Philanthropy's Response to the Economic Crisis

For those of you tracking how philanthropy is dealing with the economic crisis, here is a link from the Foundation Center that gives detailed information on how our nation's largest foundations are addressing the issue.  In some cases, you will see how foundations are "scaling-up" as opposed to reducing the size and scope of their portfolio to meet the needs of communities.

Take a look at how the Atlantic Philanthropies, Open Society Institute and MoveOn.org are mobilizing to assist nonprofits impacted by the Bernie Madoff ponzi scheme.  

Future for Nonprofits

In the midst of great economic challenge, there is also great opportunity to reflect on the future of the nonprofit sector.  Many nonprofits are in defense mode trying to weather the current economic tsunami while also trying to sustain a level of social services needed in their communities.  Other nonprofits are looking at the current economic crisis as an opportunity to reflect on scale and scope and identify ways to improve efficiencies--both as an organization and as a sector. 

Holly Sidford, principal consultant for the Helicon Collaborative proposes looking at the "Five A's" to evaluate the viability of institutional change proposals for any nonprofit contemplating transformation.  They include: 

Analysis and Anticipation:  Is the organization planning based on good research and solid projections--including the loss of significant revenue?

Attitude:  Is the organization projecting forward based on opportunities or are they focused on challenges putting them in retrenchment mode?

Adaptability:  "Is there a track record of flexibility, seizing new opportunities, willingness to let go of what no longer works?  In other words, can the organization evolve?"

Articulation:  How clear and concise is the plan moving forward?  Does it have broad stakeholder support?  Are there genuinely new approaches and strategies in the plan?

Audacity:  Is the approach as bold as the situation? 

Social entrepreneurs are chomping at the bit to generate innovative approaches to long-standing social issues.  Strategies such as service and volunteerism as a major infrastructure piece to support health care, education, after school and anti-poverty initiatives is one of the many proposal currently out there to assure that services in communities can be scaled-up with more human capacity.  You can also see that Sidford's 5 A's borrow from free market, private sector approaches to conducting business.  

The long-term viability of the nonprofit sector--much like the private sector--will require vision, innovation and most importantly, a solid business plan!  

Holly Sidford's 5 A's were taken from the Arts and Culture Blog produced by the Cleveland Foundation.  

Tracking the Recovery Act

Sen. Jeff Bingaman's office offered up a quick tip for tracking opportunities through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, otherwise known as the Recovery Act.  We have all heard of the incredible amount of money being reinvested in our country to stimulate the economy, rebuild our ailing infrastructure and redefine how our government goes about doing its business. What is less known, however, is just how the Recovery Act impacts state and local governments and businesses wishing to carve out opportunities through the legislation.  Here are a couple of easy steps to tracking progress and opportunities through the Recovery Act:

Recovery.gov.  Recovery.gov will give you a detailed account of how your taxpayer dollars are being spent.  There are also useful links on the page that allow you to share your story and track state progress and resources available through the Recovery Act.  

Federal Department/Recovery.  Each federal department has its own Recovery page.  For example, you can type in www.doe.gov/recovery to see how the Recovery Act impacts the Department of Energy or www.dol.gov/recovery to see how the act is being implemented by the Department of Labor.  Most importantly, most of the department Recovery pages will link you to funding opportunities available for government agencies, nonprofits and small businesses seeking to do business with the federal government. 

Hope you find this helpful!  

Go Get the Gardener

Looks like your tax dollars to support U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is not exactly nabbing hardened criminals.  An editorial in today's LA Times sheds some light on some of our nation's misguided immigration enforcement efforts.  According to the article, U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested 96,000 illegal immigrants from 2003-2008.  The Bush Administration increased ICE's budget during this time period by 1,300% to apprehend more illegal immigrants with criminal records.  

Here's the problem:  Almost three-quarters of immigrants arrested did not have a criminal background.  According the report, most were apprehended for illegal entry into the country and ignoring deportation orders.  Most of the immigrants apprehended were working in low-wage service jobs and were posing no real security threat to our country (Unless you see missing aprons and dishrags as a threat to national security).  

