Obama, race, and white privilege

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Tuesday July 08, 2008 · 2:00 PM PDT

2008/07/08 · 14:00

I work for a national nonprofit called Everyday Democracy, and we're busy these days. For more than 15 years, our organization - formerly known as the Study Circles Resource Center - has helped communities organize large-scale, inclusive dialogues about racism and then take action to create positive changes in the ways their communities address race. But this year is proving to be one of our most fruitful years ever, as news headlines (Barack Obama's success, the Jena 6, the Rev. Wright saga) and media events (like the recent PBS film Traces of the Trade) have more people than ever ready and willing to talk about race.

If this is an area of special interest to you, I invite you to check out our anti-racism resources at Everyday Democracy, as well as our DemocracySpace blog, which is becoming a hotbed of civil, nonpartisan discussion about issues of race. Read below the flip to learn about some recent thought-provoking posts, as well as an upcoming (July 23) online discussion of some subtle ways white privilege stands in the way of real racial progress in our country.

DemocracySpace

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Wednesday June 11, 2008 · 9:06 AM PDT

2008/06/11 · 09:06

If you live in Colorado, and especially if you have a keen interest in working for greater racial equity and more inclusive government, we invite you to check out Everyday Democracy's national meeting, Making Every Voice Matter.

Most events will take place at the Renaissance Hotel, 3801 Quebec Street in Denver, but there's a program set for 4 to 5:30 p.m. today (Wednesday, June 11) at the Penrose Branch Library in Colorado Springs. Matt Leighninger will be there to talk about his book, The Next Form of Democracy: How Expert Rule Is Giving Way to Shared Governance - and Why Politics Will Never Be the Same. See more info here.

Thursday's first public event, set for 4 to 6 p.m. at the Renaissance Hotel, is a free program dedicated to the legacy of John Parr, a longtime national and Colorado civic leader who died late last year. (More below the fold ...)

DemocracySpace

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Thursday April 03, 2008 · 8:10 PM PDT

2008/04/03 · 20:10

Forty years ago today, Martin Luther King Dr. delivered what would be his last speech - a prophetic call for racial and economic justice for striking black sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee. Contrasting visions of heaven with the hard earthly work of fighting poverty and injustice, King said:

It's all right to talk about "long white robes over yonder," in all of its symbolism. But ultimately people want some suits and dresses and shoes to wear down here. It's all right to talk about "streets flowing with milk and honey," but God has commanded us to be concerned about the slums down here, and his children who can't eat three square meals a day. It's all right to talk about the new Jerusalem, but one day, God's preachers must talk about the New York, the new Atlanta, the new Philadelphia, the new Los Angeles, the new Memphis, Tennessee. This is what we have to do.

A day later, King was dead. But 40 years later, Memphis is preparing to heed his call to justice with a new resolve to seek Common Ground. That's the name of a program launching this month to honor King's legacy and dismantle structural racism. More below the fold ...

DemocracySpace

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Wednesday March 26, 2008 · 9:24 AM PDT

2008/03/26 · 09:24

It's been a week since Barack Obama's landmark speech about race and racism in America. The question now is: Are we going to actually heed what Obama said and have the long-delayed discussions - not just online, but face-to-face, in our communities - about race and racism in America? Will talk about racism be nothing but a political sledgehammer or convenient distraction, or will it lead to real change in our communities?

I work for a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization called Everyday Democracy. (I also do partisan blogging here at Kos under the name Red State Rebel, but this is not a partisan post.) We have been helping communities organize large-scale, inclusive, action-oriented dialogues about race since the 1990s. Public figures from Bill Bradley to Jack Kemp to Spellman College president Beverly Daniel Tatum and author Frances Moore Lappé have endorsed the latest version of our discussion guide, Facing Racism in a Diverse Nation. You can get a free download of the guide here.

Please consider rec'ing this diary to keep it alive. And if you'd like to know more about our work, follow me below the fold ...

Poll

58 votes Show Results

Have you ever taken part in a substantive dialogue about racism in your community?

58 votes Vote Now!

Have you ever taken part in a substantive dialogue about racism in your community?

Yes.

27 votes

No, but I'd like the opportunity

27 votes

No, but I'm not interested/don't have time.

4 votes

The audacity of making hope real

DemocracySpace

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday February 27, 2008 · 10:21 AM PST

2008/02/27 · 10:21

This is not a candidate diary, but a post for Kossacks who are involved in small-d democracy - community organizing, local governance, etc. Thanks for reading! And if you yourself blog about small-d democracy topics, please contact me via email to jfanselow at everyday-democracy dot org. Together with other organizations, we are building a national network of bloggers on public engagement issues, and we'd like to know what you are doing.

We’re hearing and reading a lot about hope this year. Rich Harwood of The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation recently published an essay – Make Hope Real: How We Can Accelerate Change for the Public Good– that offers five succinct guidelines on how civic leaders and community organizers can nurture the new national impulse for involvement and change. Read below the flip to see these ideas and get a link to download the full essay.

DemocracySpace

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday February 21, 2008 · 6:54 AM PST

2008/02/21 · 06:54

All of us here at Daily Kos are absolutely passionate about politics. But many of us also are deeply involved in small-d democracy: the work of creating positive, grassroots change on a local level. Whether as paid staff or dedicated volunteers, we're community organizers.

If you're a local organizer, I invite you to take a look at DemocracySpace, a blog from Everyday Democracy, formerly the Study Circles Resource Center. For two decades, Everyday Democracy has helped communities nationwide bring large numbers of diverse people together to talk about - then take action on - all kinds of local issues including racial equity, education, growth and sprawl, community-police relations, and more.

