In Prison Reform, Money Trumps Civil Rights

Michelle Alexander had an interesting op-ed piece in the New York Times on Sunday, May 15th.

Michelle argues, rightly so, for a " a re-commitment to the movement-building work that was begun in the 1950s and 1960s and left unfinished."

.....Today, 2.3 million Americans are behind bars; the United States has the world’s highest rate of incarceration. Convictions for non-violent crimes and relatively minor drug offenses — mostly possession, not sale — have accounted for the bulk of the increase in the prison population since the mid-1980s. African-Americans are far more likely to get prison sentences for drug offenses than white offenders, even though studies have consistently shown that they are no more likely to use or sell illegal drugs than whites. 

Those who believe that righteous indignation and protest politics were appropriate in the struggle to end Jim Crow, but that something less will do as we seek to dismantle mass incarceration, fail to appreciate the magnitude of the challenge. If our nation were to return to the rates of incarceration we had in the 1970s, we would have to release 4 out of 5 people behind bars. A million people employed by the criminal justice system could lose their jobs. Private prison companies would see their profits vanish. This system is now so deeply rooted in our social, political and economic structures that it is not going to fade away without a major shift in public consciousness.

Yes, some prison downsizing is likely to occur in the months and years to come [because of the current financial crisis]. But we ought not fool ourselves: we will not end mass incarceration without a re-commitment to the movement-building work that was begun in the 1950s and 1960s and left unfinished. A human rights nightmare is occurring on our watch. If we fail to rise to the challenge, and push past the politics of momentary interest convergence, future generations will judge us harshly.

Her book - THE NEW JIM CROW: MASS INCARCERATION IN THE AGE OF COLORBLINDNESS

T4SJ Thank an Educator

Thank-A-Teacher for Social Justice  SFFS has nominated Linda Jordan of Mission High School in SFUSD for her amazingly successful work in getting African American high school students into college.  She has worked tirelessly and against the odds to create a curriculum for these students that others need to know about. 4th annual Thank-a-Teacher* for Social Justice Friday May 13, 2011     6-10pm DJ • Drinks • Community • Recognition A celebration of teachers for social justice, nominated by peers and our community!  This event is a fundraiser for Teachers 4 Social Justice. Bring a Teacher, Meet a Teacher, Come with a Teacher, Celebrate Teachers, Support Youth!!  * "teacher" is being used in its most generic sense.

Asilomar Conference

SF Freedom School will be offering a workshop at this conference

From a plethora of choices, Participants choose to attend only ONE workshop whose sessions are Friday night, Saturday (10-4 pm) and Sunday morning.  The rest of the time is social, keynote speakers and special readings.  The food and lodging are excellent at the Asilomar state park just South of Monterey, along the 17 mile scenic vista.

The Curriculum Study Commission announces the 60th Asilomar Language Arts Conference, scheduled for September 23-25, 2011.

The Asilomar Conference for English teachers has been in existence for 60 years.  Keynote speakers over the years have include the likes of Elizabeth George, Tony Hillerman, Billy Collins, Dorothy Allison and Dave Eggars. This year the keynote speakers will be Mary Roach and Arturo Munoz Vasquez. To find out more about Asilomar 60 go to curriculumstudy.org. There you will find information on how to register for the conference and much more about about its history and contribution to the field of English education. Be prepared to tell your story; the story of you as a teacher, the story of your students, the story of what is happening in education today. Join us at Asilomar 60 and become a part of history.

CAAAE Conference

"Taking the Courageous Conversation to the Next Level: Pedagogies and Practices for Successfully Reaching African American Students – Models of Excellence"

June 29 – 30, 2011
Center for Educational Research at Stanford (CERAS), Stanford University, Stanford, California
sponsored by the California Alliance of African American Educators, Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education and University of California, Los Angeles - Center X/GSE&IS

NOTE:  For the past nine years, the California Alliance of African American Educators (CAAAE) has offered summer institutes featuring some of the best and brightest researchers and practitioners from throughout the United States. Visit www.caaae.org for complete information. This tenth institute will be our final one. For the next ten years, the CAAAE plans to help districts, who send representatives to this year's institute, to apply the pedagogies and the practices that will help close the racial opportunity gap. This year's dynamic format is designed to signal that transition.

AUDIENCE: Teachers, administrators, professional developers, parents, support providers, school Board members, undergraduate and graduate students who work with African American students

COST: $300 (1 person – CAAAE financially current member rate; includes membership renewal from July 1, 2011 – June 30, 2012); $350 (1 person – non-CAAAE member rate; includes a 1-year CAAAE new membership from July 1, 2011 – June 30, 2012). This fee covers continental breakfast and lunch for both days, all sessions, presentations and resource materials.

REGISTRATION: please visit www.caaae.org for form, fill it out and mail it so it arrives by June 15, 2011.

Tucson's ethnic studies under attack - Doc showiing and discussion

Come to: The Power, Promise, and Politics of Ethnic Studies for a screening of Precious Knowledge and Q&A with the directors.

• Date: Thursday, April 14
• Time: 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
• Location: McLaren Building / Room 251-252 / USF Main Campus Map
• Free event

The documentary Precious Knowledge illustrates what motivates Tucson High School students and teachers to form the front line of an epic civil rights battle. While 48% of Latino students currently drop out of high school, Tucson High's Mexican American Studies Program has become a national model of educational success, with 100% of enrolled students graduating from high school and 85% going on to attend college. However, Arizona lawmakers are trying to shut the program down because they believe the students are being indoctrinated with dangerous ideology and embracing destructive ethnic chauvinism.

WATCH A TRAILER

The one-hour film will be followed by a moderated panel discussion on ethnic studies programs with audience Q&A. The panel will include the filmmakers and guests from the San Francisco Unified School District.
Event co-sponsored by the USF School of Education, USF Ethnic Studies, and San Francisco Unified School District