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AFRICAN AMERICAN FORUM ON RACE & REGIONALISM

AND THE

KIRWAN INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF RACE AND ETHNICITY

PRESENT A SYMPOSIUM ON

AFRICAN AMERICANS AND SMART GROWTH

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY, COLUMBUS, OH

FEBRUARY 6, 2004

MAY 22-23, 2003

The symposia engaged African American scholars, policy makers and racial justice advocates in a dialogue on smart growth and regionalism, transforming current policy debates and decision making as a means to address sprawl, economic disinvestments, environmental barriers, health and education disparities and concentrated poverty.  Interdisciplinary participants in the roundtable represented key organizations from around the nation including leaders such as AAFRR Co-Chairs john a. powell and Robert Bullard; Rev. Cheryl Rivera, Gamaliel; South Carolina State legislator, Rev. Joe Neal; Myron Orfield, Institute on Race and Poverty; Hattie Dorsey, Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership; Ponsella Hardaway, MOSES; Heaster Wheeler, Detroit NAACP; Maya Wiley, Center for Social Inclusion; Joe Brooks, PolicyLink; and Roger Clay, National Economic Development and Law Center. 

AFRICAN AMERICAN AUTHORS AND SCHOLARS ROUNDTABLE

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE RESOURCE CENTER

CLARK ATLANTA UNIVERSITY, ATLANTA, GA

APRIL 8-9, 2004

The African American Forum on Race & Regionalism joined the Environmental Justice Resource Center (EJRC) in convening an African American Authors and Scholars Roundtable.  EJRC convened the Roundtable focusing participants on a range of key issues including sessions on “Fair Housing, Residential Segregation, Black Suburbanization, Development and Spatial Mismatch,” “The Black Family, Enduring Racial Inequality, Equal Opportunity, Schools and Civil Rights,” “Health, Environment and Regional Transportation,” and “Black Politics, Wealth Creation, Economic Power, and Black Middle Class.”

Speakers included influential thought leaders and organizations including Carl Anthony, the Ford Foundation; Robert Bullard, EJRC; J. Eugene Grigsby, the National Health Foundation; Michael Stoll, University of California, Los Angeles; Lenneal Henderson, University of Baltimore; David Bositis, Joint Center or Political and Economic Studies; Joe. T. Darden, Michigan State University; Edward J. Blakely, New School University; and June Manning Thomas, Michigan State University.

HOUSING AND THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT MUST COME WITH IT

FAIR HOUSING ACTION CENTER OFFICES

BATON ROUGE, LA

DECEMBER 6TH, 2005

PURPOSE AND MEETING OVERVIEW

On December 6^th, 2005, the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center (GNOFHAC), the People’s Institute, the African American Forum on Race and Regionalism, the Center for Social Inclusion (CSI), the Poverty and Race Research Action Council and the Structural Racism Caucus, convened national and local groups to discuss ideas for long-term rebuilding strategies. The meeting focused on housing as a focal point for opportunity. Housing is central to the whether and how communities are connected to opportunity.  Also discussed the importance of developing a set of policies that focus on housing, education, and jobs, because these areas are interdependent. The group discussed long-term issues around housing as well as immediate concerns and their implications for long-term rebuilding strategies. National and local groups also discussed ways to increase coordination and alignment of work to achieve long-term policy goals, including ways national groups can better coordinate with, and support, local groups to ensure a fair and equitable rebuilding process.  Participants concluded by identifying next steps based on the discussion.

A WORKSHOP WITH LEADERS AND EXPERTS ON

RACE, SPACE, POVERTY AND EQUITY

CORINTHIAN BAPTIST CHURCH, HAMTRAMCK, MI

BETHANY BAPTIST CHURCH, DETROIT, MI

OCTOBER 3-4, 2005

The African American Forum on Race & Regionalism presents a workshop on Race, Space, Poverty and Equity in collaboration with the Council of Baptist Pastors, the Detroit Chapter of the NAACP and MOSES.  The workshops, presented on October 3-4, 2005, were entitled “Race, Space, Poverty and Equity. 

