Hello, all. As we proceed with the season of Lent, I thought it might be nice to reflect on Christian responses to inequality, and the power and responsibility of being part of a community of faith. The following are links to information from the UMC General Board of Church and Society. You might want to take a look at sections on the living wage, worker rights, etc.

http://www.umc-gbcs.org/site/c.frLJK2PKLqF/b.2808983/
http://www.umc-gbcs.org/site/c.frLJK2PKLqF/b.2794235/k.8FD2/Knowledge_Center.htm

And the work of the General Board of Global Ministries: http://new.gbgm-umc.org/work/hunger/

Also, the inspirational social justice work that one congregation in San Francisco is doing (Glide Memorial): http://www.glide.org/Work.aspx

I look forward to being back in church with you all again on Easter. Best - Amy

Readings for March 29

Hello, all. We're continuing our readings that focus on the intersection between race, gender, and inequality. This week, we specifically look at women and poverty, with three short pieces (about 12 pages of reading, total). I'm including a brief by the Center for American Progress, "The Straight Facts on Women and Poverty": http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/10/pdf/women_poverty.pdf

Also, a 2002 census report on Black Americans, that discusses many social and economic measures, disaggregated by gender and age: http://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/p20-541.pdf, and a fact sheet put out by the Women's Institute for a Secure Retirement (WISER) titled "Single Older African American Women and Poverty": http://www.wiserwomen.org/portal/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=426&Itemid=0

I hope you enjoy these, and wish I could be there to discuss them with you. Best - Amy

Readings for March 22

Hello, all. In honor of Michele's request to focus on some issues of race and gender, I'm asking that folks read the following report by the Institute for Women's Policy Research, titled "Women's Economic Status in the States: Wide Disparities by Race, Ethnicity, and Region": http://www.iwpr.org/pdf/R260.pdf. I'll send another gender-focused reading next week, that focuses more on the interactions between race, poverty, and gender. The current report should help us think about the general issue of inequality. I hope you find it interesting. Cheers - Amy

New Link and Daylight Savings

Hello, all. I wanted to pass along this link that Charles sent (thank you). Also, a quick reminder that we put our clocks ahead an hour tonight. See you tomorrow! Best - Amy

http://www.dukechronicle.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticle&uStory_id=723c154a-2346-4f2e-8a9a-be8576f0a5f8

Readings for March 8

Hello, all. This coming Sunday, we will talk about policy issues related to incarceration, and the way that this has disproporitonately affected African American communities and families. First, a slide show on incarceration in New Jersey. On this site, you need to scroll down the navigation bar on the right to find the New Jersey report: http://www.justicemapping.org/expertise

Please also read some of the information on the following website:
http://www.prisonersofthecensus.org/. Specifically, please read the information on the tab "The Problem." You may also want to take a look at parts of the "Importing Constitutents" report. (And note that you'll be jumping back and forth between websites of the Prison Policy Institute and the Prisoners of the Census project).

Also, for those of you who ar einterested in reading the National Research Council's report making recommendations for changing the rules of census enumeration, you can go to the following website: http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11727. The .pdf file of the executive summary can be downloaded from the "Download Free" box. You can also read the complete report, but as far as I can tell you have to do that online.

Happy reading! And I'll see you on Sunday. Best - Amy

Readings for March 1

Hello, all. So we are moving on to public policy and race for the next couple of weeks. I have here a couple of readings from the Social Security Administration. I'd ask that you read them for Sunday, and I'll talk about some of the ways that the implementation of these programs left out milions of African Americans.

First, a brief history of the SSA and social programs in the U.S. (and if you can bring this one to class on Sunday, we'll go through it and talk about the pieces of the story that they've left out or glossed over):
http://www.ssa.gov/history/pdf/histdev.pdf

And then a piece on the ways that "race neutral" language has differential impacts on members of different racial groups in a more contemporary environment.
http://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/ssb/v62n2/v62n2p59.pdf

Thanks so much! I'll see you on Sunday. Best - Amy

Comparison of NJ School District Spending

Thanks to Charles for finding the following website. It includes detailed information on a sample of New Jersey school districts (with information like per-pupil spending and student:teacher ratio), and has overall budget numbers for all districts in the back. Mercer County is on p. 248.

http://www.nj.gov/education/guide/2008/k-12.pdf

And maybe in class on Sunday, some of y'all with more NJ experience than I have can explain how public schools charge tuition. That's listed as a revenue source (and a pretty substantial one for some of the districts). I'm not familiar with that practice at all.