EquityBlog

Today President Obama held an event at the White House urging a bi-partisan push by Congress to extend a critical piece of legislation — the federal surface transportation authorization.

On September 30, the current surface transportation authorization, which serves as the blueprint for transportation investment in America, is set to expire.  It is crucial that we maintain the current investment in the nation’s roads, sidewalks, trails, and transit ways in order to keep buses and trains running, and keep the people who maintain and drive the vehicles working.

In his remarks the President highlighted how essential infrastructure investments are to supporting America’s economic recovery, noting that Congress’ failure to extend the authorization would cost thousands of jobs. Additionally, a ten day delay in reauthorizing would result in a $1 billion loss (or $100 million for each day it is delayed).

PolicyLink applauds the President for recommending immediate renewal of the existing surface transportation authorization in order to sustain our existing efforts to connect Americans to opportunity.

Millions of Americans rely exclusively on public transit, walking, or biking to get to work, to the doctor’s office, to school, and to the grocery store. Nearly 20 percent of African American households, 14 percent of Latino households, and 13 percent of Asian households live without a car.

At a time when approximately 80 percent of transit agencies are implementing fare increases and service cuts, the nation must prioritize investment in transportation to ensure that Americans are not left stranded without transportation options.

Given that today marks 700 days since the existing surface transportation legislation expired, we urge the President and Congress to also work together to enact a new surface transportation authorization that:

• Creates affordable transportation options for all people;
• Ensures fair access to quality jobs, workforce development, and contracting opportunities in the transportation industry;
• Promotes healthy, safe, and inclusive communities; and
• Invests equitably and focuses on results.

This approach is both equitable and smart — for every $1 invested in public transportation, $4 in economic returns are generated.

Our nation’s very future is at stake.  We must make sure that our transportation investments help all Americans participate and prosper.

To support these principles and engage in activities to promote a more equitable approach to transportation investment, join the Equity Caucus at Transportation for America.

Amazing news for Sustainable Communities!

Yesterday the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced Oakland’s own PolicyLink as one of eight organizations to be awarded funding to continue work on the federal Sustainable Communities Initiative. Here’s more from the official press release on HUD.Gov:

In an historic collaborative effort to assure the success of previous federal investments, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today competitively awarded $5.65 million to eight organizations to help existing federal grantees work together to solve common problems. These organizations will form capacity-building networks among the grantees to exchange ideas on successful strategies, lessons learned, emerging tools, and public engagement plans. This work will strengthen the capacity grantee communities to create more housing choices, make transportation more efficient and reliable, make more efficient investments in water and wastewater infrastructure, and build vibrant, healthy and economically prosperous neighborhoods for American families.

You can also read more about the award in today’s San Francisco Chronicle, which includes a call to action for Oakland residents to volunteer and do their part in helping build a safer, stronger city.

Do you have thoughts and ideas on how to build a better Oakland? Share them with us in the comments!

This week’s biggest and most important news is The Budget Control Act of 2011, otherwise known as the debt ceiling agreement, which was met after an intense several weeks of negotiation on Capitol Hill. Disappointingly, and despite record unemployment in low-income areas and communities of color hit first and worst by the economic crisis, the agreement made little to no mention of jobs at all. Today on CNN.com, PolicyLink Founder and CEO Angela Glover Blackwell addresses this critical omission and the need for urgent, targeted investments that will create jobs and move our nation forward. Here’s a look:

It is deeply disappointing to see our leaders in Washington slashing services at the very moment they should be working tirelessly to maximize job growth and set the foundation for long-term economic prosperity, productivity and global competiveness, especially in communities hit first and worst by the recession. They are making a gamble with our nation’s future that we cannot afford. By 2042, people of color will be the majority in America; already the majority of youth under the age of 2 are of color. As the country’s demographic transformation continues accelerating, the framework we use to shape and develop future economic policies, particularly those affecting low-income people and people of color, must also evolve. Such a shift will lead to just and fair inclusion, elevating equity as the nation’s growth model.

Visit here to read the full article on CNN.com. Also be sure to check out this Q&A with Angela Glover Blackwell and The Loop 21′s Brentin Mock, in which they also discuss skyrocketing unemployment in the African American community and current strategies the Obama Administration is using to address it. What do you think the impact of the debt ceiling agreement will have on struggling individuals and families? Tell us below.

