inherent in this anti-immigrant legislation, some communities reacted with hostility. This article explains how grassroots organizations are preparing to stem the tide should similar ordinances swell in their state in 2007. To read the full article, click here.
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