Part of our ongoing series of posts about Engage 2012.

Participants in the economic security policy action group discussed what is needed to achieve sustained economic security by addressing three key aspects: 1) Job Creation, 2) Safety Net Programs, and 3) Income and Wealth Inequality. The group approached the issue by applying the intersecting lenses of race, class, and gender, while considering the policies and attitudes that have historically allowed economic insecurity and racial and gender gaps to persist and grow. Participants discussed priorities and strategies, mainly focused on job creation, considering how to balance the urgency of the crisis and the need for immediate action with the goal of long-term, lasting solutions. The discussion, facilitated by Mariko Chang, an independent consultant researching gender and race wealth gaps, and Darrick Hamilton, Associate Professor of Urban Policy at the Milano School of International Affairs at The New School, weighed how best to frame each aspect in light of the upcoming election and the key audiences to target with each phase of their messaging and advocacy campaigns.

Key Points

1) Job Creation: Given the severity of the jobs crisis, one that has existed in communities of color long before the Great Recession, bold, targeted and sustainable policies are needed. The proposed American Jobs Act can be a catalyst or starting point to bring about many of the necessary changes and can be improved upon through the coalition's education and organizing campaign. The proposal would provide incentives to the private sector to create jobs, but this approach would not necessarily bring the targeted, lasting jobs needed, and could in fact exacerbate inequalities. Improving the act to include direct public sector hiring could address gender and race gaps, and would ensure that more jobs provide living wages and benefits. This would also begin to address the harmful shift to the private sector at the state and local levels. The group stressed the importance of and potential in rebuilding and improving infrastructure, especially with a focus on renewable energy. Improving education and training are also key aspects of this discussion, and again are beginning to be addressed by the American Jobs Act. While this act is an important starting point in the current political environment, the group also stressed the need for long term solutions, from cooperatives to landbanks, that not only provide more jobs but would act as vehicles for wealth creation within communities.

2) Safety Net Programs: There are numerous problems with the current quilt of programs, the first of which is the plethora of disparate inadequate programs, each with its own requirements and peculiarities. We can address immediately why a staggering number of people qualify for one or more of these programs but do not participate, while working in the long-term to establish opportunity-enhancing programs instead of simply a subsistence safety net that leaves people vulnerable. Though opportunities frequently arise during federal reauthorization, given the continued vilification of program participants, we must be strategic about choosing what changes to propose, and can focus on state or even local implementation.

3) Income and Wealth Inequality: Perhaps here more than in any other area, a history of discriminatory, racialized policies have benefitted some while excluding others, and the popular debate not only fails to acknowledge the scale of this historical legacy, but instead blames the excluded for not catching up. The group addresses the lasting devastation of failed Reconstruction, immigration policies, exclusions in Social Security, redlining, the GI Bill, as well as the current scourge of the foreclosure crisis. In popular discourse, a disproportionate and inaccurate emphasis is placed on the importance of income and personal responsibility in wealth-building instead of on generational and historical factors such as bequests, inheritance, inter vivos transfers, and the tax codes governing each. Using the law has been effective in shrinking some income gaps, but this approach faces challenges given the continued shedding of public sector employment.  

Incarceration is a problem affecting each of these three keys to economic security, especially in communities of color, and it is growing. Not only does it keep affected men from being employed, but it often puts women in charge of economically supporting yet another family member. Additionally, women of color themselves are increasingly being incarcerated, with the rate of incarceration for African-American women in New York City surpassing that of white men.

Messaging and framing: In the near term, in order to get issues on the agenda and to get legislation passed, and in the long run, to change the norms and assumptions of public discourse to produce lasting change, messaging and framing are vital. From the recent successes of the Occupy movements, to the idea of "interest convergence," this group will need to consider a range of messaging strategies. While many of the organizations represented have large constituencies and experience organizing, we would benefit from the advice of framing experts.

Major Recommendations and Strategies

Each of the three main aspects of economic security will be addressed with a separate education and advocacy campaign, culminating in actions on national holidays in 2012, with Income and Wealth Inequality being the focus on Tax Day, Safety Net Programs on Independence Day, and Job Creation on Labor Day. The Job Creation campaign will have substantial focus far earlier than Labor Day, given the political schedule.