We understand that ICE has an enforcement job to do.  However, they may want to re-think their approach to immigration enforcement.  How about deporting hardened criminals that are currently in U.S. prisons?  How about stricter enforcement of cargo entering our borders?  

The senseless raids of workforce sites throughout the country to deport waitresses, car washers and food service workers is not sound security enforcement policy.   

 

Mexican Enough??

I'm currently reading Mexican Enough by Stephanie Elizondo Griest which is part travel journal, part soul searching testimonial of the author's Mexican heritage.  In the southwestern US, there are generations of Latinos who never actually lived in Mexico, but yet identify with being Mexican.  When the U.S. plays Mexico in soccer, we don't know who to cheer for.  When Oscar de la Hoya fights, we don't know if we should be wearing a Mexican flag or an American one (although I think De la Hoya solved this by creating a U.S/Mexico tapestry).  With the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo at the end of the Mexican War, the border dividing the U.S. and Mexico shifted with the stroke of a pen.  Hence, the now infamous saying:  "I never crossed the border, the border crossed me."

In the southwest, most don't grapple with the issue of being biracial like Elizondo Griest.  We grapple with being bilingual and bicultural.  There is an entire generation of 30+ Latinos in the southwest that speak little or no Spanish at all.  The reasons for monolingual, English-speaking Latinos range from acculturation to American culture to sheltered family upbringings.  With all of the discrimination our parents faced (my dad always says that he had the Spanish 'beaten out of him' in school) there was little incentive for parents to subject their children to the same discrimination to preserve our native language.  

Culturally, I feel incredibly connected to my Mexican roots.  The food, the traditions, the dichos of our ancestors are pillars of life in the southwest.  However, there is a dire condition with our second and third generation Latinos:  The loss of language.  I can run down the list of my Latino high school and college friends and only a very small percentage of them speak Spanish.  Of those that actually speak the language, most learned Spanish in high school and/or college courses--not at home.  When asked if I'm fluent in Spanish, I always say that I am functionally fluent.  In other words, I can order food in a restaurant, ask where the bathroom is and engage in real basic conversation with native speakers.  

Losing the native language is troubling.  It feels like something is missing.  I find it particularly troubling when engaging in conversation with native-speaking youth.  When conducting a recent focus group with Latino youth, I had a young person ask me about my ethnicity.  I replied, Mexican-American.  He looked at me with a blank expression and said:  Then how come you struggle to speak Spanish? (He was critiquing my Barney Fife delivery of a research question in Spanish).  

This is something that many southwest Latinos struggle with as a result of Manifest Destiny. Our land was highly-valued, but our language and culture were not (It took almost 65 years for New Mexico to achieve statehood after the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo). 

So, we ask ourselves regularly:  Am I Mexican Enough? 

     

Our Shifting Values

Looks like the President's call to service is resonating with America's youth.  According to the Seattle PI, applications for volunteer organizations like Teach for America have seen a significant increase from the previous year.  According to the report, Teach for America saw a 50 percent increase in applications from one year to the next.  

The downturn in the economy along with the President's commitment to volunteerism are two factors that are driving young people to choose the nonprofit sector as an alternative to a career in corporate America.  

I think we are starting to see a fundamental shift in values to more of a community-centered, as opposed to an individual-centered focus in the job market.  This shift can be attributed, in part, to the economic conditions we are facing.  However, it also signals a cultural shift at the federal policy level with the rise of a community organizer to the executive branch of government.  We can see tangible results already from our federal government that service to the community is a a value that will remain constant throughout Obama's presidency.   

    

People are a Strange Species!

After facilitating a series of partnerships sessions I come to one resounding conclusion:  People are a strange species!  No matter how committed individuals are to a common goal, if relationships are not sound, true collaboration likely will never happen.  

One of the problems I encounter with relative frequency is that people will air out their interpersonal issues in a group space rather than confronting these issues one-on-one in a private space.  I find myself constantly managing these types of conflicts in facilitation sessions.  I think this happens because people will hold onto pent up frustrations and feel more confident airing them out in a group space.  I'm convinced most people do not like dealing with conflict one-on-one or directly with the person contributing to their angst.  

