December 8-9, 2011
Rosenthal Pavilion, Kimmel Center, New York University
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On Thursday, December 8th, progressive national thought leaders gathered at NYU's Kimmel Center and addressed the public on key issues impacting marginalized communities locally and nationally.
Miriam Yeung, Executive Director of the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum, spoke on the importance of including the voices of Asian populations in civic engagement efforts and opinion polling.
Rashad Robinson, Executive Director of ColorOfChange, shared his experience working with communities of color and increasing civic participation.
Cornell Belcher, President of Brilliant Corners Research and Strategy, shared the latest polling data on African-American and Latino attitudes going into the new year.
Maria Teresa Kumar, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Voto Latino impressed upon the audience, the prominence of Latino voters and engagement.
Linda Sarsour, Director of the Arab American Association of New York, spoke to the increased voter turnout in Arab-American neighborhoods in Brooklyn, while Avis Jones-DeWeever, Executive Director of the National Council of Negro Women, talked about engaging African-American communities.
Sheryl Huggins Salomon, Managing Editor of The Root moderated the discussion. Anika Rahman, President and CEO of the Ms.Foundation for Women, discussed increasing participation of marginalized communities. Cheryl Contee, Co-Founder of the award-winning Black political blog Jack and Jill Politics shared innovative ways to engage audiences through social media and promoted the #Engage2012 hashtag.
Susan Herman, President of the ACLU reflected on the gains in civic participation and the work still yet to be done to increase engagement.
Rea Carey, Executive Director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force connected the importance of the needs of different marginalized communities to the national election agenda. Follow the Women of Color Policy Network Blog for more coverage of this event.
Engage 2012 is a national summit of policy experts, practitioners, thought leaders, and key stakeholders working on issues related to immigration, racial justice and equity, economic security, LGBT rights and reproductive and environmental justice working together to build a progressive, unified agenda for change.
Engage 2012 is presented by the Women of Color Policy Network at New York University's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and leading civil rights and human rights organizations.
Lead Up Event for Engage 2012
November 15, 2011, 3:30 - 5:00 PM
The Puck Building
Rudin Family Forum for Civic Dialogue, 2nd Fl.
295 Lafayette Street, New York, NY 10012 Map
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Discussants:
Kemi Bello
Dream Activist, Undocumented Students Action and Resource Network
Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas
Executive Director, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, Co-Founder of the National Coalition for Immigrant Women’s Rights
Joanne Lin
Legislative Counsel, ACLU Washington Legislative Office
Ali Noorani
Executive Director, National Immigration Forum
Moderator:
Suman Raghunathan
Director of Policy and Strategic Partnerships, Progressive States Network
Arizona’s SB 1070 law and the copycat bills that followed marked a significant turning point in the national call for comprehensive immigration reform. Though many anti-immigrant measures were ultimately unsuccessful, in large part due to successful advocacy campaigns and strategies led by and with immigrant communities, they made the need for action at the federal level more urgent and underscored the importance of building support for immigrants’ rights in the states.
As a result of the lack of federal comprehensive immigration reform and surge of anti-immigrant policies, the voter turnout in Latino communities in the 2012 elections is uncertain. Recent polls have shown that U.S. immigration policy is the most important issue to Latino voters, beating out even the economy and jobs. Though some states have taken up their own DREAM Acts—one aspect of reform that many immigration advocates are pushing—federal reform re¬mains stalled in Congress and is likely to influence the political choices of Latino voters, especially in key battleground states.
Join leaders and supporters of the immigrants’ rights movement as they discuss the critical components of comprehensive immigration reform, address the prospects for reform leading up to and following the 2012 elections, and share opportunities for supporting positive immigration policies and advocacy strategies that strengthen and protect the economic security of immigrant women, their families, and communities.
Recent Lead Up Events for Engage 2012
Leading from Behind: Race, Class, and the Promise of Education Reform
Tuesday, November 1st, 2011, 3:30-5:00 pm
The Puck Building
Rudin Family Forum for Civic Dialogue, 2nd Fl.
295 Lafayette Street, New York, NY 10012 Map
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Discussants:
Zakiyah Ansari
Parent Leader
NYC Coalition for Educational Justice
Lorretta Johnson, Ed.D
Secretary-Treasurer
American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO
Carlos Perez
President and CEO
New Jersey Charter Schools Association
Warren Simmons, Ph.D
Executive Director
Annenberg Institute for School Reform
Moderator:
Edward Fergus, Ph.D
Deputy Director
Metropolitan Center for Urban Education, NYU Steinhardt
Nearly a decade after the passage of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, the federal legislation that promised reform and accountability for the American education system, many urban cities continue to be plagued by failing schools, high dropout rates, and poor performance across the board. The statistics are clear: Over 40 percent of Black and Latino students did not graduate from high school in 2011, and graduation rates in cities with large concentrations of working class and poor residents are substantially lower than other geographic areas by over fifty percent.
