Southern Africa's First Multiracial School

Southern Africa's first multiracial school celebrates 50 triumphant years

Waterford school in Swaziland reflects on its historic role with a series of parades and tributes from students old and new.             

Waterford school, Swaziland, in 1967. 

Eighty-six nationalities have studied at the institution since its launch in 1963.

Russell Palmer, a journalist from South Africa, described it as like landing on another planet, a feeling of having suddenly arrived in an environment so different from what he has known that there is overwhelming bewilderment. The place was Waterford school, just 14 miles across the border in Swaziland, but a brave new world in its attitude to race.

The first multiracial school in southern Africa was born in direct opposition to the apartheid regime, which branded it "sick" and "unnatural", and became a haven for the children of struggle leaders such as Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu and Desmond Tutu. On Saturday it celebrated its 50th anniversary with colourful parades, performances and reflections on its courageous role in the continent's history.

"We were here during the era of apartheid and this school was an absolute beacon of what was to come," former student Amanda West, a last-minute replacement for Tutu as guest speaker after he withdrew due to illness, told a gathering of alumni, donors and teachers past and present. "As a student population we were wildly involved in the politics … This is an astounding place."
To continue reading: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/29/southern-africa-first-multiracial-school-50
Source: David Smith in Mbabane/Guardian.co.uk

Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month

Profile America Facts for Features

Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month: May 2013

In 1978, a joint congressional resolution established Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week. The first 10 days of May were chosen to coincide with two important milestones in Asian/Pacific American history: the arrival in the United States of the first Japanese immigrants (May 7, 1843) and contributions of Chinese workers to the building of the transcontinental railroad, completed May 10, 1869. In 1992, Congress expanded the observance to a month long celebration. Per a 1997 Office of Management and Budget directive, the Asian or Pacific Islander racial category was separated into two categories: one being Asian and the other Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander. Thus, this Facts for Features contains a section for each.

Asians

18.2 million
The estimated number of U.S. residents in 2011 who were Asian, either alone or in combination with one or more additional races. 

5.8 million
The Asian alone or in combination population in California in 2011. The state had the largest Asian population, followed by New York (1.7 million). The Asian alone-or-in-combination population represented 57 percent of the total population in Hawaii. 

46%
Percentage growth of the Asian alone or in combination population between the 2000 and 2010 censuses, which was more than any other major race group. 

4 million

Number of Asians of Chinese, except Taiwanese, descent in the U.S. in 2011. The Chinese (except Taiwanese) population was the largest Asian group, followed by Filipinos (3.4 million), Asian Indians (3.2 million), Vietnamese (1.9 million), Koreans (1.7 million) and Japanese (1.3 million). These estimates represent the number of people who reported a specific detailed Asian group alone, as well as people who reported that detailed Asian group in combination with one or more other detailed Asian groups or another race(s). 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011 American Community Survey 

Multiracial Children of Single Mothers

Multiracial children of single mothers more likely to live in poverty than white and Asian children

Multiracial children of single mothers are more likely to live in poverty than white and Asian children of single mothers, but less likely than Hispanic, African-American and Native American children of single moms, according to a new study from researchers at Rice University and Pennsylvania State University.

"Although 45 percent of children raised by single mothers live in poverty and multiracial youth represent a growing segment of these children, there is little information about their well-being in these single-mother households," said Jenifer Bratter, associate professor of sociology at Rice and the study's lead author.

Between 38 and 48 percent of multiracial children live in poverty, depending on their ethnic background, compared with 35 percent of Caucasian or Asian children. The highest rates persist among their Hispanic, African-American or Native American counterparts (55, 52 and 56 percent, respectively).

The exception to this is Asian-Caucasian children, who are the least likely to live in poverty than any other mono- or multiracial ethnic group. Only 22 percent of Asian/Caucasian children with Caucasian mothers live in poverty, and 30 percent of Asian/Caucasian children with Asian mothers live in poverty.

"There is an evolving nature of racial stratification in the U.S.," said Sarah Damaske, assistant professor of labor studies and employment relations and sociology at Pennsylvania State University, a former postdoc at Rice and the study's co-author. "We see strong evidence that kids with a multiracial background have this 'in- between' status  they're not as well off as their white peers, but they are better off than their monoracial peers of color."

Damaske noted that even multiracial children of Caucasian mothers experienced lower levels of poverty than the multiracial children of other races. Multiracial children (African-American and Caucasian) of Caucasian mothers had a 47 percent poverty rate, compared with 48 percent of multiracial children of African-American mothers. The numbers were 42 and 47 percent, respectively, for multiracial children of Caucasians and Native Americans and 22 percent and 30 percent, respectively, for multiracial children of Caucasians and Asians. The lone exception was multiracial children of Hispanic mothers, who experienced a 38 percent poverty rate compared with 43 percent of multiracial children of Caucasian mothers.