So, how do you resolve these types of interpersonal issues in a group space?  Unfortunately, there is no simple answer to this question.  One thing I try to do is set group norms at the beginning of the meeting.  I'll typically write:  "Confront issues, not people."  Dealing with issues and not the people contributing to them is a necessary step to mitigating conflict.  Once issues become personal, defense mechanisms kick in and the focus of the real issue becomes a moot point. 

A second strategy I use is to utilize meeting breaks to talk things out with individuals who are either unhappy with another individual or unhappy with the process.  People want the acknowledgement that their concerns are heard.  When appropriate, I try to set-up time offline where interpersonal conflicts can be worked out in a smaller, safer space.  Often times this little step can get our facilitation session back on track.  

These two strategies have worked for me in the past.  Now, do they always work?  Absolutely not.  People are a strange species.  Sometimes I walk away from facilitation thinking:  "I would much rather work with at-risk youth (I don't really like the term "at-risk") than at-risk adults!" In youth development work, adults tend to get in the way to real progress more than youth do. However, you need passionate, caring adults to be role models for our young people. 

Even though people--specifically adults--can be a strange species, simple facilitation strategies such as setting group norms and addressing concerns during breaks can help keep a session on track.  

Frank Mirabal is the Founder and President of Contigo Research, Policy & Strategy, a national consulting firm that focuses on issues impacting the Latino community.

 

           

Valentine's Day Ideas

I don't know about you, but a box of chocolates for Valentine's Day shows little creativity. After the initial sugar rush, I begin to wonder who I could give the remaining 99 treats to.  His and hers massages?  Done that.  Roses?  Nice for about a week and then they die.  So, I'm thinking what would be something creative to give that special someone on Valentine's Day that would have a lasting impact?  Here are a few ideas I came up with:  

Investing in others.  One of the best ways to fight poverty worldwide is investing in microenterprise.  Organizations like the Grameen Foundation and Kiva connect social investors with global entrepreneurs.  Microfinancing helps support income generating businesses that can lift families out of poverty and become self-sustaining.  

Give of yourself.  Your significant other probably has a cause that he/she is passionate about.  Show how much you care by lending your time and talent to support a social cause in your community.  Whether you volunteer at a local food bank, a school, a community-based organization or an after school program, your contribution will uplift others and endear you even further to that special someone.

Release your inner philanthropist.  Celebrate the holiday by hosting a dinner or cocktail party for close friends and family.  The catch is invited guests must make a charitable contribution to a specific cause.  You get to spend valuable time with loved ones while contributing to a greater good. 

Make Valentine's Day MEANINGFUL and MEMORABLE.  Invest in others; give of yourself and release your inner philanthropist.  

   

  

   

The Economic Benefits of Volunteerism

Frank Mirabal is the Founder and President of Contigo Research, Policy & Strategy, a national consulting firm that focuses on issues impacting the Latino community.

President Obama's economic stimulus plan is dominating the headlines this week.  As part of the plan, approximately $200 million is targeted to support service and volunteerism initiatives. The question you may be asking yourself is: "Why is a significant chunk of taxpayer money earmarked for volunteerism programs given the current economic climate?"  Aside from the obvious benefits dedicated volunteers provide to our communities, volunteerism can also be a driver for greater economic mobility.  Here are a few reasons why Americans should support service as a strategy for greater economic mobility:

Educational Incentives.  Volunteerism programs, such as AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps VISTA provide education awards in exchange for a minimum of one year of service to the community. The correlation between educational attainment and income are well documented. Furthermore, one of the major barriers to young people attending college is money. Conversely, education awards provide necessary financial support to students in need.     

Expanded Networks.  Service and volunteerism programs allow young people to expand their social and professional networks.  This is particularly relevant for minority groups, such as Latinos who are highly concentrated in low-wage, low-skill jobs.  To illustrate this point, when I needed a job to pay my college tuition, I turned to my father to see if he had any connections to help me out.  A lifelong meat cutter, his social and professional networks were limited, so I ended up working for minimum wage at a meat packing plant.  Volunteerism strategies, such as service-learning and internships allow young people to connect with professionals that provide valuable academic and career mentorship.  By connecting with career professionals, young people can increase their social and professional capital.   