The Detroit Chapter is the nation’s largest NAACP chapter.  MOSES is a coalition of 65 faith based congregations in the Detroit metropolitan area.  The Detroit Baptist Pastors Council is a leadership coalition of the leading pastors in the Detroit area.  Participants in the two AAFRR workshops included ministers, civil rights leaders, governmental and city and state elected officials, educators and social justice activists.  Michigan politicos, Senator Deborah Stabenow and Rep. John Conyers, were among the federal elected officials participating on October 5, 2005.

Session presenters include Deeohn Ferris, African American Forum on Race & Regionalism; Carl Anthony, Ford Foundation; and Forum Co-Chairs, john a. powell, Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity and Robert Bullard, Clark Atlanta University Environmental Justice Resource Center.

THE AFRICAN AMERICAN FORUM ON RACE & REGIONALISM

IN COLLABORATION WITH POLICYLINK  - PRESENTS

A CONVERSATION WITH LEADERS AND EXPERTS ABOUT REGIONAL EQUITY 

AT THE SECOND NATIONAL SUMMIT

ON EQUITABLE DEVELOPMENT, SOCIAL JUSTICE AND SMART GROWTH

CONVENTION CENTER, PHILADELPHIA, PA

MAY 24, 2005

The African American Forum on Race & Regionalism hosted a session at the PolicyLink Summit on “Promoting Sustainable Metropolitan Communities.  This session held on May 24, 2005 at the Philadelphia Convention Center,  Philadelphia, PA. 

Session presenters include Carl Anthony, Ford Foundation; the three Forum Co-Chairs, john a. powell, Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity; Robert Bullard, Clark Atlanta University Environmental Justice Resource Center; and Angela Glover Blackwell, PolicyLink; as well as Heaster Wheeler, Executive Director of the Detroit Chapter of the NAACP; and Georgetown University Professor, Sheryl Cashin.  This collaborative endeavor was an outgrowth of an initiative by the African American Forum on Race & Regionalism.

CLEVELAND REGIONALISM PROJECT

THE AFRICAN AMERICAN FORUM ON RACE & REGIONALISM

ADVISES THE PRESIDENT’S COUNCIL ON

REGIONALISM AND AFRICAN AMERICANS IN CLEVELAND, OH

2005-2006

AAFRR is researching and advising the President’s Council in Cleveland, OH on the projected impacts of regionalism in the Cleveland metropolitan area.  The President’s Council is comprised of African Americans business owners, mayors in the region and other elected officials, faith-based and civil rights linfluentials, educators and academicians.  The study and policy recommendations encompass socio-historical, economic, housing, employment, transportation, minority business development, environmental and education factors impacting the African American community and the potential for equity based regionalism.  This is a groundbreaking initiative for the movement for regional equity.  It’s a breakthrough that puts Cleveland’s African American leaders at the forefront delving into regional approaches that have been tried elsewhere and what might work given the City’s history and culture.  In a February 12, 2006 article, the Cleveland Plain Dealer deemed AAFRR a team of “nationally recognized experts hired by the President’s Council.

AFRICAN AMERICAN FORUM ON RACE & REGIONALISM

AND THE

JOINT CENTER FOR POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC STUDIES

ANNOUNCE A COLLABORATIVE INITIATIVE IN 2006-2007

The African American Forum on Race & Regionalism and the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies are partnering on an initiative to engage, educate and inform African American leaders, scholars and experts about metropolitan sustainability and the development inequalities that arise in regional growth from the interrelationship between race, land use, environment, urban disinvestments and sprawl and how regional equity strategies can be deployed to overcome these barriers to opportunity for communities of color and low income communities. 

The project will convene and brief African American community leaders and experts, principally African American elected officials, whose job success is contingent upon redressing racial and social disparities in ways that provide opportunities for everyone.  Through a series of meetings and strategic publications, the partners are fostering meaningful involvement and inclusion of African American leaders in the decision-making process on growth and development policy issues and social and economic investments.