November & December, 2013 Activities and Events

Download: November and December, 2013 Activities and Events.pdf

View the revised 2013 Year in Review here.

On November 1st, Director john. a. powell presented the work of the Haas Institute to UC Berkeley’s Senate Committee on the Status of Women and Ethnic Minorities (SWEM). powell used this engagement as an opportunity to update the campus community of the Haas Institute’s progress, including cluster development and hiring; network building; and the development of the Inclusiveness Indices.
On November 4th, the Haas Institute hosted a conversation with Director john a. powell and Associate Director Michael Omi. powell and Omi engaged in a lively and thoughtful dialogue on the role of race in American society, discussing whether we are heading into a post-racial moment, and the growing levels of racial anxiety and their expressions.
On November 6th, Talks on Law featured Director john a. powell discussing race discrimination.
On November 12th, Assistant Director Stephen Menendian wrote a blog titled “Marriage Equality in the United States: A Visual Comparison of State Prohibitions on Same-Sex and Inter-Racial Marriage.” In his blog, Menendian observes a stark overlap between states that banned same-sex marriages as of January 2013, and states that banned interracial marriages in 1948. This piece has also been featured in our Fall 2013 newsletter.
On November 12th, Associate Director Michael Omi gave a talk on “The ‘Backstory’ to the Incarceration of Japanese Americans” at the Oakland Museum of California.
On November 18th, Associate Director Michael Omi gave a talk on "Rethinking Racial Formation" sponsored by the Department of Asian American Studies and the UC Center for New Racial Studies at UC Santa Barbara.
On November 18th, Director john a. powell spoke about corporate misalignment and the expansion of corporate prerogatives in higher education in Baltimore, Maryland. powell addressed students, faculty, and staff from The University of Maryland Baltimore Campus and the University of Maryland School of Social Work.
Director john a. powell published an article for Tikkun's fall issue on identity and spiritual politics. Tikkun is a magazine dedicated to healing and transforming the world. Read the article titled "Identity Politics and Spiritual Politics: Our Dance of Connection and Separation" here.
The case of Mount Holly Gardens v. Citizens in Action, Inc., et. al. settled before reaching the Supreme Court. The Haas Institute and the Warren Institute at Berkeley Law filed an amicus (friend-of-the-court) brief of 61 Housing Scholars in the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of the residents on October 28th, and published a press release on October 30th. The Haas Institute believes that the parties reached a good settlement addressing the concerns brought by the neighborhood residents and community.
The Haas Institute announced an opening for Network Coordinator, and posted it on Berkeley Jobs. The Network Coordinator is a key senior level hire responsible for helping build, foster, support, sustain and nurture network relationships, and carry out network efforts.
On November 22nd, the Haas Institute co-hosted Dr. Patricia Gurin, Ph.D., Nancy Cantor Distinguished University Professor Emerita of Psychology and Women's Studies, University of Michigan, to give a lecture titled "Engaging Diversity: More Important Than Ever.” In her lecture, Professor Gurin presented social science evidence on the educational benefit of diversity that has played a role in legal challenges to affirmative action. A book signing of her work, Dialogue Across Difference: Practice, Theory, and Research on Intergroup Dialogue, followed. A PowerPoint and video of the event can be found here.
The Haas Institute has been engaged with the Casey Foundation in a three-seminar series exploring philanthropic strategies for applying and integrating racial inclusion, defining the concept of strategic philanthropy and advancing research to measure access to opportunity structures. The first seminar focused on philanthropic integration of racial inclusion and analysis. The second seminar focused on targeted universalism, contextualizing opportunity mapping and concepts of access to opportunity structures therein represented. The final seminar of the series focused on defining strategic philanthropy in place-based strategies and further developed visualizations and measures of access to opportunity structures in the Atlanta area, the location of the hosting Casey civic site. Each of the seminars culminated with internal working papers for the foundation’s Center for Community and Economic Opportunity.
The Haas Institute released its Fall 2013 newsletter. The Institute’s second newsletter begins with a note from Director john a. powell and the Institute’s network vision. The newsletter then features detailed updates from the Institute’s seven research clusters, an extensive report on the Institute's fall activities, notable press releases from the fall, and various feature articles on some of the work and key projects the Institute has undertaken, including a piece on a new research initiative - the Haas Institute Inclusiveness Index. The newsletter also includes a new section, the Social Corner, which highlights the Haas Institute's summer field trip, an interview with Student Regent-Designate Sadia Saifuddin, and an inspiring Open Circle activity facilitated by Administrative Officer & Assistant to john a. powell, Veronica Hash.
On December 5th, Director john a. powell co-led a training with Rachel Godsil, Professor of Law at Seton Hall University, on how to recognize implicit bias and racial anxiety in the workplace. Invited to present for an audience of administrative judges at the District of Columbia Office of Administrative Hearings, powell discussed the issues judges must confront with peer perceptions and racial Othering.
On December 7th, The Haas Institute partnered with Oakland Community Organizations and others in the regional summit, "Work for All; Building an Inclusive Economy.” Leading up to the summit, the Haas Institute and partners facilitated a participatory survey design and action research process with leaders across the East Bay. Organizers surveyed more than 1,400 residents about economic opportunity, job quality, and barriers to employment. Leaders analyzed the survey findings and presented their analysis and set of proposals at the summit as a starting point for ongoing work on regional economic opportunity.
On December 7th, the Haas Institute’s Global Justice Program attended the 5th Biannual Conference of the US Human Rights Network, “Advancing Human Rights Agenda 2013: Dignity. Justice. Action,” which was held in Atlanta, GA between December 6-8th. The program director Elsadig Elsheikh and program fellow Nadia Barhoum presented a workshop with the Praxis Project titled “Food Fight: From local to international, engaging communities and redefining the Right to Food.”
On December 9th, Director john a. powell served in a consulting role for a workshop between Wells Fargo and the NAACP in New York City. powell facilitated a discussion on how structural inequality has been inherently linked to mortgage lending, feeding into contemporary problems with housing and credit.
On December 20th, the Haas Institute announced the launch of a major ongoing research initiative, the Haas Institute Inclusiveness Index, which holistically measures the degree of inclusivity or marginality experienced by different groups across societal settings and social cleavages, such as gender, race/ethnicity, religion, and sexual orientation. Read our full press release here.
Director john a. powell published a blog titled "Mandela's Work Is Our Own," honoring and remembering Nelson Mandela's work and vision. In his blog, powell shares how he came to know of President Mandela and the people who stood with him and embraced his vision. Read the full piece on the Berkeley blog here. You can also read the piece on our Haas Institute blog.
The Haas Institute published Director john a. powell’s lecture and PowerPoint from his presentation on November 18th, 2013 at the University of Maryland, School of Social Work. In his lecture, powell discusses Corporatization and Corporate Misalignment.
On December 17th, Hilary Hoynes, UC Berkeley Professor of Public Policy and Economics, and Distinguished Chair of the Haas Institute Economic Disparities research cluster, was quoted in an article in the New York Times titled "In the War on Poverty, a Dogged Adversary." Read the full piece here. Read more about the Haas Institute Economic Disparities research cluster here.
On December 18th, Director john a. powell presented as a workshop leader for the Hyams Foundation in Boston, Massachusetts. powell's interactive presentation focused on how structures and policies produce racialized outcomes, encouraging the audience to think about ways they can engage a structural racialization framework in their work. This presentation was a follow-up to his May 2013 session.