Career Tool Kit.  Strong volunteerism programs cultivate our future workforce through training and professional development.  Volunteers develop critical thinking, teamwork, problem solving and other transferable skills that extend well-beyond their term of service. Targeted skill development is essential in achieving greater economic mobility, specifically for underrepresented groups.  

Pipeline to Jobs.  Volunteerism allows employers to audition potential employees at little to no cost.  It provides cost savings to the employer and allows volunteers to explore career interests while gaining valuable on-the-job experience. 

With all the economic benefits of service and volunteerism, the real question becomes:  "Why only $200 million?"        

     

No Cheese Sandwiches!

Mothers from Wilson Middle School in Albuquerque have found their voice in the civic process. Fighting a controversial measure that singles out students living in poverty, the mothers as they are affectionately called, are mobilizing in opposition to the existing school lunch policy. Under current district policy, students with a delinquent lunch account are offered a cheese sandwich, a beverage and a fruit or vegetable.  Albuquerque Public Schools high school students can charge up to two meals, middle school students up to five, and elementary students up to 10 before they receive the alternate meal.  Opponents to the policy say it unfairly penalizes students for parent transgressions.    

Parent involvement in school policy is not that uncommon.  For generations, PTA groups have shaped district-level policy. However, strong PTA groups usually reside in well-funded, economically advantaged neighborhoods. Wilson has struggled with parent involvement in a school district where approximately 98% of the student population is living at or below the poverty line. 

What makes the mothers from Wilson Middle School so unique is that they are finding their civic voice for the first time. Through the Elev8 NM initiative, an initiative of the New Mexico Community Foundation, parents at Wilson are given basic skills to become strong advocates for their students.  Parents learn basic parenting skills, develop employability skills and are trained in the art of community organizing.  Program data suggests that their parent involvement efforts are paying off.  Wilson Middle School has grown their parent involvement component significantly.  There are currently 84 parents who volunteer at Wilson, which has a population of roughly 500 students.  Research demonstrates that parental involvement is one of the greatest indicators of student success.

Close to 1000 signatures from community members and students have been collected by the mothers in their first major community mobilizing effort.  They've followed this up by attending every APS School Board meeting since January 5th to get the Cheese Sandwich policy repealed.  Many of them had never set foot in an official meeting before.  But, here they were in unified opposition to a policy that directly impacts their families.   

On Monday, the mothers will see the impact of their efforts.  The APS School Board convenes on January 26th to see if a compromise to the controversial policy can be reached.  However, a large victory has already been won.  The muted voices of the mothers now have timbre and resonance.  They have a newfound confidence that they can be change agents in their schools and in their communities and will use this confidence to fight injustice in the neighborhood.    

  

          

The Day After Christmas

Well, history has been made.  The celebration was legendary.  Many of us are suffering from the inauguration hangover (minus the consumption of cocktails).  To sum it up:  It feels like the day after Christmas.

Much like Christmas, the anticipation for yesterday's inauguration was reminiscent of my daughter's beckoning to open gifts.....3 weeks before Christmas Day!  There were many highlights to remember from President Obama's reference to the ground that has shifted beneath us to the infamous line by Rev. Lowery:  "When black is not asked to go back; when brown is asked to stick around; when yellow can be mellow; and when red can get ahead' (I'm paraphrasing here so bear with me).  Again, in true Christmas spirit the celebration was tempered with:  "We really got some work to do tomorrow!"

So now it begins.  The shiny new toys have aged a day.  The 365 day countdown begins for next Christmas and the reality has set in that we have some major challenges to deal with.  

I wonder how President Obama feels today?    

   

Martin Luther King, Jr.

........I've seen the promised land...I may not get their with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land!--Martin Luther King, Jr. 

I get the chills every time I hear Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Mountain Top speech.  The raw emotion coupled with the prophetic vision of that speech reverberates with the same clarity today as it did on the day it was delivered.  On the eve of an historic presidential inauguration, it is only fitting that we reflect on the legacy of King and his vision of a morally and socially just society.  

To me, Martin Luther King, Jr. was the most powerful orator this nation has ever seen.  His ability to use his voice as an instrument of justice--moving from the soft and reassuring to a crescendo of absolute anger of injustice--made him one of the most persuasive speakers of our time.  Aside from his words, King's commitment to Ghandian methods of non-violent protest channeled a collective anger into a focused commitment for social justice.  

