Many Differences, Linked Destinies: Targeted Universalism and Transformative Change

1. john a. powell Executive Director of the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race & Ethnicity Williams Chair in Civil Rights & Civil Liberties, Moritz College of Law Twin Cities African American Leadership Forum AALF V June 27, 2011 Many Differences, Linked Destinies: Targeted Universalism and Transformative Change

2. We can define opportunity through access • Opportunity includes access to • Education • Healthcare • Employment • Services • Healthy Food • Housing Opportunity

3. Opportunity is….

4. Low versus High Opportunity Areas Where would you want to live? It’s more than just a matter of choice

5. Where are opportunities situated? Opportunity in the Twin Cities

6. Eric Mahmoud, CEO of Harvest Prep and Best Academy • Schools exceeded the statewide average • Harvest Prep scored 77% in in reading • Best Academy African American boys scored 85% in reading • Reading gap has been closed and “reversed” in those schools Opportunity in the Twin Cities • Dr. Timothy Childs, TLC Education Foundation • Invited to the White House • Honored for mentoring program in the Twin Cities • Focuses on student achievement; linking education and technology

8. Source: Institute on Race and Poverty, 2007, “Access to Opportunity in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area” http://www.irpumn.org/website/projects/index.php?strWebAction=project_detail&intProjectID=64

9. Source: Institute on Race and Poverty, 2007, “Access to Opportunity in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area” http://www.irpumn.org/website/projects/index.php?strWebAction=project_detail&intProjectID=64

10. According to the IRP Twin Cities 2007 Opportunities Index… “The ‘lowest opportunity’ places are concentrated in the core and to the north in Anoka and Isanti Counties. The ‘highest opportunity’ places are concentrated in the suburbs along the I-494, I-394, North I-94, and South I-35 corridors.” Opportunity in the Twin Cities Source: Institute on Race and Poverty, 2007, “Access to Opportunity in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area” http://www.irpumn.org/website/projects/index.php?strWebAction=project_detail&intProjectID=64

11. 83% of the region’s Black population lives in the lowest and low opportunity areas • Less than 50% of Whites live in similar areas Opportunity in the Twin Cities Source: Institute on Race and Poverty, 2007, “Access to Opportunity in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area” http://www.irpumn.org/website/projects/index.php?strWebAction=project_detail&intProjectID=64

12. Opportunity A New Paradigm • Because opportunity differs depending on who a person is and how they are situated, having universal programs and targeted programs alone aren’t enough. Universal Programs Targeted Programs Targeted Universalism

13. This approach supports the needs of the particular while reminding us that we are all part of the same social fabric • Universal, yet captures how people are differently situated • Inclusive, yet targets those who are most marginalized • Example goal: Every school as a performing school • What does each school need to get there? • What does each student, family, teacher, community need? • What are their strengths and constraints? Targeted Universalism

14. Targeted Universalism recognizes racial disparities and the importance of eradicating them, while acknowledging their presence within a larger inequitable, institutional framework • Targeted universalism is a common framework through which to pursue justice • A model which recognizes our linked fate • A model where we all grow together • A model where we embrace collective solutions Targeted Universalism

15. The role of a leader is to • navigate the mismatch between opportunity and space • hear the concerns of people and feed information back to them in tangible ways • build and leverage power in the face of being a clear numerical minority Targeted Universalism & The Role of Leaders

16. As African Americans in the Twin Cities, how do you build power when you are such a small percentage of the population? Who makes decisions and who benefits? Leadership & Power Power Networks Leadership Self Communities Political Environment

17. You need leverage points • Light Rail • Sustainability Grant • You need coalitions • Mutually beneficial Leadership & Power

18. Tensions within own community/group vs. outside his/her own community/group Not distance the community from others but link to other communities Resist the trap of focusing particularly and wholly on one community Challenges of Black Leaders

19. Address issue at the right level • Too often institutional or structure issue addressed at individual or personal level • Enduring issues need enduring institutions • What are right resource streams for issue • Be inclusive • Church based leadership often exclude women Right Level

20. Leaders must be collaborators and connectors • Willingness to network with other movements • Ability to bring divergent actors together • Commitment for the long haul • Have a wide vision for sustainable advocacy/work • Leaders can change how we talk about race • Should not focus solely on disparities • The disparity model is limiting when talking about the racialization of poverty • Stress of poor White middle class • Fear of (White) middle class that welfare programs might be disadvantageous for them (that feeling of “what about us?”) Role of Leaders Source: Program for Environmental and Regional Equity

21. Counter the perception that social justice programs that take race into account are somehow inconsistent with treasured American ideals such as egalitarianism and meritocracy Tell a story with everyone in it Talk about values Role of Leaders

22. Connect with leaders from other communities to learn from each other and open a constructive dialogue between leadership of different communities Have knowledge of what is happening in other communities; this can inform work in one’s own community Recognize the importance of collaborative discourse Leadership & Coalitions Source: Walters, Ronald W.; Robert Charles Smith. African American Leadership

23. Build coalitions across racial groups and interests • Multi-issue and multi-constituency • Take up issues, but do not be defined by them • Be motivated by the unequal balance of power between the financial elite and everyone else Leadership & Coalitions Source: Program for Environmental and Regional Equity

24. History has left its mark, but we can and must intervene in segregated and inequitable landscapes to achieve a more promising future for all. Systems and structures can be changed. • To do this, we need to unmask how we got here—what policies, processes, assumptions historically shaped our experiences and opportunities? Where should we intervene, what resources can be leveraged? • Then, we need to challenge those policies, processes, assumptions, and develop new ones with equity as the overarching outcome. • These need to be developed in socially and racially inclusive, collaborative ways In Conclusion…

25. “America is woven of many strands. I would recognize them and let it so remain. Our fate is to become one, and yet many. This is not prophecy, but description.” -Ralph Ellison

26. www.kirwaninstitute.org www.race-talk.org Follow the KirwanInstitute