Each campaign will enlist represented groups to educate and organize their communities and constituencies, utilizing congressional district-specific statistics around the particular aspect of economic security. For example, the Job Creation campaign will focus on the proposed American Jobs Act, its potential to improve economic security, and ways it can be strengthened. These leaders will mobilize their communities with statistics on jobs lost in their district since 2008, the potential for new jobs, and specific ways to make sure the new jobs are family-supporting and targeted to close existing gaps.

Communities will also grade their elected officials with a report card reflecting the district's performance on improving economic security on a range of indicators, including paying living wages, closing race and gender wage and employment gaps, and reaching wide ranges of people based on race, gender, education and age.

The group identified key partners in creating and executing these campaigns. Leaders aim to create a hub for information, data, and coalition updates housed on the internet at the Women of Color Policy Network. These data will come from a variety of potential partners experienced with data collection and analysis on improving economic security, including Center for Law and Social Policy, Institute for Women's Policy Research, National Council for Research on Women, and National Women's Law Center. The campaigns and advocacy will include the many organizations already active around these specific issues, such as organized labor for job creation. As much of the discussion concentrated on strategic messaging, the group will enlist the expertise of various foundations, including Ford, Ms., and Open Society.

Written by Matthew Graham.

Part of our ongoing series of posts about Engage2012.

Prevalent issues in health policy at the Women of Color's Engage2012 event were drawn from the diverse mix of policy analysts and social health workers that filled the health Policy Action Group on Friday morning. Jill Morrison, Senior Counsel at the National Women's Law Center and Paul Kawata, Executive Director of the National Minority AIDS Council, opened the forum with the question "Why health policy in 2012?" In the context of the approaching presidential election, many in the room discussed the most salient health issues, concerning inequities in accessibility and the diminished protection of women's health rights.
       The meat of the discussion focused heavily on the concern that religious groups have significant control over health policy decisions and consequently compromise women's rights. One example discussed was the Personhood movement in Mississippi ,which was spurred heavily by the Christian group Conceived by Rape.  As one participant commented "the most radical groups have the mic." Much frustration persisted in the room as many agreed that "we need to reclaim the religious base for social justice." Groups like the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice are a vital player to bridge the gap between communities of color and faith.
       The group's focus turned to creating strategies to ensure women's rights are not marginalized in the implementation of the Affordable Care Act and the discussions in the upcoming elections. Three strategies emerged:

#1: Have a focused media strategy to normalize healthcare as a human right rather than a radical idea.

#2:  Thwart religious restrictions on health care access and policy.

#3: Engaging in the one-on-ones: taking the risk to tell your story.

The atmosphere in the room was electric and portrayed the great desire these leaders have to see health policy discussions in the upcoming election focus on social justice and protecting women's health rights.
      
Matthew Beyrouty is a master's candidate at the Robert Wagner School of Public Service at New York University. His specialization is health policy with focus on improving access to marginalized, lower class communities.
 

Part of our ongoing series of posts about Engage2012.

The participants in the immigration policy action group (PAG) discussed strategies to address issues affecting people of color during the upcoming 2012 election, citing a need to set a more unified agenda in terms of strategic target states for the 2012 elections as well as shifting strategies from those with immediate effects to those with longer timelines and greater lasting impact. Moderated by Margaret Huang, Executive Director of the Rights Working Group, and Clarissa Martinez de Castro, Director of Immigration and National Campaigns, National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the discussion gave rise to a desire to find more common ground between the Latino and Black communities in order to build stronger coalitions that will empower both struggles and achieve better funding. Some also suggested that immigration advocates should change the narrative around immigration when addressing the current administration on one side, and stressed the importance of using communication methods that are proven to resonate within immigrant communities on the other. Finally, the group acknowledged the value in establishing creative methods for measuring the impact of their work, in order to account for base-building.

The group consisted of Margaret Huang, Rights Working Group; Laura Vazquez, National Council of La Raza; Ana Garcia-Ashley, GAMALIEL; Aimee Santos-Lyons, Western States Center; Sangeeta Budhiraja, Ms. Foundation for Women; Jasmeet Krause-Vilmar, Women's Refugee Commission; Ada Williams-Price, One America; and Sean Thomas-Breitfield, Center for Community Change.
 
