Learn where to find useful information about a neighborhood, a community, a city, a region, a state. Come to know more clearly who actually lives where, their socio-economic and demographic characteristics, and how these data sets can be instructive to thinking about and planning for community development, jobs, services, civic engagement, and more.
Know your community: tools for harnessing the diversity in America's changing communities, presented by Ruben Lizardo
1. Know Your Community: Tools for Harnessing Diversity in America’s Changing Communities Rubén Lizardo, Associate Director PolicyLink Craigslist Boot Camp San Franciso, California June 2, 2011
Historically our conversations about race and culture have taken place with an eye toward understanding how we got to be a nation divided. Intellectually and politically, this has been highly contested ground. For good reasons. How does our conversation and leadership change when we enlist the future as a key factor in our neighborhood, state and national push to build a more cohesive, equitable and thriving nation? Demographers have told us that @ 2040 the nation will reach the tipping point CA reached in 2000. We will be a majority of color. What are the Implications of this fundamental shift? For our response to Climate Change? The design, delivery and costs of providing health care for Americans? Our strategies to respond to the economic recession and ensure economic success?
In the last five years 300 Counties become Majorities of Color; Metro America is Majority of Color (where 80% of population lives—consuming lion share of energy, food, etc.). Demographers have predicted that around the year 2040 the US Will Be Majority of Color; California’s Majority Population Will be Latino; most metros in CA, except Bay Area, where Asian and Pacific Islanders will be largest population among a more diverse mix; but with if trends continue African American population in SF will be severely contracted. Consider what this will mean from Language Standpoint for example: Spanish Language Media (Radio and TV) is already the number one, 2, and 3 outlets in major markets—what are the opportunities for marketing and advertising , etc; Challenges in Schools —Right now we tend to think of this as challenge for students from bi-lingual/bi-cultural familes…but as we push out it will actually be the children that grow in up insular, mono-cultural families and commumities (especially English speaking) that will be most at risk for success in a globalized market and society.
Building our Capacity on Diversity and Equity are now required for success —similar to the manner in which computer literacy/digital access now defines so much of our reality. What new Competencies do we need to Develop & Assimilate ? Awareness…Skills…Networks? How will this effect our Hard Wiring as individuals and communities? Our Intitution…Creativity…Fluencies? Arenas: Personal, Professional, Institutional & Community
CA Tomorrow Website is a Great Resource—Analysis, Reports, Toolkits for Leaders in K-12 Education, After School Arena, Community Colleges, Philanthropy. Two Questions for Dyads: First, take a moment to review and reflect on the data comparing racial composition of state and counties from 2000 to 2040. From your personal, professional, or community leadership standpoint what strikes you the most? One Opportunity and one Challenge? Second, review and reflect on the leadership principles that CA Tomorrow pulled from leading cross-cultural community builders’ toolkits. In what ways would any of these qualities serve you as you consider taking leadership to help others respond to the opportunity or challenge you identified. “ Change Starts With The Self” California Tomorrow’s Toolkit for Building Community Capacity on Equity & Diversity
Center for Infrastructure Equity; Center for Health and Place Works with Community, Government and Business Leaders to Address the Systemic Barriers Opportunity and Health in Neighborhoods, Cities and Regions… We know what an unhealthy community looks like and what a health, opportunity rich community look too. It is also fairly clear what supports are in place in the desired community. Helping them to develop a shared framework, principles, strategies, plans, with leadership and resources to put in place the systemic supports to create healthy communities of opportunity….
“ Data Don’t Drive Change…People Drive Change” Center for Urban Education at USC. Key Here is that Data is at Tool to Assess what needs to change. Data is a tool to identify assets. Data is a tool to measure success of collective change strategies each community choooses… People, you, me, our neighbors are the most essential resource and tool for knowing our community and transforming it too.
126,516 HS graduates in CA ready for 4-year Colleges and Universities (2006-07) 109,011 student drop outs from CA HS (2006-07) 339,136 population of dropouts and not ready for college (2006-07) Adding to the close to one million 18-24 year old Californians already struggling to navigate our states’ hyper competitive labor market. For permission to use any or all of the slides in this presentation, please email info@policylink.org
It is well known among educators, policy makers, business and community that these educational attainment challenges impact different racial, ethnic, and economic groups differently. African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans and Immigrants Children and Youth Struggling the Hardest—Dropout Rates as High as 50% for some and college going rates as low as 10 and 11 percent for these same groups. What are the implications for our economic competiveness as a state as the fundamental demographic transformation plays out? For business? For Aging Baby Boomers, who as retirees will be dependent on a workforce that is predominantly of color? What does this portend for local, state and federal tax revenues? This challenging picture underscores the importance of inter-dependence as a value for multicultural California and our nation…the drop out and college going crisis in communities of color should be of concern not just to these communities but also to former majority, which is entering retirement at a much higher rate than Latino, Asian, and African American counterparts…the brave new world we are entering will call on us to “lift all boats” to ensure our boat is seaworthy. For permission to use any or all of the slides in this presentation, please email info@policylink.org