"These findings support previous research that finds there are privileges associated with being white," Damaske said.

When the researchers adjusted for factors such as the age of children and mothers, the mother's relationship status (cohabitating or not) and previous marriage, they found a change among the poverty status of African-American children, who are 41 percent more likely to live in poverty, and African-American/Caucasian children, who are 26 percent more likely to live in poverty. When adjusting for these factors, those numbers dropped to 10 percent and 5 percent, respectively.

"Poverty is inherently tied to a lot of different social factors, and race is certainly reflective of the way these social factors operate," Bratter said. "For example, one race might be more likely to be a single mother or have less education than another race. Once we account for these factors, we wondered if race and mixed-race still matter, and it does, although the effects are smaller."

The research was conducted using close to 360,000 survey responses of single mothers with children from the 2006-2008 American Community Survey, a nationally representative monthly cross-sectional survey that collects data from U.S. citizens on race, geography, employment, education and socio-economic status from more than 3 million households a year.

Thirty-nine percent of the children in the data set were Caucasian, 29.5 percent were African-American, 19 percent were Hispanic, 1.5 percent were Asian, 3.1 percent were Caucasian/African- American and a little more than 2 percent were Caucasian/Hispanic. Less than 1 percent each were Native American, African-American/ Hispanic and Caucasian/Asian.

Bratter and Damaske hope their research will add to the body of literature studying race and poverty and help better explain how interracial relationships are changing the face of race in the U.S. They also hope the study will account for the growing number of multiracial youth who aren't easily identified and are affected by poverty and other indicators of well-being.

The study, "Poverty at a Racial Crossroads: Poverty Among Multiracial Children of Single Mothers," will appear in the April 2013 edition of the Journal of Marriage and Family. The study is online at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jomf.12012/full and was funded by Rice University.

Source: Newsroom America Feeds/Rice University Office of Public Affairs / News & Media Relations

              My Kids Are Biracial: Let's Discuss

My eyes widened this week when I saw The Stir's "15 Things Not to Say to the Parents of Biracial Children" show up in my Facebook feed. Moms and Dads were asked to share the communication gaffes they've heard from other people regarding their biracial kids. 

Like many, I've recently read a lot of these "don't go there" pieces ("What Not to Say to a Working Mom," "What Not to Say to Breastfeeding Moms," "What Not to Say to a Stay-At Home Dad," etc.). I wondered why we were all pissing each other off so much and saying the wrong things. If people didn't start saying the right things, would the world just go silent?

Now up at bat: the parents of biracial kids -- oh, that's me! So, what the heck should people not say to me now?

First, I don't really view my children as biracial. I mean, yes, of course, they are. But to my husband and me, they are Zoe and Sam. What that alone stands for in and of itself and what those two beautiful spaces in the world they occupy mean is more powerfully definitive than any checkmark on a form or license. We're not naïve, though. The world shows us every day that we don't live in The Land of Make Believe. We know how the world can see us in varying degrees and extremes because of our differences. Everyone has something. This is just one of our somethings.

"Are you the nanny?" "I wonder if her hair will be nappy?" "You're lucky. Biracial kids are sooo much cuter." These are just a few of the comments that interracial parents may hear. Whether we hear these exact words or a variation of the remarks in question ("Look at them! That's God's Photoshop right there!"), we've had a handful of eye-raising interactions and potentially awkward situations. It's a little weird when a complete stranger stares at your child in a stroller while asking you about your ethnicity and your non-present husband's genetics in the elevator at Nordstrom's.

But, if life's taught me anything, it's that "a little weird" can be quite awesome. I had a lovely conversation with the woman in the elevator that day. It felt like we both walked away with a harmonious appreciation -- for kindness. I'd like to think Mr. Rogers would have been proud.

I'm aware the world is not rainbows and unicorns too. I realize there are awful people with unfortunate upbringings who will spit venom on cue or gladly share it from behind a computer screen. I'm no bigot-whisperer. But I do know that thus far, it's been fairly easy to decipher evil from your everyday lack of understanding. The majority of the comments I've heard in these five years of parenthood have never seemed to come from a place of ill will. Don't I have a responsibility to offer a kind response to an at-the-moment clueless neighbor?

Enter my actual neighbor -- 6-year-old Amanda. She's everything that makes 6 awesome: curious, chatty, and a remarkable old soul. Heading out for some errands with the kids, I started chatting up her mom in the street while Zoe and Amanda made a beeline to climb a tree in the garden. Amanda decided to drop in from a low-lying limb for a quick Q & A with the grown-ups.
"Miss Jenn, did you adopt Zoe?"
Poof.
"Huh? Well, no..."
"You didn't? Oh... then why are you the only one that's not brown in your family?"