After a successful morning, the participants in the immigration policy action group decided to "occupy" the other PAGs, expressing the belief that immigration should not be a topic discussed on its own, rather as an integrative part of all the other issues. Before "occupying" the group set out the following proposed action points:

1. To widely disseminate research conducted by the Ford Foundation, Ms. Foundation for Women and Open Society Foundations regarding forms of communication that have been proven to work within immigrant communities. The organization at Engage2012 should use the findings to have conversations about how to integrate immigration into other issues/policies.
 
2. To commit to starting conversations about states that are introducing anti-immigrant, anti-sharia, and voter restriction laws and build new alliances to quickly respond to them.

3. Widely share the Western States Center model for voter guide questions that should be included in nationwide voter guides addressing issues that affect immigrants.

Noelia Rodriguez is a first year student at Wagner pursuing her Masters in Public Administration. She is interested in issues concerning immigrant rights and civic engagement.
 

Part of our ongoing series of posts about Engage 2012.

A group of experts participating in the civic engagement policy action group at Engage2012 agreed that the current political and economic climate is an opportunity to bring the focus beyond voter turnout and create a deeper and long-lasting level of engagement by historically underrepresented communities. The Network has emphasized engagement and voting rights enforcement as critical to advancing a progressive agenda as we move into the 2012 election, especially given the fact that record turnout in communities of color drove 2008's progressive victories.

The policy action group at Engage2012 was tasked with addressing several major policy issue areas, including voter turnout and engagement, voter suppression efforts, political power and transparent governance, and progressive policy change. Moderated by Steven Carbó , Senior Program Director, Democracy Program at Demos, , and Keesha Gaskins, Senior Counsel in the  Brennan Center for Justice's Democracy program, the group created a list of three major recommendations:

•Expanding the vote to more people through policy and structural changes, and then implementing those policies to allow more people to exercise their right to vote.

•Engaging in "transformative organizing" by taking advantage of the increased awareness and funds currently available as a result of the 2012 elections,  using these resources to build infrastructure at the community level. Proposed strategies to accomplish this goal include educating funders and approaching them with alternative financial models, as well as treating voters, and especially youth, as a "a vital constituency and not just a tool."

•Facilitating communities' ability to empower themselves to vote by providing community education, voter protection, services to facilitate access to voter identification, and information on where and how to register/vote. Key to this process is making sure that this information is accessible in many languages, comprehensible to the general public and available to people with disabilities.

A coordinated effort among progressive groups at the municipal, state, and federal levels is needed to effectively address these issue areas in the coming elections. Through organizing and collaboration, a broad and diverse progressive coalition can incite voter enthusiasm and engagement, achieve electoral changes, and advance a unified, inclusive agenda that benefits communities of color.

Triana Urraca is a Master's degree candidate at the NYU Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service in Public and Nonprofit Management and Policy.

Part of our ongoing series of posts about Engage2012.

Community activists and thought leaders in the LGBTQ community addressed wide-ranging issues, including economic security, immigration laws, and state-level legislation regarding relationship recognition, during the LGBTQ rights policy action group. With Stacey Long, Director of Public Policy & Government Affairs at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force,  and Aisha Moodie-Mills, Advisor, LGBT Policy & Racial Justice at the Center for American Progress, acting as moderators, the participants discussed how leadership development and movement-building are integral to progress for the LGBTQ community during a critical turning point, the 2012 election. Legislatively, the tools of subversion and infiltration can be used to nestle issues within bills. Some members of Congress are set against including the language "sexual identity" and "sexual orientation" within federal legislation because of the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell and other legislative successes.  The challenge of LGBTQ advocates is to press legislators to continue to recognize the needs of this community beyond high profile legislation and embed LGBTQ concerns within housing, health care and immigration policy. The intersection of LGBTQ and race is also critical for advocates and thought leaders.

The infusion of LGBTQ issues into a larger agenda involves working within communities to raise awareness, advancing an agenda within Congress to support marriage equality and limit deportations of immigrant partners and recognizing the needs of other communities. In the end, providing equality and equity for LGBTQ community members involves unique challenges and opportunities, none more so important than the upcoming election.  The LGBTQ policy action group participants committed to a strategy to document, craft, share, teach, and win on intersectionality in the public policy realm.