The 60's images of peaceful demonstration in the midst of utter chaos have left a permanent imprint on my psyche.  I often wonder if I could've turned the other cheek like other King followers did in the midst of all the hate.  I recall the now famous scene at the diner where a protester has a milkshake hurled at him or the scene where innocent protesters were doused with a fire hose. Would I have been able to keep the same commitment to peaceful demonstration in those circumstances?  An eye for an eye is the doctrine most live by in the 'hood.  With that said, the fact that King was able to harness the collective anger brought on by the historical wounds of slavery makes his story even more legendary. 

Today, people have been called to service to honor Martin Luther King's legacy.  Faith-based institutions, community-groups, school children and their families will mobilize in record numbers to beautify parks, feed the homeless, provide clothing to those in need and to lend a helping hand to our nation's elderly.  The MLK Day of Service is a fitting tribute to a man that valued service to others as the greatest gift you could possibly give.  Through service and volunteerism, we are the keepers of King's legacy to lift others up through our deeds.  

Tomorrow, as President Obama takes the oath of office, I have a feeling Martin Luther King, Jr.'s spirit will be with our 44th president at the mountain top.  The promised land still awaits. However, we as a people will get there through dedicated service and a commitment to keeping King's vision for a morally and socially just society alive.     

    

Consultant Corner: The Powerful Force of Youth Civic Engagement

Frank Mirabal is the Founder and President of Contigo Research, Policy & Strategy, a national consulting firm that focuses on issues impacting the Latino community.

One thing we learned through the 2008 Obama campaign was the importance of youth engagement.  The mobilization of our nation's youth through advocacy groups like MoveOn, through social utilities like Facebook and through serious grassroots campaigns engaged young people in the civic process like never before. Youth voice is critical in any democracy because it provides a Socratic questioning of our nation's policies and provides a necessary idealism that counters adult bar
rier-driven thought.  In other words, youth voice has a specific resonance that cannot be reproduced by adults (because we have been somewhat jaded through our encounters). 

Nationally, youth have played a critical advocacy role in immigration reform and the Dream Act. In 2006, young people turned out in record numbers in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York to voice their concerns over immigration and the unfair treatment of immigrants. In 2007, over 300 youth from 15 states advocated for the Dream Act on Capital Hill.  Grassroots campaigns for the Dream Act also turned out significant numbers of youth.  Although immigration reform and the Dream Act did not pass, the sheer volume of youth turnout at rallies nationwide signaled a shift in youth civic engagement.   

Locally, youth in my home state of New Mexico have mobilized for; the protection of water rights on tribal lands; comprehensive sex education in our public schools; the expansion of School Based Health Centers; and for increased appropriations for engaging after-school programs.  Through effective mobilization, youth in New Mexico have been a major force in the passing of the Next Generation Act--a 2 million endowment that funds positive youth development programming; the expansion of School Based Health Centers (SBHCs)--the number of SBHCs in New Mexico doubled in 2006; and the Youth Alliance Act--which promotes youth voice and requires by state statute that the Lt. Governor and Governor meet with youth-led advocacy groups at-least once per year to hear their policy agenda.

Young people are often criticized for their need for immediate gratification--whether it be through material possessions or an insatiable need to be entertained.  Some of the criticisms are justified (our nation's young people have one of the highest obesity rates in the world).  However, young people are awakening from their civic slumber (as evidenced by the Obama campaign). In fact, youth volunteerism is growing at a much faster rate than any other segment of our national population.  Youth voice is necessary to balance our democratic process.  It is also a critical component--although often overlooked-- to any community-building, policy and advocacy strategy.  

The revolution will not be televised.......It will be You Tubed, Facebooked, mass emailed and text messaged.  And guess who will be leading the charge?      

  

Consultant Corner: Why Facilitation is Important in Complex Partnerships

The news continues to be grim:  Many nonprofits will not survive the current economic crisis. Others will have to scale down their offerings to the community or will have to partner with other organizations to meet the growing needs.  Even before this recent wave of economic downturn, the pervasive culture in the nonprofit sector is one of competition for limited resources which adversely impacts collaboration and partnership development.  The reality is one organization alone cannot effectively meet the needs of a community.  However, partnerships can be incredibly difficult to manage and sometimes are not very efficient.  Hence, the need for an outside facilitator.  