The current Administration understands that to be competitive in today's workforce, our nation must reform a failing system and invest in public education. In May 2011, President Obama announced his intent to replace NCLB in all fifty states by the end of the year with Race to the Top, a competitive grant program incentivizing education innovation and reform. At this turning point in our nation's approach to education reform, education leaders must come together and identify the specific policies that are needed to narrow the achievement gap that disproportionately leaves low-income students and people of color behind.
Join education experts from across the nation as they explore what it will really take to reform the public education system in America and prepare students to compete in a global economy. Panelists will propose innovative approaches to education reform given a political environment favoring cuts to public investments, discuss the federal government's role in ensuring access and quality, and weigh in on what strategies-from charter schools to equitable school financing-hold the most promise for success in a post-NCLB era.
Developing and Sustaining Leadership: Women of Color in Public Policy
Tuesday, November 1st, 2011, 6:00-8:30 pm
CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Avenue, Rm C202, New York Map
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Join us for a dynamic conversation about the necessity, strategies and impact of women of color's leadership in public policy. A networking reception will follow the discussion.
Opening Remarks & Moderated by
Rinku Sen
Director, Applied Research Center
Panelists:
Monica Barrera
Policy Analyst, Women of Color Policy Network
Pamela Brown
Gail Aska Policy and Research Fellow, Community Voices Heard
Ede Fox
Chief of Staff, NYC Councilman Jumaane Williams
Reshma Saujani
Executive Director, Fund for Public Advocacy
Deputy Advocate for Special Initiatives, NYC Public Advocate's Office
Haeyoung Yoon
Senior Attorney, National Employment Law Project
Co-Sponsors:
Applied Research Center
Barnard Center for Research on Women
The Center for Place, Culture, and Politics at CUNY
The Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service, CUNY
Community Voices Heard
National Employment Law Project
Research Center for Leadership in Action
The Women of Color Policy Network
Voting and Civic Engagement in Communities of Color
November 8, 2011, 12:30 - 2:00 p.m.
The Puck Building
Rudin Family Forum for Civic Dialogue, 2nd Fl.
295 Lafayette Street, New York, NY 10012 Map
Event Poster
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Discussants:
Terry Ao Minnis
Director of Census and Voting Programs, Asian American Justice Center
Christina Baal
Director of Civic Engagement and Field Operations, New York Immigration Coalition
Latosha Brown
Senior Advisor, Black Women’s Roundtable,
National Coalition on Black Civic Participation
Donita Judge
Redistricting Project Director, Advancement Project
Diana Sen
Senior Counsel, LatinoJustice PRLDEF
Moderator:
Myrna Perez
Senior Counsel, Brennan Center for Justice
In the 2008 election, voter turnout was at the highest levels in forty years, due in large part to significant voter increases in communities of color. In stark contrast, voter turnout levels in the 2010 mid-term elections declined significantly— a drop best explained by noting that families of color were pummeled by the recession and less hopeful that their vote would translate into the change their communities need. With the 2012 elections approaching, re-engaging and mobilizing communities of color will be fundamental to increasing voter turnout and winning the presidential election. Both Democratic and Republican candidates will need a multi-racial strategy to carry them across the finish line.
Join experts as they discuss how to sustain and expand civic engagement among racial and ethnic voters and increase their participation in the democratic process. Panelists will propose strategies for building political power for communities of color, mobilizing leaders of color around an agenda that reflects their values, and reviving the movement that steered the last presidential election.
October 24, 2011, 11:30 am to 1:30 pm
HVC 201 , U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, Washington, D.C. 20510
PANEL I:
Congresswoman Gwen Moore (D-WI)
Professor Peter Edelman, Georgetown Law School
Moderator:
Elizabeth Grayer, Legal Momentum
PANEL II:
Timothy Casey
Legal Momentum
Dr. Avis Jones-DeWeever
National Council of Negro Women
Anne Menard
National Resource Center on Domestic Violence
LaDonna Pavetti
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
Moderator:
Dr. Nicole Mason, Women of Color Policy Network
2011: New Podcasts and Multimedia have now been uploaded. Click here to find out more.