Photo Courtesy of Upstream Public Health. (L to R) Mara Gross, Policy Director, Coalition for a Livable Future; Midge Purcell, Director of Advocacy and Public Policy, Urban League of Portland; Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR); Eduardo Angulo, Executive Director, Salem-Keizer Coalition for Equality; and Heidi Guenin, Transportation Policy Coordinator, Upstream Public Health

On July 13 and 14, over 40 community leaders from 9 states convened in Washington, D.C. for “Utilizing Transportation Investments to Expand Opportunity for All,” a two-day transportation and health equity event.

The event engaged an incredibly diverse set of local leaders from public health, disability rights, civil rights, economic justice, tribal, and transportation organizations.  The leaders, who came from Alabama, California, Colorado, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Rhode Island, met in our nation’s capitol to discuss the need for equitable transportation investment as a pathway to better health, personal independence, and expanded economic opportunity.

During the convening, the local leaders talked directly to senior level Administration officials and key Congressional staff about priorities related to improving access to transportation options, promoting improved health, expanding economic opportunity, and fostering greater accountability.  They also participated in over 40 educational meetings with Congressional staff members who have a role in crafting the transportation bill.

The impact of the event will be long-lasting for these delegations.  Many of the organizations who participated had never sat together at a health equity and transportation table.  Throughout the convening, leaders connected to a new set of partners who they can now work with to advance health equity and transportation priorities in their communities, as well as to a growing national network of transportation and health equity leaders.

Immediately following the fly-in leaders from the New York delegation got re-engaged in the current debate over the House and Senate’s competing visions for a transportation bill, calling for their legislators to support the inclusion of equity priorities in the transportation bill.

PolicyLink wishes to thank and acknowledge all of our partners who co-hosted this event, including The American Public Health Association, Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living, Center for Rural Strategies, Leadership Conference Education Fund, National Urban League, Transportation Equity Network, and Transportation for America.

At a White House press conference today, PolicyLink joined First Lady Michelle Obama, Partnership for a Healthier America, The California Endowment and other equity partners to announce the California FreshWorks Fund, a $200 million public-private partnership loan fund that will support the creation and expansion of grocery stores in underserved areas across the state, especially in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color.

In response to today’s announcement, PolicyLink Founder and CEO Angela Glover Blackwell released the following statement:

“We applaud the First Lady, Partnership for a Healthier America, and The California Endowment for their demonstrated commitment to making the healthy choice the easy choice. Where you live significantly impacts how you live, and yet millions of Americans today do not have neighborhood access to a grocery store. In places where healthy food access has increased, residents’ eating habits have been shown to improve, particularly in low-income areas and communities of color where obesity rates are highest and lack of access is most severe.

“Today’s launch of the California FreshWorks Fund marks a critical step towards breaking down these barriers and improving healthy food access in California. Programs like this, the national Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) – for which President Obama has already allocated $45 million and proposed $330 million in the 2012 budget – and others already running in Pennsylvania, New York, New Orleans, Illinois, and New Jersey not only encourage healthier lifestyles, but help to create more economically-viable communities.

“These kinds of programs also highlight the incredible opportunities for continued public-private collaboration to improve individual and community health. Together, we can secure a stronger, healthier America.”

Join us now in the comments section to share how you think today’s announcement can help inspire similar initiatives across America.

And be sure to check out our Letter-to-the-Editor in today’s Los Angeles Times addressing further the critical need for improved healthy food access.

Today, the Obama Administration announced the launch of the Strong Cities, Strong Communities initiative, a groundbreaking program aimed at helping local communities become economically empowered. In a press release, the White House announced six U.S. cities – Detroit, Memphis, New Orleans, Cleveland, Fresno and Chester, PA – that will work directly with federal agencies during the pilot program.

Here is a statement from PolicyLink Founder & CEO Angela Glover Blackwell in response to today’s announcement:

“Today, the Obama Administration demonstrates commitment to building communities of opportunity across America by launching the Strong Cities, Strong Communities Initiative. This new federal pilot program marks an important step towards ensuring that the most challenged communities have a chance to thrive and compete in today’s global economy.

