Kathryn Karam isn’t afraid to speak out against racism and discrimination. She thinks that everyone should address their implicit biases and that being a person of color doesn’t prevent you from having bias. That’s why Karam wrote a column for her college newspaper, The Collegian, last fall after the Black Lives Matter and George Floyd Protests to raise awareness about how people of color can have their own biases against Black people. Karam comes from a family of Middle Eastern immigrants, growing up in a culture where topics like politics were taboo. Now she’s a sophomore at the University of Massachusetts Amherst studying journalism and public relations, where she hopes to continue the conversation.
Raised by Immigrants
Karam grew up in the suburbs of Boston, in ...
Some members of Congress want to help bring equity to employment. Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts introduced a resolution for a Federal Job Guarantee, a policy intended to make the economy more inclusive and equitable, closing racial and gender income gaps. “The resolution, which builds on the legacy and work of generations of Black women in the Civil Rights Movement, will help the United States achieve the promise of full employment, ensure a just, equitable recovery, establish a more resilient and inclusive economy, and begin to close racial and gender income gaps,” according to Pressley’s press release. If passed, the resolution could bring down unemployment rates that were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and fight systemic inequities in the ...
Farmers markets are thought to be great options for communities to support local farmers and buy healthy, organic food. But what role do farmers markets have in addressing food justice and racial inequity? Farmers markets should take an active role in addressing structures and policies that perpetuate inequities and discrimination, according to the Farmers Market Coalition, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting farmers markets and providing income opportunities for farmers. That’s why Farmers Market Coalition created an anti-racist toolkit.
What the Anti-Racist Toolkit Has to Offer
The Farmers Market Coalition is teaming up with Sagdrina Jalal, senior director of partnerships and programs at the Center for Civic Innovation in Atlanta, Nedra Deadwyler, a public historian and ...
COVID-19 has highly impacted people with disabilities, especially Latinos and other people of color with disabilities. Even before COVID-19, many barriers have made life inequitable for people with disabilities, whether in the workplace, classroom, or doctor’s office. Creating inclusive spaces and policies for people with disabilities will help us reach a more equitable society. Join #SaludTues on Feb. 23, 2021, at 1:00 PM EST to tweet about how we can advocate for inclusivity and equity with people with disabilities. WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “Advocating for Inclusivity and Equity with People with Disabilities”
DATE: Tuesday, Feb, 23, 2020
TIME: 1:00-2:00 p.m. EST (10:00-11:00 p.m. PST)
WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues
HOST: @SaludAmerica
...
As the coronavirus continues to surge across the US, Latinos are also still enduring its worst impacts. While there was a notable lack of support from officials in Washington over the last year, many businesses, as well as their leaders, have stepped in to help those in need. Through charitable donations, some Latinos throughout the country are finally getting the assistance they deserve. This assistance has been a long time coming, according to San Francisco’s Latino Community Foundation (LCF) Vice President of Programs, Masha Chernyak — whose organization will pay forward a $2 million dollar donation to specifically provide support to Latinos. "We have taken that incredible American generosity and given it to a community that has been locked out of philanthropic resources," ...
Nancy Willard knows that the way educators are taught to handle bullying isn’t working, especially when it comes to cyberbullying. That’s why she’s written several books on bullying prevention and digital safety, including the first book ever published on cyberbullying. Willard is a former attorney and special education teacher in Veneta, Oregon who has dedicated her career to empowering students and families to stand up to bullies. She also taught those empowerment skills to her adopted Guatemalan daughter. Now she wants to help schools build more culturally relevant anti-bullying programs, especially when the COVID-19 pandemic ends and more schools return to in-person learning.
A Background in Computer Law and Special Education
Before working on building student ...
President Joe Biden has vowed to completely reform how the U.S. handles immigration. In the first two weeks of his presidency, Biden has begun taking action to stop the border wall, family separation, support DACA recipients, reverse the public charge rule, and is planning further legislation to create an easier path to citizenship for immigrants. How does Biden’s immigration reform affect Latino immigrants? Let’s take a look at the different immigration policies Biden has in store. Update 3/10/21: Biden's administration stopped enforcing the public charge rule first enforced by Donald Trump's administration, according to CBS News. Update 7/22/21: The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) reaffirmed that the public charge rule is no longer in effect and ...
Kendra Gage starts off all her new classes addressing one obvious fact: she’s white. That’s because Gage is a professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) who teaches African American studies, focusing on the Civil Rights Movement and addressing racism in modern America. Gage believes in addressing her whiteness because she wants students to be aware of implicit bias─ stereotypes that affect our understanding and decisions about others beyond our conscious control─in the classroom. She feels it’s her role as an educator to highlight her own implicit bias and allow students to question their own biases. “My very first lecture in class, I say, ‘This is who I am. I am white.’ I mean, I can't hide behind that, so I do address it,” Gage said. That is ...
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted many of the disparities impacting communities of color. Not only has COVID-19 led to a disproportionate number of deaths and severe illness among Latinos, but it has also contributed to financial struggles, homelessness, and students falling behind in school. These disparities are linked with discrimination and impact Latinos throughout their lives, according to a Salud America! research review. But despite the evidence, many Americans don’t see systemic racism as the cause of the inequity. A survey by the RAND Corporation and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) found that only 42% of respondents think that systemic racism is one of the main reasons people of color face health inequities. The majority does not believe or feel neutral ...
