Today in Equity
Tuesday, March 16th, 2010Daily equity news
”It’s Time for Black Leaders to Lead,” - New America Media
On March 20, public radio and TV host Tavis Smiley will host a symposium in Chicago titled, “We Count! The Black Agenda is the American Agenda.” In April, civil rights leader, Al Sharpton, will headline, “Measuring the Movement,” a conference designed to explore ways grassroots organizations can work with government agencies to improve the quality of life for blacks.
Both events were arranged after a volatile dust-up between Sharpton and Smiley. To briefly summarize, Smiley accused Sharpton and other black leaders of giving Obama a collective pass on pushing an agenda that addresses the disproportionate disadvantages black people face. Sharpton is against such a strategy, believing it’s counterproductive and puts Obama in a vulnerable position. It’s up to black leaders, not Obama, to push a “black agenda,” Sharpton said.
“Feds aim to make it easier to build sustainable neighborhoods,” - Fort Worth Star-Telegram
ARLINGTON — Sustainable community is a wonky phrase often uttered by urban planners.
But the purpose of the terminology is pretty simple: It’s an attempt to describe a place where people want to live.
“Officials move to raise 2010 Census response rates,” - The Washington Post
The gulf that separates Woodland Terrace in Southeast Washington from Burke Centre in Fairfax County can be measured by income levels as well as unemployment and poverty rates. Over the next few weeks, another telling measurement will be the volume of mail as residents return thousands of census forms being delivered this week.
The two areas, just 25 miles apart, have had starkly different responses to the census in the past. In the 2000 Census, more than five out of six Burke Centre households promptly mailed in their questionnaires. In the census tract where Woodland Terrace is situated, less than half initially responded.