Once a month or so, we have a live blog to discuss issues of interest to community organizers. This month's event is today - Thursday, February 21 - from 1 to 2 p.m. Eastern, and we will be discussing a topic near and dear to all our hearts: how activists are using the Internet to engage citizens, tell stories, and document our work. If you have a few minutes, stop by and join the conversation.

More below the flip ...

DemocracySpace

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday January 24, 2008 · 8:52 AM PST

2008/01/24 · 08:52

We've been reading stories for years speculating what might happen once the Baby Boomers begin receiving Social Security benefits. Only now, it's actually happening; the first boomers eligible for early retirement are cashing their checks this month.

As a result, Facing Up to the Nation's Finances has convened a blog carnival to encourage commentary on what, if anything, we need to do to be sure Social Security remains solvent for future generations. At the Study Circles Resource Center (soon to be renamed Everyday Democracy), we know that widespread citizen engagement such as the Americans Discuss Social Security project pioneered a decade ago by AmericaSpeaks needs to be a key part of the process.

More below the flip ...

Poll

79 votes Show Results

What do you think is the best longterm fix for Social Security?

79 votes Vote Now!

What do you think is the best longterm fix for Social Security?

Raise the retirement age

3 votes

Allow partial or full privatization

2 votes

Raise the cap on taxable earnings

65 votes

Nothing. It's going to be fine as it is.

9 votes

Oprah's next endorsement? (NOT a candidate diary)

DemocracySpace

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday January 16, 2008 · 4:45 PM PST

2008/01/16 · 16:45

Oprah Winfrey made big news late last year when she decided to make her first-ever political endorsement. It remains to be seen what sort of impact that endorsement will have, but some observers are already suggesting that Winfrey could create a much broader, lasting legacy if she chooses to lend her name and clout to small-d democracy and the idea that, in order for our nation to survive, we must all do more than vote.

Writing recently at his nonpartisan "Redeeming Hope" blog, Rich Harwood of The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation said:

I urge you to kick off a national discussion on politics and public life. It doesn't have to be abstract and boring. Instead, it should focus on how each of us can engage and connect with one another in daily life. You could even focus on a single book that people could read together. Imagine if the 30,000 people who gathered in the South Carolina stadium ... week were invited to grab a book, start reading, and start talking to one another - and with their fellow citizens across the nation.

DemocracySpace

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday November 09, 2007 · 12:33 PM PST

2007/11/09 · 12:33

Would you sign on to a statement that begins like this?

Democracy is an unfinished project. It’s time we upgrade.

Last month, using feedback from nearly 1,500 survey responses, fifty leaders of the Millennial Generation (born circa 1980-1995) gathered in Washington, D.C., to hammer out the first draft of a Democracy 2.0 Declaration, writing:

We, the Millennial Generation, are uniquely positioned to call attention to today’s issues and shape the future based on the great legacy we have inherited. Our founding fathers intended for every generation to build, indeed to innovate, on the American experience. We realize that as young people we are expected to be the leaders of tomorrow, but we understand that as citizens we are called to be the leaders of today. We are compelled by the critical state of our present democracy to establish a new vision.

More below the flip ...

Poll

15 votes Show Results

Will you sign on to the Democracy 2.0 draft?

15 votes Vote Now!

Will you sign on to the Democracy 2.0 draft?

I already have

4 votes

I'll do it now

7 votes

No, Democracy 1.0 is working fine for me, thanks

4 votes

Reax to Edwards' call for a Citizen Congress

DemocracySpace

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday November 05, 2007 · 2:43 PM PST

2007/11/05 · 14:43

Three weeks ago last Saturday in a speech in Keene, New Hampshire, John Edwards called for more citizen engagement in government - including a biannual Citizen Congress involving up to a million people.

I reported on the One Democracy Initiative speech here at Kos, not because I am an Edwards supporter (he is not my top choice), but because I work in the civic engagement field and because I thought Kossacks would find his proposal worth talking about. Indeed, we had a lively discussion.

I'm back now because quite a few people have written op-eds and letters to the editor reacting to Edwards' idea. Read on if you are interested in ways to get people engaged in our democracy in ways beyond voting.

(More below the flip ...)

DemocracySpace

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday October 13, 2007 · 10:56 AM PDT

2007/10/13 · 10:56

John Edwards made a major speech on democratic reform in Keene, New Hampshire, today. His ideas include campaign finance and voting reform, and he also suggests that we hold a Citizen Congress every two years that will convene a million Americans in national discussions on major national issues and produce advisory opinions on how to best face those issues.

With this populist proposal, Edwards becomes the first of the major 2008 presidential candidates to seek such high-level citizen involvement. Yet a new wave of citizen engagement has been building for some time, all across the United States and around the world, but especially at local levels of government. In fact, Edwards is joining the growing ranks of public figures who are starting to realize that democratic deliberation by the broadest possible array of citizens leads to better decision making, whether the issue is whether to invade Iran or where to build a new school.

Poll

110 votes Show Results

Have you ever taken part in deliberations on a local issue?

110 votes Vote Now!

Have you ever taken part in deliberations on a local issue?

Yes

50 votes

3 votes

No, but I'd like the opportunity.

52 votes

No. I don't have the time or interest for local issues.

5 votes

RSS

Obama, race, and white privilege

Calling all Coloradans

Memphis goes back to the mountaintop

Are you really ready to talk about racism?

The audacity of making hope real

2008: Year of the community organizer

Social Security: Can we talk? (w/poll)

Oprah's next endorsement? (NOT a candidate diary)

Sign on to the Democracy 2.0 Declaration

Reax to Edwards' call for a Citizen Congress

Edwards calls for a Citizen Congress