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FEB 18, 2016
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Food Insecurity and Anti-Poverty Measures

Hilary HoynesHilary Hoynes, chair of the Haas Institute Economic Disparities research cluster, was recently interviewed by Rosamund Naylor at Stanford University. Much of Hilary's work focuses on federal anti-poverty programs such as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and EITC (Earned Income Tax Credit) to help elevate low-income families out of poverty. In this video, Hoynes explains the definitions of key terms, what food insecurity really means, and what is currently being done to improve the outcomes of these programs. Hoynes also talks about other federal programs, and how those differ from programs like SNAP, and why those differences matter, especially during downturns in the economy. Watch the entire video
 

john a. powell

The Conscious and Unconscious Mind on Othering


At a January 27 event at Central Oregon Community College (COCC), our Director john a. powell gave a presentation about the conscious and the unconscious mind reacting to events in the world. According to research quoted by powell, the brain can process 11 million bits of information ever second, but can only focus on 40 bits at a time. He noted that the conscious mind is the part focusing on the smaller 40 bits, while the unconscious mind is quickly processing the rest. This may help explain why the conscious mind and the unconscious mind can differ so dramatically, especially when it comes to thinking and talking about race in our everyday environments. In an article on TheBroadsideOnline.com, powell said, "the fact that we are exposed to these behaviors (biases), which come out of our physical and cultural environments, habituated, doesn’t mean that we are closet racists. What it means is that we are human … There is no such thing as seeing the world as it is … You can be aware that we are likely to see things in such a way that reflect the habits of the mind, and can learn what those habits are.” Read more about powell's talks at CCOC
 
IN THE MEDIA
Mark Gomez
"Fight for $15," the campaign to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour, has been gaining traction in several cities. However, increasing wages is not enough to sustain them compared to inflation. In a new piece in TalkPoverty.org, our program manager Mark Gomez offers some insight into what this means. Mark, founder of our Leap Forward Project noted that "the national conversation now needs to turn to how we can lock in any wage gains. We will not sustain them if we index the new wage standard to inflation. Just as we have reinvented the idea of the minimum wage, we need to rethink the wage index as well.  The Leap Forward Project proposes indexing it to personal income per capita." Read the entire article
Stephanie Llanes
Haas Institute Research Assistant Stephanie Llanes was recently quoted in an article on the Washington Post about the possibilities of choices for the next Supreme Court Justice of the United States, and what it could mean for the future of social justice through law. With the recent death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, law students of color, including African Americans and Latinos/as are looking at the legacies of previous justices, and what it could mean for the lifetime of their work in law. Llanes noted, "Scalia’s legal career shows how easily hard-won civil rights gains can be shifted back when we buy into the fiction that color­blindness makes a person brilliant. We have seen that it is possible to be deemed ‘legally brilliant’ and still not put a premium on racial justice.” Read the article
Julie Nelson
In a recent KQED 88.5 radio piece, Haas Institute Senior Fellow Julie Nelson was interviewed about the launch of a new yearlong training of Northern California government officials on issues of race and equity. Nelson, the director of the Government Alliance for Race & Equity, was in Oakland to kick off the new project with over 100 government staff from cities and districts in Northern California who have committed to the yearlong intensive work. Nelson explains how this collaborative, focused work on racial equity training is a way to leverage the power of government to lead in creating more equitable outcomes and healthier communities. Listen to the segment.
Dacher Keltner Screenshot from a recent video on the power of emojis
Dacher Keltner
, a psychology professor at Berkeley, and a faculty member in the Haas Institute Religious Diversity research cluster, has been appointed to Twitter’s new “Trust & Safety Council,” according to an article on Berkeley News. The "Trust and Safety Council" is an advisory panel tasked with helping to combat trolls, abuse and harassment on Twitter. Much of Keltner's research is dedicated to emotions, and last year he was a consultant on Pixar's Inside Out, and worked on a campaign for emojis to combat bullying. Read the article
Victor Pineda
As part of his research, Haas Institute Senior Fellow Victor Pineda recently traveled to New Delhi, India in support of global efforts to make cities more accessible. Pineda's visit to New Delhi was well-documented in the Times of India and the Indian Express. A video interview of Pineda  from this recent trip can be found here
 