Other topics addressed during the discussion include:

• Broadening the conversation about women to build a more expansive progressive agenda within the 2012 election.
• Addressing the immigration challenges that minority groups within the LGBTQ community face,  in addition to addressing LGBTQ issues within minority and racial groups.
• Racial justice as it deals with LGBTQ issues, making sure outside forces don't pit these interest groups against each other.  
• Security and violence within the LGBTQ community.
• How income status influences engagement on a range of issues.
• Post-progressive challenges that have a stagnating effect on the dialogue moving forward and how to avoid complacency. 
• How to collectively bring the needs of people to the forefront without losing steam and support. Creating and sustaining a progressive campaign that serves the needs and concerns of all members of the LGBTQ community.
• Reproductive justice issues facing the LGBTQ community.
• Working beyond marriage equality and leveraging resources for a larger agenda on the state level.
• Mainstream media treatment of LGBTQ needs; opening new pathways for communities to gain media attention and acknowledgement  in order to raise the profile of LGBTQ members from different communities, including academic elites and specific ethnic communities.
• Juxtaposition of issue vs. identity.
• Holding progressive allies accountable for acknowledging the needs and concerns of LGBTQ individuals in all issues, including health, economic security, civic engagement, and immigration.
• Health disparities as they relate to sexual orientation and economic status in addition to traditional delineation of race.
• The aging of the LGBTQ community and how to address the divergent concerns of multiple generations whose approaches may be different but who share the goal of improving the quality of life for every generation of LGBTQ individuals.
  

Deirdre Byrne is a second year student in Health Policy and Management at NYU's Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service.  Ms. Byrne has held policy positions at the Children's Health Fund and National Conference of State Legislatures before coming to NYU Wagner.

Over the past year, the Network has documented the erosion of vital safety net resources for low-income women of color, amidst an economic downturn and political deadlock that have resulted in alarming levels of poverty and prolonged unemployment. As Republican members of the House plan to vote today against extending the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits for millions of Americans struggling to regain their economic footing, the political impetus for concerted advocacy to preserve vital benefits is clear. In "Occupy the Safety Net," The Nation's executive director Betsy Reed offers insight into what shape the anti-poverty movement should take, calling for a formalization of the link between Occupy Wall Street's brand of grassroots activism and policy formation.

Reed describes in the article how the anti-poverty movement could "gain inspiration" from the social justice platform put forth by OWS protestors, noting that historically, similar efforts met with success when "pursuing goals set not by policy shops but by the people who know most intimately what kind of change they need, and on whose vigorous participation the movement depends." In other words, the citizens who contend with the consequences of the shrinking social net should be the main actors in the movement--as the 99% have been in defining the OWS agenda--setting priorities drawn directly from their experiences. Reed goes further, suggesting a role for President Obama in enjoining this grassroots participation in policy formation: offering as precedent Lyndon Johnson's 1964 Economic Opportunity Act, which stipulated participation of the poor, accomplished through funding of community action agencies across the country.

According to the analysis by the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities cited in the article, programs such as food stamps and unemployment insurance (benefits also up for renewal in Congress) kept 10.7 percent of the population out of poverty between 2007 and 2010, demonstrating the dire straits that even greater numbers of Americans will be in should state-level cuts to safety net programs continue and political support on a federal level falter. Activism must proceed at every level in order to stem the rising tide of political maneuvers and budgetary cutbacks that will all but ensure the destruction of economic security for millions of Americans--especially low-income women of color--for whom the social safety net remains their "last, best defense" against falling into the burgeoning demographic of poverty.

Part of our ongoing series of posts about Engage 2012.

New York Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito, chair of the Progressive Caucus, opened Lunch remarks with applauding recent progressive successes, including New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo's reversal on tax policy on high earners, the city's efforts to move a deportation center from Riker's Island and enduring progressive efforts by President Obama including the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act's role in keeping millions of children and families afloat during the economic downturn.

Next, Engage 2012 participants were treated to a conversation between Angela Glover Blackwell, the Founder and CEO of PolicyLink and Racquel Russell, Special Assistant to the President for Mobility and Opportunity as part of the White House Domestic Policy Council.

Coming from conferences across the country on equity, including Minneapolis, Detroit, Bay Area and Chicago supported by the White House, Ms. Russell emphasized that it is clear that equity is a policy imperative for the country, especially in light of the economy.