“At a time when so many of our nation’s cities and communities are struggling to survive, programs like this  will help spur local development, entrepreneurship, and economic growth. The six sites chosen for the pilot’s launch – Detroit, Cleveland, Fresno, New Orleans, Chester, and Memphis – all face serious issues, but with strengthened capacity to compete for resources (which this initiative will provide) these places can become models of innovation and progress.”

For more information on the Strong Cities, Strong Communities Initiative, visit here.

Transportation is a critical lifeline to opportunity – it’s what connects people to jobs, schools, housing, healthcare, grocery stores, and other vital services they need to thrive.

And yet, millions of low-income families, communities of color, people with disabilities, and seniors currently live in areas where transportation options are unaffordable, unreliable, or simply non-existent.

On Wednesday, July 13 and Thursday, July 14, over 40 local leaders from across the country will come together in Washington, D.C. for “Utilizing Transportation Investments to Expand Opportunity for All” to share their personal stories and visions for future transportation policy in America.

Traveling to the nation’s capitol from Alabama, California, Colorado, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Rhode Island, these are leaders of organizations that focus on expanding opportunity and promoting better health for low income people, communities of color, individuals with disabilities, and people in rural communities.

All of them have coalesced around three shared priorities for transportation investment:

• Improve access to affordable transportation options that promote mobility and health

• Expand economic opportunity to strengthen families and communities

• Foster accountability and focus on results

During the convening, this diverse set of leaders will speak about these priorities with Congressional lawmakers and Senior Administration officials who are in the midst of deliberations over the surface transportation authorization.

The event will take place at the Madison Hotel, 1177 15^th Street NW in Washington, D.C. The two-day schedule will be as follows:

Wednesday, July 13^th

8:30 a.m. –  Breakfast & Registration

9 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. – Program and Panel Discussions

Thursday, July 14^th

8:00 a.m. – Breakfast

8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. – Panel & Facilitated Discussions

For more information on  “Utilizing Transportation Investments to Expand Opportunity for All,” contact Janet Dickerson of PolicyLink at Janet@policylink.org, or Scott Simpson of the Leadership Conference Education Fund at Simpson@civilrights.org.

While Congress squabbles over the debt ceiling crisis, I am far more worried about the millions of low-income, mostly black and brown Americans who are hitting hard against the “Opportunity Ceiling.”

Every day, their potential is stunted and shackled by disinvestment and disinterest. The House budget plan – aka “The Ryan Budget” – would exacerbate that disinvestment, moving our nation even further from the equity-driven policies we will need to compete in tomorrow’s global economy.

By slashing programs like Pell Grants and YouthBuild, the Ryan budget would knock the legs out from under the next generation, denying them the skills and tools they need to be the leaders of tomorrow. These are long-term investments that ensure America will remain a global economic power. Without them, we are easily knocked off the path to economic stability and success.

As the nation’s demographic transformation accelerates and the face of America changes, our investments must evolve, too. We must nurture the minds and innovations of the 21st century. Our economy needs all Americans to be contributing to their fullest.

Thankfully, there are some ideas and models gaining bipartisan traction in Washington:

Promise Neighborhoods – We’ve seen the future, and it’s a six-year-old Latina girl and a 10-year-old black boy. Based on the model of the Harlem Children’s Zone, Promise Neighborhoods invest in their future by giving them the educational, health, and social support they need to succeed from cradle to college to career.

Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) - Investing equitably can be a key driver of economic growth. HFFI will help spur economic activity in low-income communities by boosting new supermarkets and farmers markets in needy neighborhoods. Not only will these markets serve as economic anchors, they will expand access to healthy food in communities hit worst by the obesity and diabetes crises.

Smart Transportation – Connecting tomorrow’s workforce to tomorrow’s jobs is crucial to making sure America’s economy is running at full capacity. There is a mismatch now between job centers and the workers needed by those job centers. Smarter transportation investments should create economic opportunity for all Americans – workers and business owners alike.

We cannot use the nation’s debt as an excuse for today’s leaders to pull up the ladder from tomorrow’s generation. We must give them the tools, skills, and investments they need to break through the Opportunity Ceiling.