The most common issue encountered in complex partnerships--or any partnership for that matter--is communication.  How do you get individuals to share information and be transparent about individual goals and objectives in the context of the broader partnership?  It begins with building relationships and trust.  A skilled, objective facilitator can navigate this process by providing a space conducive to disclosure and relationship building.  The key is to have a facilitator that doesn't have a horse-in-the-race.  An objective voice that can focus on the issues and not the people involved can help move stagnation based on personality conflicts to shared understanding and collaboration.  Not to say that it is easy.  Often times there is historical conflict that permeates deep into the institutions that individuals represent.  In extreme cases, it is important to acknowledge the wounds of the past, but quickly get to a plan for restorative justice.

Second, facilitation can help to document the process of partnership development by defining goals, timelines and key outcomes that are agreed upon by the team.  Invariably, organizations and/or individuals enter partnerships with their own goals in mind.  Some people refer to this as an agenda.  It is incredibly important to invest in the planning of mutual goals and objectives and defining what group success looks like.  Clarity in the plan, specifically around how many people need to be served; hours of operation; identifying space for activities; clear roles and responsibilities and how resources will be distributed will help in the overall management of the partnership.  Also, the documentation of the partnership will allow decision makers to reflect on past thinking when issues arise (document, document, document!)  When partnership amnesia occurs, the documentation provides a history of how decisions and agreements came to be.  

Finally, an independent facilitator allows partner organizations to share leadership and decision making in a fluid way.  Typically, a lead agency assumes leadership in partnership/coalition building which automatically sets the tone for uneven distribution of decision making.  The lead agency is viewed as the authority and not a partner in this type of design.  With an outside facilitator, all agencies are active participants in goal setting and decision making processes which engenders greater trust and builds relationships on equal ground. 

Facilitation is not an exact science.  Make sure you take the time to get referrals for quality facilitation services.  Unfortunately, bad facilitation can set you back even further, so make sure to make informed decisions when choosing a facilitator.  

    

  

 

  

Latino Parent Involvement

One of the greatest indicators of student success is the involvement of parents in their child's education.  There is a broad range of parent involvement from very passive strategies, like showing encouragement to more engaged strategies, like assisting with homework and being actively involved in the PTA.  Moreover, there is evidence that parent mobilizing--based off of traditional community organizing models--have been effective in changing school, district and even statewide educational policies. 

Recent focus groups that my colleague and I conducted with Latino high school and college students suggest that Latino parents tend to be involved with their child's education in a more passive way.   Most of the responses we received from students indicate that parents are passively involved by showing encouragement to their students--meaning that parents give positive reinforcement when their children are performing well and give tough love to their children as a way of corrective action when they are not performing well.  When asked if (Latino) parents were providing help with homework or involved in a more engaged way the most typical response was "no."  So, what is the reason behind a general lack of engaged parent involvement?  The language barrier.

Most of the students we interviewed had monolingual, Spanish speaking parents that had difficulty interpreting homework assignments and correspondence sent home by the school. However, the most significant barrier to engaged parent involvement cited by students was the absence of Spanish speaking teachers and administrators at their schools.  One student suggested:  "My mom really would like to be involved at my school, but she has a hard time communicating with the teachers there.  They don't understand what she is saying, so she just stopped going (to the school)."  

Obviously, there are many other barriers to engaged parent involvement, such as stricter district-level school security measures; overwhelmed parents working 2-3 jobs to support their families; a failure of some Latino parents to learn English; and parental apathy.  However, the issue underscores the need to have more bilingual educators and administrators, specifically in schools with traditionally large populations of Latino students.  In line with President-elect Obama's plan at merit-based teacher pay, we need to look at providing incentives for bilingual educators and administrators to work in high-density Latino schools.  Even further, we need to promote bilingualism for incoming teachers entering our post-secondary institutions.  The Latino population in America is growing at an astounding rate.  This coupled with a global economy, places greater need for bilingual and multilingual workers.

