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Applications open to our 2021 Summer Fellowship
We recently opened applications to our 2021 Summer Fellowship program, entering its ninth year, for people seeking to develop their research skills by engaging with the Institute’s multidisciplinary research, analysis, policy, and strategic narrative work. The purpose of the fellowship is to build the capacity and network of the next generation of researchers and community leaders who are committed to social and racial justice by providing mentorship and hands-on experience with social science research. The deadline to apply is January 16, 2021. Click for more information about the fellowship and how to apply.
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Implementing Targeted Universalism: A case study
This week we published the latest piece in a large body of research on the Institute's Targeted Universalism policy approach. Targeted universalism means setting universal goals pursued by targeted processes to achieve those goals. This new paper profiles efforts by the government of King County, Washington, to put this approach into practice in its ongoing equity and social justice initiative. It is one of several upcoming case studies profiling local efforts to implement targeted universalism to achieve equity in their communities. Check out the King County case study here.
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Last week we hosted our third Toward Belonging digital dialogue series event featuring a presentation by Financial Times journalist Martin Sandbu about his book, The Economics of Belonging: A Radical Plan to Win Back the Left Behind and Achieve Prosperity for All. He was joined in discussion by a panel consisting of Catherine Fieschi, Counterpoint Director and author of Populocracy; Saru Jayaraman, Director of Food Labor Research Center at Berkeley; and Simon Reid-Henry, Director of the Institute for Humanities and Social Science at Queen Mary University of London. Check out a recording and transcript here.
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This week marks the 54th anniversary of the UN's International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which was adopted by the general assembly on December 16, 1966. To mark the anniversary we've just made public for the first time a human rights report we submitted to the UN Human Rights Council in January 2019 about the failure of the US government to meet its obligation to the covenant due, in part, to its discriminatory policies against Muslims. This is the first in a series of upcoming reports we'll be publishing that were submitted to the Human Rights Council as part of our Human Rights Agenda work.
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Gerald Lenoir, the institute's Identity and Politics Strategy Analyst, recently published a new book of poetry about police killings. The book contains 11 poems, many of which were written after the murder of George Floyd, and is titled: United States of Struggle: Police Murder in America. Here is a sample:
They Killed Kayla
They killed Kayla Moore
But why? What for?
No warrant, no complaint, no rhyme, no reason
On a trans Black woman, it’s open season
Accosted and arrested in her own abode
For having a mental health episode
Forcibly restrained for “noncompliance”
Murdered because of her willful defiance.
Hands cuffed behind her back
Legs crossed and tied with a strap
Placed face down on her bedroom futon
Smothered and suffocated until she was gone
“I can’t breathe” was the last thing she said
The police didn’t help her and now she’s dead
The cops in liberal Berkeley are no exception
To transphobia, racism and biased perceptions
The criminal justice system failed Kayla Moore
The mental health system shut the door
The norms of society made her an outlaw
She was judged abnormal with a fatal flaw
Black Lives Matter—straight, lesbian, gay, bi, and trans
For all Black lives, we must take a stand
Divide and conquer are the rules of the game
Never forget what happened and Say Her Name:
Kayla Moore.
June 28, 2020
Berkeley, CA
The poems are accompanied by brilliant illustrations. The book can be downloaded here. Read an article about the book in Blacknews.com here.
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 As we close out 2020 we've been reflecting on our accomplishments not just from this very difficult year, but from our inception as an institute more than seven years ago. Much of that work is captured in this impact report we published over the summer which traces our beginnings, growth, and offers some inspiration as we navigate our uncertain future.
In case you missed it when it came out you can check out our impact report, "Expanding the Circle of Human Concern," here.
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You still have until Dec. 31 to submit abstracts for our Call for Papers that examine belonging in the European region. This work is part of our Toward Belonging initiative, a partnership effort with More in Common, Counterpoint UK, Queen Mary University in London, SciencesPo in Paris, along with an emergent network of social change actors in the European region. Learn more about this project here.
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In the News
Faculty scholar Jovan Scott Lewis recently won the American Association of Geographers' Diversity and Inclusion Award.
Faculty scholar Jesse Rothstein was interviewed for this Berkeley News story, titled, "California fears human, economic crisis as Washington relief talks continue."
Assistant Director Stephen Menendian was quoted in this Capital and Main story, titled, "Can Lawsuit Force Clovis to Roll Out Welcome Mat to Low Income Renters?" He was also quoted in this SF Chronicle article and this DailyCal story about his new research on the most segregated cities in the Bay Area.
Faculty scholar Rachel Morello-Frosch was quoted in this DailyCal article, titled, "Study reveals impact of rising sea levels on affordable housing," and this CalMatters article on the same topic, titled, "Rising seas: California’s affordable housing faces worse floods."
Faculty scholar Georgina Kleege was interviewed in this Time.com video report about the radical pro-worker, anti-racist Helen Keller we're not taught about in school. Separately, Kleege was interviewed for this DailyCal article, titled, "Writing a novel: It gets easier, but also it doesn’t."
Faculty scholar Emmanuel Saez was one of 50 economists to sign a letter calling on New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to adopt a billionaire's tax.
Faculty scholar Enrico Moretti was quoted in this Mercury News story, titled, "Despite shuttered campuses, some Silicon Valley tech firms still paying cafeteria workers, janitors."
Faculty scholar Janelle Scott was interviewed on the WNYC program The Takeaway. This episode is called "How to Help Students Falling Behind During the Pandemic.
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Job opening at OBI
We currently have one staff opening at our institute for a "Belonging Coordinator," a newly created position tasked with building out real-world applications related to our “othering and belonging” conceptual frame. Click here for more info.
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