Opportunity Communities: How Do We Get to Empowerment?
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Transcript of Opportunity Communities: How Do We Get to Empowerment?
john a. powell
Executive Director, Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity
Williams Chair in Civil Rights & Civil Liberties, Moritz College of Law
Forum on Collaborative Solutions to Inclusive and Sustainable Community Economic Development
January 29, 2010 Yakima, WA
Setting the Context: Understanding how people are situated
within opportunity structures A new community development model
Institutions matter, but so do people…“Communities of Opportunity”Expanding our scope to the region
Strengthening Engagement and Empowerment
Opportunity includes access to:
Healthcare
Education
Employment
Services
Healthy food
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WASHINGTON Homeownership
Hispanics 42% African Americans 37% Asians 56% Native Americans 51%
Economic Hispanic buying power ranks high: 3.5% of state
total In 50 top markets for Hispanic buying power,
Seattle area ranked 29th, Yakima area ranked 43rd Workforce
Hispanic workers account for 82% of agricultural workforce
Undocumented Mexicans account for estimated 70% of seasonal agricultural labor force
Source: Amy Loftis, “Role of Hispanic Families and Businesses in the Economy of Washington State.” University of WashingtonFigures for 2000.
WASHINGTON, contd. Education
For 1998-2000, 16-24 yr old Hispanics who were HS drop outs was approx. 28%
Digital Divide In ‘98, Hispanic households half as likely to
own computer as white households, and 2.5 times less likely to have access to internet at any location (home, school, work)
Source: Amy Loftis, “Role of Hispanic Families and Businesses in the Economy of Washington State.” University of Washington.
Yakima School District: approx. 75% of students eligible for free and reduced lunch
Almost 50% of population (25 yrs and older) with less than a 9th grade education is Latino 5.4% is White
Latino median household income: $26,038 White median household income: $48,062
Latino unemployment rate: 20% White unemployment rate: 6.2%
8.8% of Latino households don’t own a car 7.1% of white households don’t own a car
Source: Census 2000, SF3. http://fairplan.u31.infinology.net/ESL/ESL_charts/Washington/Yakima%20County,%20Washington_SF3_Language.pdf
TRIBAL COMMUNITY
In 1997, American Indian population 2.2% of total population in Eastern region (1.6% of total state share of population)
Yakama ReservationTribal enrollment 9,600. Approx. 16,300
people live on or near reservationUnemployment BIA estimates 2003: 57%
28% of employed living below poverty
Source: Yakima County Coordinated Public Transit--Human ServicesTransportation Plan, 2007.
One community has no insurance and no
hospital down the street
Another community has no insurance but a
hospital down the street
Yakima County approx. 36% Latino Almost 30% of Spanish households are
“linguistically isolated” Rural population has limited access to
services inc. medical services Other Barriers: Language, cultural
differences, and staffing resources So, no hospital down the street, language
barriers, and living in overcrowded, substandard housingMajor health concerns: Lead poisoning,
respiratory illnesses, and pesticide exposure…
Source: Census 2000, SF3. http://fairplan.u31.infinology.net/ESL/ESL_charts/Washington/Yakima%20County,%20Washington_SF3_Language.pdf
A series of mutually reinforcing federal policies across multiple domains have contributed to the disparities we see today.School Desegregation
Suburbanization/ Homeownership
Urban Renewal
Public Housing
Transportation
Disparities in how federal government invested in people and in places….
11Source: Barbara Reskin. http://faculty.uwashington.edu/reskin/
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Adapted from the Aspen Roundtable on Community Change. “Structural Racism and Community Building.” June 2004
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…Some people ride the “Up” escalator to
reach opportunity
…Others have to run up the “Down” escalator to get there
People are impacted by the relationships between institutions and systems
But people also impact these relationships and can change the structure of the system
We need to think about how to connect people physically, economically, and socially.
We need a new model of community development…
It may not be an issue of connecting these structures so much as an issue of creating these structures first…
– Everyone should have fair access to the critical opportunity structures needed to succeed in life
– Affirmatively connecting people to opportunity creates positive, transformative change in communities
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– A systems response• Where are your key
leverage points?• What are the critical
intervention points?– Equity focused
• Creating a community for all
– Emphasis on strategic collaboration• Across multiple
domains– Opening pathways to
opportunity through engagement• People , places,
linkages
For more information, see our report “Pathways to Opportunity: Partnership and Collaboration for Revitalizing the Rosemont-Walbrook Neighborhood” available at www.kirwaninstitute.org
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Do opportunity structures in your community exist?
Are they responsive to community needs?
or
How to make opportunity structures and institutions responsive to our needs? How to create accountability?
Organizational capacity- building: Leadership and professional development Strategic planning Coordinated service delivery
Community capacity- building: Engagement and empowerment
The less resourced a community is, the more critical organizing becomes
Source: Manuel Pastor et. al. This Could Be the Start of Something Big. Cornell University Press. 2009. Page 47.
“Equitable regionalism affirms the need for every community to have a voice in the resource development and future of the region. It builds and sustains region-wide, collaborative institutions with inclusive representation and a common goal: improving the health of the whole and expanding opportunity for all people and communities across the region. Equitable regionalism requires comprehensive and strategic investment in people and neighborhoods.”
27“Regionalism: Growing Together to Expand Opportunity for All.” 2007. Summary report, pp. 1-2.
Regional model is relevant for rural communities too, not just metropolitan areas like Seattle
Linking Regional Equity values with clients “day- to- day” experiences:Focus on specific issues of opportunity or
inequality that have regional dimensionsEducate clients: develop “regional
consciousness”
“think tanks” Community development organizations Community organizers and advocates
Each of these has a special role in lifting up engagement and empowerment to encourage equity and growth at a regional scale “think tanks” Policy focus CDCs and CEDs Projects focus Community organizers Power in the
community focusSource: Manuel Pastor et. al. “Sustainable Advocacy for Fair Credit and Fair Banking.” Prepared for the Kirwan Institute December 2009.
Continue to develop regional coalitions among:
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CDCs
Local Governments
Philanthropic Institutions
Anchor Institutions
Business Community
CommunityAdvocacy
groups
Advantages of smaller community:Real opportunity to create strong leadership
infrastructureFewer stakeholders may make the coalition-
building process simpler to navigate in the beginning, and identification of key stakeholders easier
New metropolitan strategies focusing on housing, economic development, and workforce development
Different communities are situated uniquely with regards to institutional opportunity structures and social infrastructure
Building empowerment requires structuring social engagement to focus outwardly on the external community AND the region
Developing diverse, innovative partnerships provides the space within which to engage in a broader advocacy agenda that is “multi-issue”, “multi-place”, and “multi-race”
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