Copy
MAR 31, 2016
View this email in your browser

Georgina KleegeGeorgina Kleege Honored with Distinguished Teaching Award 

Georgina Kleege was recently announced as one of five winners of the 2016 Distinguished Teaching Award, UC Berkeley’s most prestigious honor for teaching. Kleege is a Lecturer in the Department of English, and is particularly interested in creative nonfiction, disability autobiography, and blindness and visual art. She is also a faculty member of the our Disability Studies cluster, which aims to support theoretical and applied research, policy analysis, and teaching and community partnership on disability issues at local, national and global levels. In our recent interview with her, Kleege said she didn't always want to be a teacher, but that the students are her favorite part of teaching, and they have made her a better teacher. She often tells students that passivity is the enemy of learning. “Although I have knowledge and expertise to impart, I believe that critical thinking develops when one is obliged to test one’s ideas against others’ in an active and engaged way,” she said.  Congratulations Professor Kleege! Read our new spotlight on Kleege and her fruitful career

Fair Housing Protest/Wiki Commons

Segregation in the 21st Century

In a new essay on segregation, Director john a. powell and Assistant Director Stephen Menendian explore the simplicity and complexities of segregation and how it is measured for practical application. The authors note, "In the twentieth century, segregation evolved and took a different form that centered on housing. By the 1920s, the federal government began playing a much larger role in the housing market, and, for the first time, with federal direction and funding, housing segregation took root and proliferated, especially in the post-war era, even as the other institutionalized forms of segregation were being dismantled in the courts and elsewhere. In a sense, segregation morphed from occurring in schools and public transportation to city blocks and suburban lots." The piece was written for the Poverty & Race Research Action Council. Read "Segregation in the 21st Century" here.

Melissa MurrayMelissa Murray Named New Interim Dean for Berkeley Law

Melissa Murray, a member of our LGBTQ Citizenship research cluster, was recently named the interim dean of UC Berkeley School of Law. Murray, a highly respected professor of law, is also the faculty director of the Center for Reproductive Rights and Justice at Berkeley Law. Murray has an impressive record of working in family law and constitutional rights. According to an article on Berkeley News, "Murray has won recognition for her articles on sexual orientation and gender identity law, including the recent 'Marriage as Punishment,' among other topics." In a statement, Murray said, “I am humbled by this opportunity to lead one of the best law schools in the country. Berkeley Law is fortunate to have wonderful staff, students, alumni, and faculty. I am excited to work with them, and with the campus leadership, as we move forward.” Murray's appointment follows the departure of former dean Sujit Choudhry over a sexual harassment case that has caused a public outcry regarding Berkeley's administrators' dealings with sexual harassment and violence cases on campus. Read more about Melissa's appointment here or visit her expert page on our website

Unequal Rates of Poverty and Access to Health Care Play a Role in Widening Health Disparities

How does poverty contribute to negative health outcomes for people of color? In an interview with Tina Sacks, a Haas Institute Diversity and Health Disparities research cluster member, our colleague Sara Grossman explores the realities of HIV/AIDS rates among Black and Latino men, the differences between the numbers of people with diabetes between whites and non-whites, and more. The research looks at the federal poverty line, access to health care, and other contributing factors that disproportionately put people of color at risk for various detrimental health issues. Read the article

Check Image/Creative Commons LicenseExamining the Universal Basic Income and its Role in Stemming Inequality

The perspectives of Director john a. powell and Assistant Director Stephen Menendian were highlighted in an article this week about the place that a universal basic income could have in society, what problems it may present, or how it may not fully solve pressing issues such as wealth and income inequality. A universal basic income may provide everyone with a check, unlike targeted programs such as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) or the EITC (Earned Income Tax Credit) which are based on income. However, powell and Menendian explain how "universal" programs like this can be problematic. Replacing targeted programs with a universal program would ultimately offer less support to the very people who need it the most. powell noted, "We still need a relatively prosperous middle class for a functional economy. But today, that middle class doesn’t have to be wholly or even largely in America. [...] The economy in general may ‘work,’ but it doesn’t necessarily work for the American middle class. The benefits may accrue to the growing middle classes of other countries, or to the wealthy. But here at home, disparities inevitably increase." Read the article in California magazine.