So, hopefully we do not lose sight of the need for more bilingual educators as we seek to reform our public education system.  

    

No Child Left Behind????

As the auto industry rides into D.C. seeking yet another tax payer line of credit, the temperament of the American public for corporate bailout grows increasingly thin.  An article in today's NY Times describing the deplorable health conditions and relative lack of concern from our government to provide meaningful support to Hurricane Katrina victims 3 years after the fact only exacerbates public discontent.  What about these forgotten youth who are trying to find even the slightest bit of normalcy in their lives?  Has our collective short-term memory allowed us to forget that if we are going to bail anyone out shouldn't we be focusing on the innocent victims of this recent natural disaster?  

If we don't respond to the critical health care needs and provide a basic safety-net for victims of Katrina, like the article suggests, "what you're looking at is our future juvenile justice--our prison population.  According to a study by Columbia University, 42 percent of the children who lived in trailers laced with dangerous levels of formaldehyde had allergic rhinitis or an upper respiratory infection.  Additionally, more than half of children ages 6-11 had a learning problem, yet had to wait as long as 2 years to be tested for learning disabilities.  

 No Child Left Behind!!??

Musical Chairs

With Gov. Richardson officially being named as the Commerce Secretary designate, we can cue the music and begin the musical chairs.  Soon-to-be Governor Diane Denish will take the first vacant chair, holding in hand a bill for $500 mil left by the soon-to-be former Governor of New Mexico.  After a brief pause in the music, the shuffling will continue for the next available chair:  Lt. Governor. The names being circulated in ubiquitous fashion are State Auditor Hector Balderas and Mid Region Council of Governments official Lawrence Rael.  Once the music resumes, there will be a host of other participants vying for seats in the new administration from Chief of Staff down to the vacant seats left behind by those seeking to move up the ranks in State Government.  

Like any dance, this one also has a sequence of steps.  First, exactly when will Gov. Richardson vacate his post?  Will he resign early much like President-Elect Obama did with his Senate seat?  Can soon-to-be Governor Diane Denish begin to build her team now or will it have to wait until the dawn of the legislative session, which begins on January 20th--otherwise reserved in the public consciousness as the official start of the Obama era.  

Cue the music........this dance could last awhile!

 

Richardson: Secretary of Commerce?

The buzz on the blogs and on the hill is that Gov. Bill Richardson will become the new Secretary of Commerce in the Obama Administration.  The first high-profile Latino to be leaked as a potential executive in the new administration, President-elect Obama and his transition team are putting together the political equivalent of the gold medal winning "Redeem Team."  Next up---Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton as Secretary of State.   

Now, the Secretary of Commerce post is largely viewed as a second-tier appointment typically reserved for generous campaign donors from the business community.  Until I saw the job description on CNN, I really had no clue what the job entails.  The day-to-day rigors aside, in Bill Richardson the Obama Administration will get a seasoned administrator with foreign policy and economic development chops that should prove to be beneficial in promoting international trade.  

What's next for New Mexico?  If this speculation about Richardson is true, Lt. Governor Diane Denish is more than prepared to take the reins of executive leadership in the state.  Lt. Governor Denish has been an absolute gem to the youth development community championing early childhood education, service and volunteerism, affordable and accessible health care for all and workforce development through her leadership as head of the New Mexico Children's Cabinet.  While Richardson has been knee deep in national politics, Denish has been the steady hand at the wheel of state politics for the last year and a half.  The transition to a Gov. Denish administration should be relatively smooth.  

It will be interesting to see the sequencing of events if Gov. Richardson formally gets offered the job early next week.  According to CNN, some of the Obama cabinet appointments could take as long as May 2009 to confirm.  With that timeline, who will oversee the New Mexico State Legislative Session that will begin in late January?  If Gov. Richardson accepts the offer and assuming that he gets through the rigorous vetting process, will he resign as Governor early to ensure a smooth transition to a Denish administration?  

This domino effect currently leaves our state with more questions than answers.  But the excitement in the building of the "Redeem Team" and the hope of a new leader in state politics that cares about our greatest assets--our youth make the anticipation almost unbearable.      