UPDATE: Apparently, the Ryan Budget also declares that, well, reading isn’t so fundamental after all.

Earlier today, President Obama released his proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2012 which begins on October 1, 2011, putting forward an ambitious plan to grow jobs, boost the economy, and invest in a future where all Americans can prosper.

We are pleased that, in the middle of one of the most challenging fiscal environments to face our nation, the president has proposed resources to fund several priorities that invest in communities of opportunity across the United States.  Several programs and initiatives that PolicyLink and our partners have been working on include:

• $556 billion for a six-year surface transportation reauthorization, including $119 billion for transit programs over six years – more than doubling the commit­ment to transit from the prior reauthorization.
  
• $250 million for the Choice Neighborhoods program which focuses on transformative investments in high-poverty neighborhoods where distressed HUD-assisted public and privately owned housing is located.
• $150 million for the Promise Neighborhoods program to support effective community services, strong family supports, and rigorous comprehensive education reforms to improve the educational and life outcomes for children and youth in high-need communities.
• $150 million for the Sustainable Communities Initiative which helps communities develop comprehensive housing and transportation plans that result in sustainable development, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and increased housing near transit.
• $330 million for the Healthy Food Financing Initiative — with more flexibility given to USDA to use additional resources as needed – to bring grocery stores and other healthy food retailers to underserved communities.

“We thank President Obama for proposing critical place-based investments that will help expand access to opportunity in high-need areas across the country,” said PolicyLink President Judith Bell. “As Chair of the Equity Caucus at Transportation for America, we particularly applaud the president’s commitment to much-needed transportation and infrastructure improvements within these communities, and look forward to continuing our work with the administration and Congress on behalf of these efforts.”

The president’s 2012 budget request also proposes reductions in funding for such important community-serving programs as the Community Development Block Grant program and the Community Service Block Grant program.

PolicyLink will continue to advocate with partners for these and other programs that make a real difference in the lives of low-income people, communities of color, and working families across America. Stay tuned.

Photo by Linda Davidson-The Washington Post (Click photo for full slideshow)

Glenn Beck’s rally on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial wasn’t the only DC rally over the weekend.  Nor was it the most important.

More than 100 civil rights and religious leaders took joined together for an early morning gathering to remember Dr. Martin Luther King and the importance of the 1963 March on Washington. Wade Henderson of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, Rev. Al Sharpton of the National Action Network, and Imam Yahya Hendi of Clergy Beyond Borders all spoke eloquently of keeping Dr. King’s vision alive in our hearts, on the streets, and in the policy arena.

We then moved on to the day’s main event organized by Rev. Sharpton’s National Action Network, drawing more than 5,000 to rally and march to the future site of the Dr. King Memorial off the National Mall in that same hot DC August sun that greeted Dr. King’s followers in the March on Washington 47 years ago.

The rally featured NAACP head Ben Jealous, Janet Murgia of the National Council of La Raza, the head of several black colleges, labor unions and civil rights organizations, speakers from gay rights and farmers rights organizations..  The primarily African American rally filled the football field and bleachers of DC’s premier African American public school, Dunbar High School, before hitting the streets.  Contingents from Detroit to Mississippi, the black Teamsters, the historic black colleges, Delta Sigma Theta, and local residents from across Washington DC proudly cheered for the legacy of Dr. King and for the policy agenda of the nation’s first black President. Here were the real patriots.

Rev. Sharpton compared then and now in his speech.  How Dr King came to Washington hoping for a meeting with President Kennedy and in contrast today a black man sits in that same Oval office.  How march participants 47 years ago had to travel for hours in pain for lack of a rest room on the bus routes coming in from all directions, where today they could fly First Class on a plane if they had the means and stop in any restaurant they wanted to eat.

It was beyond heartening to stand where Dr. King would have been, calling for jobs, housing, income supports, immigration reform and the protection and expansion of civil rights for all. That spirit is the true legacy of Dr. King’s vision.

March with us for that vision on October 2nd at the “One Nation Working Together” March in Washington, DC. Go to www.OneNationWorkingTogether.org for details.