David CardCan Tracking Raise the Test Scores of High-Ability Minority Students?

David Card, faculty member of our Economic Disparities cluster, and his colleague Laura Guiliano released a working paper featuring new research that looks at tracking the academic progress of Black and Latino students that are accepted into gifted/high achiever (GHA) classrooms. The Washington Center for Equitable Growth called this research report a "must read." According to the research, "... placement in a fourth‐grade GHA class has significant positive effects on the reading and math scores of high achievers, with the gains concentrated among black and Hispanic students. [...] The effects for white students, by comparison, are small and insignificant in all our specifications." The working paper was published by the National Bureau for Economic Research and can be found on their website
UPCOMING EVENTS

APR. 4, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm

Spoken Word(s):
Presenting the Conference Paper, with Michael Omi

A discussion on presentations and conferences with UC Berkeley's Michael Omi. This event is part of The Asian American & Asian Diaspora Studies Working Group's Spring 2016 Lunch Talks & Workshop Series. 602 Barrows Hall, UC Berkeley.  More information.
APR. 4, 6:30 – 8:30 pmFighting Exclusion Housing Panel Poster

Fighting Exclusion:
Innovative Approaches to Fair Housing Law

Tilden Room, MLK Jr. Student Union, UC Berkeley

A recent Supreme Court win establishing disparate impact under the Fair Housing Act coupled with the Department of Housing and Urban Development's new Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule have renewed the promise of ending housing segregation. Come learn about the next frontier in fair housing advocacy: challenging exclusionary land use ordinances. This panel discussion will address the new HUD rule, the Supreme Court case, and opportunities for challenging exclusionary land use laws.  Event information here.
Africans Food Sovereignty Working Group ImageAPR. 5, 5:00 – 6:30 pm

Africans Food Sovereignty Working Group

Come and join us for a conversation with Alice Martin-Prével, Policy Analyst at the Oakland Institute and contributor to Agroecology Case Studies.  Alice will be discussing the tremendous success of agroecological agriculture across the African continent. More information.
APR. 7, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.

"The End of Karma: Hope and Fury Among India's Young"

An intimate reading with Somini Sengupta
North Gate Hall Library, UC Berkeley.  RSVP by Monday, March 28th
Free and open to the public, but donations are much appreciated. 
Color of Wealth PosterAPR. 20–22, Washington DC

Color of Wealth Summit

Registration is now open!
The Haas Institute is proud to be a national partner on the Color of Wealth Summit, which seeks to engage Members of Congress, Congressional staff, the media, and the public in a dialogue about closing the racial wealth gap.
APR. 21, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm

ACE Leadership Symposium: Advancing Multicultural Leadership

Culmination Luncheon Keynote Speaker: Professor john a. powell
TD Convention Center, Greenville, SC.
More information.
7th Annual Islamophobia ConferenceAPR. 22–23

7th Annual Islamophobia Conference

The conference’s theme, Islamophobia: Has a tipping point been reached?, is both a question for researchers and a statement reflecting the pervasiveness of bigoted discourses that problematize the category, Muslim and Islam in civil society.  More information.
APR. 25, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Midwest Convening on Racial Equity

Chicago, IL.

The Center for Social Inclusion, the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE), and Communities United are pleased to announce a Midwest Convening on Racial Equity in Chicago. Registration information will be available soon.

APR. 26, 12:00 Noon – 5:30 pm
David Brower Center, Tamalpais Room 
2150 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA 94704

We Too Belong: Building Power at the Intersection of Immigration and Incarceration


"We Too Belong" is a half-day, highly interactive event to discuss and share best inclusive practices in immigration and incarceration law and policy. The event will serve as the public launch of the Haas Institute's new publication: We Too Belong, A Resource Guide of Inclusive Practices in Immigration &  Incarceration Law and Policy. Event is free but tickets are required. This event is wheelchair accessible. 
Forward
Sign up for our mailing list
Facebook
Facebook
Twitter
Twitter
YouTube
YouTube
Website
Website
Copyright © 2016 Haas Institute for a Fair & Inclusive Society, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
University of California, Berkeley
460 Stephens Hall
Berkeley, CA 94720-2330
Tel: 510-642-3325

Unsubscribe from this list