Her mom and I smiled at her inquisitiveness. It was breathtakingly beautiful and innocent. Her mom, perhaps slightly embarrassed, started rambling about how she had just ordered a book about how to raise a spirited child. I smiled again. Thank God for that spirit, right?

After a brief explanation about how parents and kids can share different features and also have differences too ("Yeah, my Dad doesn't have my freckles,"), Amanda was off and jetting up the tree trunk again.

There wasn't an ounce of me that considered not responding thoughtfully to Amanda -- not one molecule of distrust, frustration or fear. You may be thinking, "Yeah, but she's a kid. An adult is supposed to know." Says who? Just because I know something doesn't mean it should be known. I usually don't have any insight into what led them to their question or statement toward me. I just know that there's something in it that might not feel easy to navigate. Much of what is worthwhile is not easy. Is a compassionate response only warranted if the remark comes from the mouths of babes?

A common reaction to all of these "don't go there" articles is, "You're preaching to the choir. The people who need to read these lists do not." I get it. We're cultured, have strong morals and already know what to say and when to say it. But, what are we helping bridge if we say nothing or very little at all? If it takes a village to raise our kids, sign me up for the choir that sings a little louder celebrating our differences. Whether we're an X, Y or Z parent or have an X, Y or Z kind of child is irrelevant. Sing.

The universe has a funny way of bringing clarity into our lives. Amanda gave me mine. And whether the next Amanda is another 6-year-old precocious tree climbing neighbor or a 66-year-old grandma, I'll offer her kindness and understanding. I don't know her story. But if I offer mine, maybe she'll tell me hers.

Follow Jenn Horton on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jennhorton  
Source: HuffPost    

First Integrated Prom

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April 27, 2013

"Love Has No Color": Georgia High School Students Set to Hold First Integrated Prom

A group of Georgia high school students are making history by challenging the segregation of their high school prom. Thanks to their efforts and the support of groups like the NAACP, Wilcox County High will hold its first ever integrated prom this Saturday, nearly 60 years after Brown v. Board of Education desegregated the nation's school system. In the past, the proms have been organized by private groups, and parents behind the "white prom" have refused to let African-American students attend. Local officials say the segregated prom has continued because it is organized privately, out of the school district's control.

Democracy Now! speaks to two of the students who are helping to organize the integrated prom: Mareshia Rucker and Brandon Davis. Also interviewed is Mareshia's mother, Toni Rucker, who encouraged her daughter's efforts.

News of the case spread quickly over social media, fueling support and donations for an integrated prom from as far away as Australia and South Korea.

"At first, we had a whole bunch of students who you could tell that wanted to support it, but they were too scared to stand out and stand against, not their peers, but their parents," Davis explains. "But as times progressed we've had more and more students change come help us out -- and we've actually had more parents. At first, parents were like, 'Well, that's tradition, let's just stay it this way.' But after time, their children changed and they were like, 'Hey, I'm going to support my children, this is their memory, Lets go.'"

Tony Rucker adds: "It has been a trying process, but through it all, these kids have planted their feet and they said, 'We're going to do this.' And so as a parent, I have to get on board with something that is right, something that is good for the community collectively and something that unifies us, unifies us all showing that there is no difference between us, besides from the color of our skin. And so it's been a fight but it's been the best fight that I've had in my lifetime, I'll say... As a parent, this is one of the most rewarding things that could happen to a parent: to see their child display all of their morals and values that you instill in them from very young."

In addition, Democracy Now! airs an excerpt from a recent interview with Carlotta Walls LaNier, who was 14-years old when she became one of the "Little Rock Nine" who integrated Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas in 1957.

Source: HuffPost

Follow Democracy Now! on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@democracynow

What are you mixed with?

Jen Bergin is one of the wonderful people who serve on the Project RACE Board of Directors. She posted the paragraph below on Facebook and gave me permission to post it here! What do YOU think?! -Susan 

"I hate it when people ask, "what are you mixed with?" Then I say, "I'm not mixed with anything, dogs are mixed, people are biracial." Then I reluctantly tell them and they respond with something like "really?", "no, I thought you were [fill in the blank I've heard it all]. WHY even waste my time asking?!?!"

Is ACS in Jeopardy?