From the President's perspective, government must consider where a person comes from to understand their needs and concerns.  The opportunities are in the challenges.  Within the first few years in office, the President has made great strides to address poverty.  There are currently agency level initiatives including Health and Human Services, Education and Housing and Urban Development to improve the quality of life within communities under stress. 

Other initiatives the White House is focused on is:

·         Strong Cities Initiative will benefit six cities nationwide to put federal resources to cities to figure out how to attack poverty issues and build capacity with existing resources.

·         Media messaging and getting information out about the work that the White House is doing to improve and support communities across the country.

·         Promised Neighborhoods seek to scale up investments, and additional federal planning grants are coming for neighborhood investments. However, recognizing that any scale up is dependent on Congressional budget action, the administration will continue to push for funding. 

·         Coordination of Agency Work:  The White House is working to align messaging and funding on anti-poverty efforts to have a cohesive message. Community alignment is also key to success to building equity and equality among neighborhoods and communities.  Anti-poverty efforts need to involve all agencies and have a cohesive message.

·         The American Jobs Act would help millions of Americans with specific investments for low income communities and communities of color.  For example, the bill funds $15 billion in infrastructure investment that would fund a large number of jobs for minorities. 

Ms. Glover Blackwell commented on PolicyLink's work on equity and equality and the importance of working to improve the narrative about the issues to adequately address the core of the issue.  In addition, she stated:

Usual problems such as politics and the current contentious atmosphere are always problems. But our greatest challenge as a nation is our inability to talk about race. The people who are going to be hit the first and the worst are people of color.  And that's not right. It must be addressed.  When you talk about place, you talk about race, both matter.  Place matters and race defines place in America.  When we fail to call out these challenges, we don't engage people of color in solving these issues of equality and equity.  We don't nuance our policies and therefore miss out on maximum impact. We don't report out on impact thereby missing continued investment.

Engage2012 participants were treated to a lively question and answer session that focused on current frustration with the polarized nature of Washington and gridlock preventing further investment in communities of color. However, regardless of the state of affairs with Congress, Ms. Russell emphasized the importance of voting blocs to influence lawmakers to pay attention to their issues and challenged Engage2012 to build new voting blocs that represents the concerns of all Americans.

This posting was authored by Women of Color Policy Network Guest Blogger Deirdre Byrne. Deirdre Byrne is a second year student in Health Policy and Management at NYU's Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service.  Ms. Byrne has held policy positions at the Children's Health Fund and National Conference of State Legislatures before coming to NYU Wagner.

Earlier this year, the Network blog featured a post concerning proposals at the state and federal level to implement TANF drug-testing requirements. The post mentioned a CLASP policy brief that highlighted the excessive costs of these drug-testing requirements, in addition to the negative impact such requirements would have on the economic security of countless families. While the Network has stated that such proposals are inherently problematic, lawmakers continue to advance such measures, most recently in the form of proposed drug-testing requirements for federal unemployment benefits.
 
Today in US News and World Report, Joy Moses - a Senior Policy Analyst at the Center for American Progress - penned an op-ed reiterating the double standards inherent to such drug-testing requirements. Moses writes that despite "stereotypes of Wall Street drug abuse," Congress did not require drug-testing for the employees of financial institutions receiving billions in government bailout funds. Moses also notes that measures policing those who rely on safety net programs are costly, and that there are certainly more constructive ways to invest in the economic security of mothers, families, and communities.

Policies that call for decreasing access to social safety net programs rarely confront the subsequent effects on those cut off from benefits. TANF time limits have led to the disconnection of around 1.5 million mothers from cash assistance programs across the country. Drug-testing requirements would likely have similar impacts on the economic security of countless beneficiaries who depend on the safety net. In a time of economic crisis, and record unemployment, drug-testing requirements for social services would have particularly damaging social costs.

Today the Daily Beast published an article by Leslie Bennetts entitled, "American Moms: Unsung Heroes of a Bad Economy." The article focuses on the deleterious effects of the Great Recession on mothers, highlighting that mothers shoulder many of the burdens facing families in the economic downturn. Bennetts tells the stories of mothers in different regions who are grappling with economic insecurity due to college loan obligations, mortgage payments, underemployment, child care costs, and other financial strains. The article underscores that across the country, mothers are being squeezed by tough financial circumstances, while seeing no economic recovery in sight.

