A Jobs-Centered Approach to African-American Community Development

This report explains that jobs are essential to improving African American communities. It identifies jobs as the backbone of community development and outlines a plan for the federal government to ameliorate joblessness within black communities. The plan has three components: the creation of public sector jobs, job training with job placement programs, and wage subsidies for employers

Proceedings From the First Annual Researcher/Practitioner Forum: The State of Research on Diversity in Philanthropy

This report summarizes the discussions that took place at the first annual Researcher/Practitioner Forum which was held on September 27 and 28, 2007 at El Pomar Foundation's Penrose House conference facilities in Colorado Springs, CO. The Forum was co-sponsored by the Council on Foundations, ARNOVA and the Foundation Center and was made possible by a grant from the Lumina Foundation. The first annual Researcher/Practitioner Forum brought together 25 researchers and foundation representatives to discuss the state of research on diversity in philanthropy

The Jobs Crisis for Black Men is a Lot Worse Than You Think

The problem of joblessness for Black men is on average three times worse than what is generally assumed. We typically assess joblessness based on the unemployment rate, but prime-age (ages 25 to 54) Black men's employment-to-population ratio (EPOP) lags the EPOPs of prime-age white, Latinx, and Asian men by over ten percentage points. Among prime-age men, Black men's EPOP is an outlier.The white-Black EPOP jobs gap is about three times the unemployment rate jobs gap during a period of moderately high unemployment. When we use the unemployment rate to understand joblessness for Black men, we grossly underestimate the problem, the harm it causes to Black communities, and the need for bold policy interventions. If we could close the white-Black EPOP jobs gap, we could add about $30 billion annually to Black communities and make a significant reduction in Black poverty.This report calculates the white-Black unemployment rate and EPOP jobs gaps during periods of "low," "moderate," and "high" Black unemployment. Using 2014 as the year for "moderate" unemployment, the analysis finds that for Black men to have a similar EPOP to white, Latinx, and Asian men would have required 947,000 jobs, 2.8 times the number to close the unemployment rate gap.A problem with the official labor market statistics is that they do not include the Black men who are incarcerated or allow us to evaluate the economic impact of the higher mortality rate of Black men. Prime-age Black men who are incarcerated or deceased still have children, family members, and partners who, under different circumstances, could benefit from their financial support. When one takes into account the incarceration and mortality rates of Black men, the EPOP jobs gap jumps to four times the unemployment rate jobs gap, and the income deficit approaches$50 billion a year.Addressing the prime-age men's white-Black EPOP jobs gap is one important step in building up the economic health of Black communities. Among the other steps are reducing the high incarceration and mortality rates of Black men

High Joblessness for Black Youth: More Than 500,000 Jobs are Needed

Black youth should have a higher rate of employment than white youth since they have a greater need to work. In general, Black youth have less wealth and a higher poverty rate than white youth. Black youth are less likely to pursue a bachelor's or advanced degree, and, if they do, they are more likely to drop out of college than white youth. Black youth are more likely to start a family before 25 than white youth. Unfortunately, because of antiblack discrimination in the labor market and other factors, Black youth work less than white youth. There is a very high rate of joblessness among Black youth relative to their white peers — higher than even that suggested by the unemployment rate. This high rate of joblessness sets many Black youths on a troubled path into adulthood, a path that will also cause difficulties for their children

Stick Shift: Autonomous Vehicles, Driving Jobs, and the Future of Work

More than 30 companies say they are just a few years away from introducing autonomous vehicles to the mass market. While it is unknown what the ultimate impact of autonomous vehicles will have on jobs, there is a possibility that there could be a relatively rapid transition. This is likely to cause significant pain in a number of communities, as well as exacerbate the losses of "good jobs," a category that includes some driving jobs. It would be prudent to strengthen our safety net and labor market to absorb a shock from autonomous-vehicle technology, as well as ensure that autonomous-vehicle technology is safe and reliable. This will be a challenge, given the recent change in the party controlling the executive branch, and its new secretary of transportation. Strengthening the unemployment insurance system, improving apprenticeship programs, making higher education more affordable, and committing to full employment can not only minimize the harm to displaced workers, but can provide them with opportunities that lead to fulfilling and economically sustaining jobs. This is good policy whether or not autonomous vehicles are around the corner

Barack Obama and the Ironies of Afrocentrism

On pourrait penser que Barack Obama, un homme noir américain ayant un père africain, serait positivement disposé à l’égard de l’Afrocentrisme, un mouvement social qui cherche à connecter les Américains noirs à l’Afrique sur le plan culturel. Mais au contraire, Obama est le défenseur d’une politique post-raciale et universaliste qui représente un défi fondamental pour la pensée raciale de l’Afrocentrisme. D’un autre côté, Obama a passé plusieurs années dans l’Eglise afrocentriste Trinity United Church of Christ, et partage aussi certaines idées soutenues par des Afrocentristes éminents. Cet article utilise des écrits et des discours d’Obama pour retracer ses interactions avec, et ses rejets de l’Afrocentrisme. Ce faisant, il présente les croyances et les idéaux respectifs d’Obama et de l’Afrocentrisme.One might assume that Barack Obama, a black American man with an African father, would be positively disposed to Afrocentrism, a social movement that seeks to connect black Americans culturally to Africa. But instead, Obama is committed to a post-racial and universalist politics that represents a fundamental challenge to the racial thinking of Afrocentrism. On the other hand, Obama spent many years in the Afrocentric Trinity United Church of Christ and has ideas that are in agreement with ideas held by prominent Afrocentrists. This article uses Obama’s writings and speeches to trace his interactions with and rejections of Afrocentrism. In doing so, it presents an understanding of the beliefs and ideals of both Obama and Afrocentrism

Foundation Growth and Giving Estimates: 2007 Edition

Foundation Growth and Giving Estimates is part of the annual Foundations Today Series of reports on foundation growth and trends in foundation giving. It provides a "first look" at 2006 giving and directions for 2007 giving, together with aggregated actual 2005 giving and asset figures for more than 71,000 grantmaking U.S. foundations

#BlackWorkersMatter

Asserting that Black lives matter also means that the quality of those lives matters, and economic opportunity is inextricably linked to quality of life. Decades after the Civil Rights Movement and the passage of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, structural barriers still hold back African Americans in the workplace.The authors of this report provide some broader context on the black jobs crisis, including its origins and effects; the particular impact of the crisis on African American women; the declining state of black workers and their organizations, particularly within the labor movement; and the implications of the twin crises of joblessness and poverty-level wages for organizing. This report also features examples of how black worker organizations are combining strategic research, services, policy advocacy, and organizing to help black workers weather the economic storms and improve the quality of jobs that are open to African Americans over the long term

Foundations Today: Growth and Giving Estimates, 2007 edition

Foundation Growth and Giving Estimates is part of the annual Foundations Today Series of reports on foundation growth and trends in foundation giving. It provides a "first look" at 2006 giving and directions for 2007 giving, together with aggregated actual 2005 giving and asset figures for more than 71,000 grantmaking U.S. foundations

Embracing Diversity: Foundation Giving Benefiting California's Communities of Color

A new analysis of grantmaking by 50 of the state's largest independent foundations finds that at least 39 percent of California-focused grants benefited populations of color. According to Embracing Diversity: Foundation Giving Benefiting California's Communities of Color, in 2005 alone, these 50 California-based foundations awarded a minimum of 2,700 grants totaling nearly $300 million to support health, education, social services, and other programs that serve ethnically or racially diverse populations