PUBLICATIONS
Dog Whistle Politics Cover Image
“Race and Economic Jeopardy For All: A Framing Paper for Defeating Dog Whistle Politics,” is a new report by Ian Haney López, director of the new Racial Politics Project at the Haas Institute, that addresses the connection between dog whistle politics and the increasingly successful right-wing attacks on the government and unions, and offers a frame for the labor movement to mobilize and defeat dog whistling. Co-released by AFL-CIO, Demos, and the Haas Institute, this report offers a response to the increase in racist and offensive rhetoric throughout the current election season.
OPPORTUNITIES

Deadline This Friday!
Join Us as a 2016 Haas Institute Summer Fellow

Our Summer Fellowship program is a fourteen-week paid internship that runs from May 19 to August 18, 2016. Summer Fellows are expected to work on one of a wide range of projects relating to marginalized groups and transformative change, and issues related to race, gender, sexuality, disability, religion, and class. Compensation is based on educational degree. Learn more about the Fellowship and how to apply. The application deadline has been extended to February 19, 2016.

EVENTS
FEB. 21
4:15 pm
Wisdom 2.0
Director john a. powell will be speaking at Wisdom 2.0 on February 21. The conference explores the merging of wisdom and technology.
Marriott Marquis, San Francisco, CA
Registration.
FEB. 23
7:00–9:00 pm

Join the Oakland Institute for a special screening of On Our Land
The New Parkway Theater
474 24th Street, Oakland
Cost: $10, tickets available here.
Saba Mahmood
FEB. 22

2:00–4:00 pm
Anthropology Colloquium: Religious Difference in a Secular Age: A Minority Report
Saba Mahmood, Professor of Anthropology
221 Kroeber Hall, Department of Anthropology, UC Berkeley
Karen Chapple
FEB. 24

12:00 Noon–1:00 pm
"Intergrating California's Climate Change and Fiscal Goals: The Known, the Unknown and the Possible" will be held at UC Davis with Karen Chapple as the keynote speaker examining the relationship between California’s fiscal structure and its greenhouse gas reduction targets for passenger vehicles. Please register for lecture. More information
Dacher Keltner
FEB. 25

5:30 pm
Dacher Keltner will speak at the Jewish United Fund Agency Board Members & Non-Profit Professionals Dinner on Thursday, Feb. 25, at The Hyatt Regency Crystal Ballroom, 151 E. Wacker Dr., Chicago. More information.
Racing to Justice Flyer


FEB. 26, 9:00 am
Racing to Justice: Achieving Social Equity in Our Community, with john a. powell
Methodist Church 6935 Columbia Pike, Annandale, VA 
Free but tickets required  
Visit http://bit.ly/racingtojustice to reserve your tickets. 

FEB. 27, 3:00 pm 
Racing to Justice: Achieving Social Equity in Our Community, with john a. powell
Reston Community Center Hunters Woods 
2310 Colts Neck Road, Reston, VA
Free but tickets required
Tickets are available from the CenterStage Box Office or by calling 703-476-4500 (press 3).

Ubuntu 2016 Logo

MAR. 5

5:00 pm
Ubuntu 2016 - Celebrating Community Activism Across Generations & Borders

Priority Africa Network invites you to an evening of thought provoking conversations, entertainment & vibrant community engagement you won't forget. 

Speakers: john a powell, Haas Institute for Fair & Inclusive Society and Opal Tometi, E.D, of Black Alliance for Just Immigration & co-founder of Black Lives Matter.  Moderator: Feminist scholar Dr. Amina Mama

For more info and tickets.

Malo Hutson
MAR. 14
7:00 – 8:30 pm
Malo Hutson talks about his new book, The Urban Struggle for Economic, Environmental, and Social Justice: Deepening Their Roots
Environmental Design Library Atrium. 210 Wurster Hall
More information
APR. 20–22

Color of Wealth Summer 2016

The Haas Institute is proud to be a national partner again on the Color of Wealth Summit, which seeks to engage Members of Congress, Congressional staff, the media, and the public in a dialogue about the racial wealth gap, its effect on marginalized households, its impact on the US economy, and solutions for closing the gap.
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