The article takes the lead from a recent report published by the Ascend program at the Aspen Institute, entitled "Toward a Two-Generation Strategy: Voices of American Families." The Ascend program works towards policy solutions that will improve education outcomes and the economic security of families living in poverty over two-generations. For the report, the Aspen Institute performed focus group research with mothers and fathers in different parts of the country, and from different demographic groups, to better understand how theys are impacted by the current economy. The report states that many of these parents are "living pay check to pay check" while simultaneously working and raising families. Of mothers, low-income single mothers are "particularly hard-pressed." The report underscores that single-mothers often have few financial assets, work in low-wage and unstable jobs, and are often short of both time and money. These realities call for targeted programs to reduce the economic pressures facing single-parents, especially the disproportionate economic pressures facing single-mothers.

The Network has produced research and policy analysis underlining the disproportionate impact of economic insecurity on women of color, their families and communities. The Network report, "At Ropes End," underscores that single-mothers possess 4 percent of the wealth of single fathers. The report also notes that single-mothers of color have a median wealth of zero, as compared to a median wealth of $6000 for white single-mothers. These disparities echo the findings of the Aspen Institute report, and call for government initiatives that will reduce the economic insecurity facing many mothers and families.

On December 9^th, 2011, the Women of Color Policy Network of NYU's Wagner School of Public Service welcomed community leaders, advocates and thought innovators to Engage 2012 at NYU's Kimmel Center. 

Opening Friday's Plenary Session, Nicole Mason, Executive Director of the Women of Color Policy Network spoke to the importance of engaging people of color and bringing together people of color working across networks and issues to move an agenda for change. Engage 2012 brings together a diverse group of people working on environmental justice, health care disparities, and civic participation. Here is a selection of thoughts from the opening plenary session.

LaTosha Brown, Senior Advisor from the Black Women's Roundtable at the National Coalition of Black Civic Participation, moderator of the panel, noted the major cultural, economic, and political shifts happening in the United States and across the world.  Ms. Brown posed the question of how those present, thought leaders and community activists, respond to these shifts.

Cornell Belcher, President of Brilliant Corners Research & Strategies spoke to the importance of politics as a vehicle for change.  He presented polling results of minority populations in battleground states, including Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico in addition to traditional battleground states of Florida and Pennsylvania:

•         The electorate in 2008 was much more ethnically diverse than ever before.

•          62% of the new electorate in 2008 was under 30.

•          Emotion is critically important in high voter engagement, satisfied people never start movements, and those who are disappointed are more likely to vote.

•       New voter initiatives were widely known about and have created discouragement and extreme discouragement among Hispanic and Black voters. 

•       Top voting concerns among minority voters are confusion at voting machines and lack of transportation.

•     88% of minority voters in battleground states approve of President Obama's job performance, while only 30% approve of Congress.

•      81% of young swing voters would vote for Obama in 2012, but that number should be much higher and needs to be addressed before the election.

Robin Ince, Senior Director of Youth and Education at the National Urban League spoke to the League's dedication to public education as the most important driver of equity in low income and minority communities.  Education is also a major driver of political participation.  Unfortunately, high quality education is lacking in minority communities, in that it does not empower families to become politically active.  The only way that change can happen is for communities to be engaged in setting goals, measuring progress and making sure systems deliver education outcomes for their children.

 The National Urban League is undertaking an initiative in Mississippi and Tennessee using affiliates to motivate parents and stakeholders to speak to policy makers about education quality and access.   This initiative will be expanded to the League's 98 other affiliates across the country.

Tamika Mallory, National Executive Director of the National Action Network, addressed questions of how to engage African-American voters and how to address minority community stress in the current economic and political environment.  The narrative of African-American women is a unique challenge and must be addressed by political and community leaders.  Ms. Mallory went on to highlight the most important challenges facing the National Action Network and the country:

•      African American women hold the power to change the dynamic on personal and community levels, that power must be harnessed.

• In terms of jobs, African American women are concerned with the lack of jobs for teenagers and the lifelong affects of not engaging young people in the right path to a productive adulthood.

• Facing the challenge of historic unemployment numbers of men of color, women are stressed to maintain normalcy for their families.

• Education is under siege, with children under pressure at home, at school and to perform while bringing issues from home such as hunger and job loss.

• The imperative for community leaders is to engage and become advocates of change.

