Racial & Economic Justice

Building a Green-Brown-Bridge

Recently I’ve been thinking about Barack Obama, Henry Louis Gates, Van Jones, and Greenbridge.

When tension around race comes up, our society has a really difficult time differentiating between individual incidents of incivility and patterns of bias. South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson thinks that an apology for his single act of disrespect is enough. But others see his “You Lie” comment towards the President to be part of a larger racial pattern questioning Obama’s authority. Henry Louis Gates saw being arrested in his own home in the light of a larger pattern of racial profiling. The police officer who arrested him thought he was just arresting a guy who threatened his authority.

Closer to home, Greenbridge and its developers continue to come under criticism for gentrifying Northside, and some attacks this summer called the Greenbridge developers racist. UNC-NOW and other Greenbridge critics see this project as a part of the larger pattern of African-American displacement in Chapel Hill. Not surprisingly, Greenbridge’s developers say they’re just one project impacting the neighborhood, and one that came relatively late to the gentrification party at that.

Peace and protest, justice and injustice: marking Chapel Hill's sacred space

[I read this entry by Chapel Hill Town Council Member Sally Greene on her blog and asked for permissionto cross-post it here. She graciously agreed. Tomorrow the Town will unveil the stone marker at Peace and Justice Plaza. =Ruby]

A little-known fact: grass used to grow around the flag pole in front of the old post office on Franklin Street. That's why those red brick pavers are there--as filler. It was only in latter times, probably since 1979 when the town purchased the property from the federal government, that the space was paved over.

Luckily for these four young men, it was grass during Holy Week in 1964 when they decided to fasten themselves to this place 24 hours a day, fasting in protest of the Town of Chapel Hill's refusal to pass a public accommodations ordinance.

Pat Cusick, LaVert Taylor, John Dunne, James Foushee (in the photo) and countless other activists will be remembered this Sunday at 3 p.m. as we unveil and formally dedicate the Peace and Justice tribute marker at the site we've named Peace and Justice Plaza.

NAACP School Board Candidate Forum

Thanks to MaryAnne for the tip.

Date: 

Monday, September 21, 2009 - 3:00pm

Location: 

St. Paul AME Church, Merritt Mill Road, Chapel Hill

Undocumented Immigrants in America: Access to Higher Education

Taken directly from the Parr Center for Ethics website:

Undocumented Immigrants in America:
Access to Higher Education

Public Discussion

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Thursday, September 10th, 2009


In light of the legal battles over immigration policy reform, a panel of experts explores the ethical dimensions of the debate and aim to reframe the discussion by highlighting the range of viewpoints on immigration reform, specifically targeting state policy on access to higher education and the DREAM Act, as a springboard into a discussion that identifies the range of factors that must be considered when formulating a position on this issue.

The resulting dialogue will promote a deeper understanding of the ethical issues surrounding immigration and the question of human rights, and encourage rigorous discussion for future personal and public policy decisions.

This event is coordinated in conjunction with UNC’s first year student summer reading book selection,"A Home on the Field," by Paul Cuadros, Assistant Professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. For a  further listing of related events  across campus this year, please visit:
http://www.unc.edu/srp.

Sponsored by the Parr Center for Ethics and the Center for Global Initiatives.

Location: FedEx Global Education Center, Nelson Mandela Auditorium
(Room 1015), 6:30pm
. This event is free and open to the public.

Parking: Free parking is available in the deck underneath the FedEx Global Education Center building. Access to the deck is off of McCauley St.


Opening Presentation:

A summary on current and past immigration legislation, by Irene Godinez, Advocacy Director of El Pueblo Inc.

Panelists:

Ron Bilbao, undergraduate student, founder of the Coalition for College Access

Paul Cuadros, Assistant Professor, UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication; author of A Home on the Field, the 2009 UNC Summer Reading Selection

Hannah Gill, Assistant Director of the Institute for the Study of the Americas at UNC-Chapel Hill

Robert Luebke, Senior Policy Analyst, John W. Pope Civitas Institute

Noah Pickus, Director, Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University

Niklaus Steiner, Director of the Center for Global Initiatives at UNC-Chapel Hill

Ron Woodard, Director of NC Listen

Moderator:

Deborah Weissman, Professor and Director of Clinical Programs, UNC School of Law

Date: 

Thursday, September 10, 2009 - 2:30pm to 4:30pm

Location: 

FedEx Global Education Center, Nelson Mandela Auditorium (Room 1015)

Chamber of Commerce Candidate Forum

Date: 

Wednesday, October 7, 2009 - 2:30pm

Location: 

Hargraves Center, Robeson Street, Chapel Hill

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