In this guest post, librarian Alexandria Brown discusses the issues with labeling books as “diverse” and other ways we can build and promote a more equitable library collection. Every so often, the question of whether or not to add a spine label designating “diverse” books makes the rounds. Many condemn the practice, but lots of library staff persist in labeling. Like most diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) issues in librarianship, many of my colleagues are still operating within a white...

Nationally, Black women have the lowest rates of breastfeeding initiation in comparison to any other racial/ethnic groups. Black babies are dying at twice the rate of White babies and according to the CDC, increasing breastfeeding among Black women can decrease infant mortality rates up to 50 percent. In honor of Black Breastfeeding Week (August 25th – 31st), we partnered with the BreastFriends Mommy Group in West Oakland to explore why these rates look different for Black women and...

By Rob Picheta , CNN Updated 4:40 AM ET, Thu August 20, 2020 Black newborn babies in the United States are more likely to survive childbirth if they are cared for by Black doctors, but three times more likely than White Babies to die when looked after by White doctors, a study has found. The mortality rate of Black newborns in hospital shrunk by between 39% and 58% when Black physicians took charge of the birth, according to the research, which laid bare how shocking racial disparities in...

As the COVID-19 pandemic began its devastating sweep through African American communities in April, Andre Chapman, CEO of the San Jose, California-based Unity Care , saw a glaring need for developing a COVID-19 prevention campaign that spoke directly to African Americans. “Many of our young folks and families really didn't understand the impact of this virus, nor did they believe much of the information that was coming through the media,” says Chapman. His organization provides housing and...

The following toolkit below is one of two projects done in collaboration with the 2020 Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership ( CAPAL ) scholars and interns cohort. The Community Action P roject (CAP) aims to give back and address issues facing the AANHPI community. This graphic-style toolkit was created to complement the social media campaign to address the rise of racism and xenophobia in the face of COVID-19. It also provides concrete resources for AANHPI youth and a starting...

Justin Phillips July 22, 2020 If Joanna Chin hadn’t paused to look closely at the outdated document of covenants and restrictions for the Lafayette house her family was interested in buying, she never would have known that, years ago, neither her husband nor her daughter would have been able to live on the property with her. Joanna is white, and her husband is of Chinese descent. They also have a biracial 1-year-old daughter. According to a covenant created decades ago for the property, “no...

From Get Healthy San Mateo County: The combination of the public health crisis and economic downturn has put significant strains on local jurisdictions’ budgets. These challenges have also brought to the forefront and exacerbated existing inequities among different races and ethnicities in our community, carrying disproportionate impacts for Blacks, Pacific Islander and Latinx residents. As jurisdictions continue to face challenges caused by COVID-19 and the economic recession, there is a...

We are excited to announce our new brief jointly released by BARHII and the Public Health Alliance of Southern California titled “ Embedding Equity into Emergency Operations: Strategies for Local Health Departments During COVID-19 & Beyond. ” The brief outlines case studies, resources, and priority recommendations that counties and cities can take to explicitly and intentionally embed equity staff and practices into their emergency operations structures and throughout the public health...

Peniel Joseph, one of the nation’s leading civil rights scholars, has studied and written about the history of race and democracy. He has some ideas on how cities and urban areas can begin to dismantle racism. CARL SMITH, SENIOR STAFF WRITER | JULY 23, 2020 Peniel E. Joseph, Ph.D ., is the founder of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy at the University of Texas at Austin. He holds a joint professorship in the LBJ School of Public Affairs, as the Barbara Jordan Chair in Ethics and...

About the study These findings are from an online poll conducted by LeanIn.Org and SurveyMonkey between June 19, 2020, and June 25, 2020. Our sample consists of approximately 7,400 U.S. adults ages 18 and over. Unless otherwise noted, the findings reflect responses from people who were either employed or temporarily furloughed at the time of the survey. Most white employees see themselves as allies to people of color at work When “allyship” is defined as “using one’s power or position to...

Elizabeth Aguilera CalMatters Jul 12 The baby’s father was the first to get sick. As a cook in Los Angeles, Ramon Lopez never stopped going to the restaurant while other kinds of workers could log in from home. He ran all the family’s errands, buying groceries and putting gas in the car. He developed a fever, dry cough and body pain. When he lost his sense of smell, his wife, Florida Santiago, took him to a hospital where he tested positive for COVID-19, she recounted. A week later,...

Leaders and experts weigh in on involvement and communication strategies that can bring people together effectively. by Elizabeth S. Leaver 07/08/2020 What is your PTO doing to be more racially equitable? How are you reaching out to parents who don’t speak English? How do people of different cultures and backgrounds know you want them to have an equal voice? School parent groups are asking these questions, but the answers aren’t simple. While the ethnic backgrounds of Americans and their...