• Rallies and marches give people a feeling that they have been part of the process and have an impact on the national, state and local conversations.

• A united voice on jobs and justice empowers the individual and the community.
  

• The National Action Network's October 15^th Rally in Washington DC was just an opening to the 25 cities rally to magnify people's voices in their communities and support individual efforts.

Myrna Perez, Senior Counsel, Brennan Center for Justice at NYU, noted the potential of communities to have an impact on the political landscape in the face of numerous challenges including restrictive voting laws being passed coast to coast. Ms. Perez noted the following:

·         5 million eligible voters will not be able to vote because of new laws in the upcoming election.

·         In 2011, over half of states saw legislation introduced that would restrict voter participation. These laws will change the face of the electorate.

·         The most common laws restrict voter participation via identification laws, including documentation of citizenship, make registration harder, and limit of when people can vote.

o   11% of Americans lack ID

o   18% of Americans over 65 lack photo ID

o   25% of African Americans lack photo ID

o   At least 7% of Americans lack proof of citizenship

·         There are continued threats on voter registration drives, particularly in Florida where the Brennan Center has filed a lawsuit against the state.

·         4 million people cannot vote because of a criminal conviction on their record, a large percentage of whom are minorities, it is expected that even more people will become disenfranchised because of state actions.

·         The work of the Brennan Center is focused on modernizing voter registration, expanding eligibility rules and preventing discriminatory voter purges and challenges and protecting voters against intimidation.

·         All community groups need to focus on democratic participation, preserving the people's role in regards to campaign finance laws, protect the independence of the judiciary and engaging communities in redistricting.

One of the many goals of Engage 2012 is to create a coalition of high-level people of color to shift the conversation, motivate entire communities, create sustainability of a movement that started with the election of President Barack Obama.Over the course of the week we will be posting more entries about Engage 2012. 

This post was authored by Women of Color Policy Network Guest Blogger, Deirdre Byrne. Deirdre Byrne is a second year student in Health Policy and Management at NYU's Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service.  Ms. Byrne has held policy positions at the Children's Health Fund and National Conference of State Legislatures before coming to NYU Wagner.

On December 5, Representative Gwen Moore (D-WI) unveiled the Rewriting to Improve and Secure an Exit Out of Poverty Act (the RISE Act) to reform the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Block Grant, a critical social safety net program for women of color and their families. A tireless advocate on the issue, Representative Moore has spoken on numerous occasions about the need for changes to the TANF block grant. In October at the "TANF at 15" event hosted by the Women of Color Policy Network and Legal Momentum, she boldly called the program "a misogynist approach to developing a low-skilled workforce."

Low-income women of color have faced a series of threats to their economic security in recent years, including TANF benefit cuts at the state level, the foreclosure crisis, and high levels of poverty and unemployment. The RISE Act adjusts the amount of the TANF block grant to states for inflation and child population growth--a key factor in the economic status of single mothers who are women of color--and merges supplemental grants in qualifying states into the basic block grant, eliminating the separate funding stream that Congress failed to reapprove in 2011. Through these and other essential reforms, the proposed legislation expands economic benefits for millions of low-income American families.

The RISE Act also addresses barriers to education and training in the TANF program that disproportionately impact low-income women and single mothers. According to a Center for Budget and Policy Priorities report, state cuts to TANF in 2011 affect 700,000 low-income families with reductions in cash assistance. These state level cuts will also reduce funding for work-related assistance such as child care. The RISE Act will counteract the strain on work supports by lifting time limits on work participation requirements, while also facilitating the growth of opportunity for women of color. Proposals in the bill include measures to erase the 30 percent state cap on education, and to incorporate child care needs - and physical and mental impairment - in initial employment assessments of recipients of TANF assistance.

Furthermore, the proposal prioritizes the needs of low-income working parents, including thousands of women of color, and stipulates that the number one goal of TANF is child poverty reduction. The RISE Act guarantees child care for TANF work-eligible recipients. It also extends assistance to families with non-minor children over 18 but under 22, and prohibits states from sanctioning single-parents with children under 13 from refusing to engage in work because of lack of child care arrangements. Finally, in recognition of the prolonged difficulties that face American families, the legislation prohibits states from imposing time limits on assistance, customarily set at 60 months.