Si Se Puede! Yes We Can!

Fear can be extremely powerful, leaving those in the shadows feeling helpless and searching for answers.  But, what we found out on November 4th was that hope and optimism are much more powerful.  The people have spoken by casting their ballots in record numbers and the winner is: Barack Obama.  

People were dancing in the streets, weeping without caution and generally feeling intoxicated by the magnitude of this historic event.  So why was this presidential victory so significant? Have we apotheosized Obama to the point there is just too much collective weight on his shoulders?   

Here are a couple of reasons why this victory was  significant.  First, for every Latino, African American, American Indian, Asian American and any other minority group who has felt disenfranchised by our government, the most unbreakable institutional glass ceiling in America was shattered to pieces.  For those who felt that the dream of being President of the United States of America was the unattainable dream---there is now hope.  I can now look at my Mexican-American daughter and say:  "Mi hija, someday if you work really hard, you can be President of the United States"--and mean it.  For those who have been through the struggle there is a beacon of hope.  For those that have not been through the struggle--you may not understand. 

Second, this election demonstrates that "bottom-up" really does work.  Gone are the days of being "parented" by our government and accepting things as they are because we feel that we can't make a difference.  It took me my entire adult life to come to grips with the power of the vote.  I approached politics and the political process with cynicism because I honestly felt that my vote didn't really matter.  Those that were in power were going to preserve their power and influence and there wasn't much I could really do about it.   I remember having a conversation with a friend of mine who left the country to do political work in Bolivia.  My question to him was:  "What motivated you to leave the U.S. to organize in Bolivia?"  He looked at me, gathered his thoughts and said: "People in the U.S. will complain about paying $4 a gallon for gas, but do nothing about it."  "In Bolivia, people will take to the streets and take up arms if they have to for what they believe in."  Now, taking up arms is a little radical for someone like me who prefers Ghandian methods, but the point was well taken. "Don't complain if you're not gonna be part of the solution."

At minimum, this election has elevated the hopes and dreams of those who felt left behind by government.  President-Elect Barack Obama faces some steep challenges for sure.  Can he really change Washington?  Only time will tell.  One thing is for sure, he cannot do it without the same groundswell of concerned citizens that helped him get elected to office.  There is also a significant debt of gratitude that we must pay to Martin Luther King, Jr., Cesar Chavez, Malcolm X and all of the other trailblazers of the Civil Rights Movement who lit the incandescent flame that has guided us to greater equality.  We are not quite at the "mountain top" yet.  But, the panoramic view from where we currently stand is breathtaking to say the least.                 

Elimi(hate)

On Halloween, trick or treaters dressed up in their scariest garb trying to heighten fear in those poor souls distributing candy at doorsteps.  In southern New Mexico, a six foot plus African-American presidential candidate has elicited a certain fear in at least one high-ranking GOP official in Alamagordo.  Seems like Marcia Stirman who heads the Republican Women of Otero County is in a little hot water for calling Sen. Barack Obama a "Muslim Socialist" in a letter to the editor published in the Alamagordo Daily News.  Not deep enough, Stirman takes a few more digs by saying: "I believe Muslims are our enemy."  Even more troubling is the fact that Stirman goes on to say that she has received about 700 calls in response to her letter and that three fourths of them have been "positive."  Guess what, now I'm really scared!

These are the same racial tactics I discussed in a previous post.  Once again, ignorance is alive and well and fear mongering is at the heart of a pathetic GOP strategy.   And guess what, the uninformed electorate takes the bait hook, line and sinker.  I had a conservative Christian recently tell me:  "I would never vote for that Muslim Obama."  I tried to set the record straight on Obama's spirituality and this individual was completely uninterested--not even trying to hear a word I was saying.  You wanna know why?  Because they feel empowered to vilify those that are different from themselves.  It's like trying to tell a 5 year old child that there is no Santa Claus.  Everything they have been told to this point is now in question and it feels unsafe.  Even worse, they don't see themselves as guilty of discrimination without any basis or facts. Ask these same individuals to give you the basic tenets of either the Muslim faith or socialism for that matter and you'll get the same exact blank look.

We must take hate out of the debate.  We must ELIMI(HATE)