On December 6, President Obama delivered a speech in Kansas underscoring the critical role that the government plays in providing economic security for Americans. With record levels of unemployment across the country, and even more pronounced unemployment rates in communities of color, the need for a government role in supporting economic security is more pronounced than ever. 

The national unemployment rate has been above 9 percent for 28 of the last 30 months. This rate is significantly higher in black and Latino communities, with respective unemployment rates of 15.5 percent and 11.4 percent. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics has shown that the change in unemployment during the Great Recession has disproportionately increased the unemployment rate for women of color. These disparities highlight the critical role that unemployment insurance (UI) plays in protecting the economic security of communities of color, especially women of color.

If current UI benefits are not renewed by December 31, 2.6 million women will be directly impacted by a loss of benefits over the course of 2012. In January alone, 2 million Americans would lose their benefits, and 6 million would lose their benefits over the next year. This potential loss of benefits would have especially damaging effects for women, families and communities of color, since 1.2 million African Americans and 1 million Latinos are directly affected by the benefits of UI insurance. Considering the disproportionate impacts of economic downturn on communities of color, UI benefits are especially critical towards providing for the economic security of countless Black and Latino households. Throughout the country, 3.6 million children will reap the economic benefits of an unemployment insurance extension, since 1.8 million families will continue to benefit from increased economic security.

In addition to protecting the economic security of the unemployed, UI benefits have the added benefit of providing an economic stimulus to the economy. Since the need for unemployment benefits is so pronounced, the money from UI is spent almost immediately, providing an effective economic stimulus to the economy. For each dollar invested in UI benefits, $1.52 of economic growth is created. This stimulus to the economy has helped to create over 700,000 jobs since UI benefits were extended.

It is critical that Congress take action on the UI benefits extensions: firstly, so that the economic security of millions is protected, and secondly so that the U.S. economy continues to benefit from this important stimulative investment.

This week, the Women of Color Policy Network Blog will feature a series of posts highlighting Engage 2012.

From December 8 to 9, national civil rights leaders, progressive policy thinkers, met at Engage 2012, hosted by the Women of Color Policy Network of NYU Wagner. 
Over the next week, we will be posting coverage from this event.

At the opening night reception, eleven leaders discussed how to energize the electorate moving into the 2012 election, while addressing some of the most pressing economic, social, and racial justice issues facing America today.

C. Nicole Mason, Executive Director of the Women of Color Policy Network, writes about Cain's fall and what GOP candidates will need to do to appeal to Black and Latino voters leading up to the 2012 elections.

Cain's short-lived flirt with the presidential nomination raises big questions for the GOP ahead of 2012. The biggest one being, how will the party attract Black and Latino voters in numbers large enough to swing the election their way?

Despite high employment and partisan bickering in Congress, a recent poll commissioned by the Women of Color Policy Network at the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service of Black and Latino voters in battleground states finds they are poised to turn out in 2012. A hefty 90 percent of Black and Latino voters in swing states say they are very likely to vote and of those, 50 percent are more interested in voting than in 2008.

While many thought Cain was a contender, Blacks and Latinos never saw it that way. In battleground states, Cain's favorability rating was a low 20 percent. And among Black and Latino women, a meager 2 percent of likely voters held a favorable view of Cain.

Sexual harassment allegations aside, it was Cain's conservative views that did him in with racial and ethnic minorities. His answer to high unemployment and discrimination was to work harder. Cain's answer to immigration was to build a tall, electrified fence with barbed wire and a sign on the other side saying that it can kill you. He came off as out of touch with the reality of their communities.

Other GOP candidates, Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney among them, will likely face similar challenges to winning the support of Black and Latino voters, who rank the economy and education as their top concerns. And while these issues may top the list of GOP candidates as well, Black and Latino voters believe Democrats have a better approach to dealing with these problems, 72 percent compared to 11 percent.

Republicans need a game plan and new playbook. Their attempt to come with an alternative to Barack Obama has failed again. First Michael Steele bit the dust, now Cain. The GOP should realize that cheap tricks and shortcuts to winning the support of Black and Latino communities will not work. Coming up with real solutions and policy strategies to ease high unemployment, create quality jobs and fix the broken immigration and public school systems is what it will take to win over voters.

This commentary has been reposted. To view the article as it originally appeared on the Huffington Post, visit: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/c-nicole-mason/for-blacks-and-latinos-ca_b_1130316.html