Do we need Census data every year? People think only of the Census, but the ANNUAL American Community Survey (ACS) could be cut if H.R. 1638 passes. -Susan 

New Congressional Bill Affects American Community Survey On April 18, 2013, Congressman Jeffrey Duncan (R-South Carolina) introduced a bill, H.R. 1638, in the U.S. House of Representatives.  This bill, also known as the "Census Reform Act of 2013," would repeal the authority to conduct certain censuses, including the American Community Survey (ACS). To view the bill in its entirety, please click here and search for bill number H.R. 1638.  The ACS provides reliable statistics that are indispensable to anyone who has to make informed decisions about the future. These statistics are required by all levels of government to manage or evaluate a wide range of programs, but are also useful for research, education, journalism, business and advocacy. If you have questions about this survey, please call our Customer Services Center on 1 (800) 923-8282. Thank you, American Community Survey Office U.S. Census Bureau

A Real Hero

Shot Putter Donates Bone Marrow, ending his Career

by David Smith/University Chronicle

A shot putter from the University of New Hampshire, in Durham is being declared a hero, except not for his shot putting.

The shot putter, Cameron Lyle trained more than eight years to try to compete in the American East championships taking place next month.

However, the UHN senior who is 21, will hang up his cleats and retire from the sport in order to give someone he does not even know the possibility of living.

Lyle’s journey started two years ago when he was just a sophomore at UHN. He and his track and field teammates were given mouth swabs to join the Bone Marrow Registry, which is nationwide.

Lyle said he had forgotten all about getting his mouth swabbed until a few months ago. At that time, officials from the registry called Lyle to say he was a 100% match for someone who has six months or less to live.

The odds someone will be a perfect match for bone marrow are extraordinarily unlikely. Lyle said doctors told him the odds were about one out of five million. If it does not include family members, it drops to just one out of about four million.

On Wednesday, Lyle started his procedure at a hospital in Massachusetts. The only thing he knows about the recipient is that he is male, 28 years of age and suffers from an acute leukemia. Lyle hopes his bone marrow transplant gives the man a second chance in life.

Multiracial Research Participants Needed

Dear Potential Research Participant:

On behalf of Dr. Reanne Frank and Dr. Jennifer Jones of The Ohio State University, we invite you to take part in our research study, which concerns the development of racial identity among multiracials. There are no foreseeable significant direct benefits to you by participating in this research. However, we do hope that this research will provide you with the opportunity to engage in meaningful reflection about your identity. Furthermore, it is our hope that this research will benefit society in general by advancing our awareness and understanding of the experience of race in contemporary society.

If you agree to participate in our research, we ask that you complete an informational survey and family history to the best of your ability. Completing the survey and family history will take approximately 20 minutes. You must be at least 18 years of age to participate in this study.

If you would like to complete this research study, please click the link below to participate.

https://casosu.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_es5b7nJjyMlPOn3


As a reward to participating in the survey, we offer you the opportunity to participate in a raffle to win an Amazon gift certificate for $50.

If you are asked and agree to participate in a follow-up interview, we will provide you with an additional small honorarium of $20.00 in exchange for your participation.

For more information about this research study, please contact Dr. Jennifer Jones at jones.4155@osu.edu. For questions about your rights as a participant in this study or to discuss other study-related concerns or complaints with someone who is not part of the research team, you may contact Ms. Sandra Meadows in the Office of Responsible Research Practices at 1-800-678-6251.

--

***********************************************

Jennifer A. Jones

Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of Notre Dame

Faculty Fellow in the Institute for Latino Studies, University of Notre Dame

SBS Diversity Postdoctoral Fellow, The Ohio State University

Sociology Department
238 Townshend Hall | 1885 Neil Avenue Mall
Columbus, OH 43210

Hapa Japanese American History

JANM Show Looks at Mixed Ancestry

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES - The very title of the new Japanese American National Museum exhibit indicates the complex factors at play in a single community.

The show, Visible & Invisible: A Hapa Japanese American History, examines the diverse history of the Japanese American community as well as the still evolving notion of family and race. It opened April 7 and continues through Aug. 25 at the Little Tokyo museum.

Through photos, videos, artifacts and paintings, the shows traces the history of mixed-race Japanese American families — hapa is a term for a person of mixed race who is part Asian or Pacific Islander — going back to the late 1800s. It also looks at the challenges these families faced due to segregation and laws that criminalized mixed race marriages. 

It’s a history, said Duncan Williams, the exhibit co-curator, that is often plainly visible in the faces of biracial individuals. However, he said the topic is also invisible, since it is rarely discussed in open forums.

“One of the major points we’re trying to make is that increasingly the Japanese American community is changing,” said Williams, who is also director of the USC Center for Japanese Religion and Culture. 

He said that by the next U.S. Census in 2020, it is expected that more than half of the members of the Japanese American community will identify themselves as multiracial. 

“It’s an increasing trend in all ethnic communities but it’s been happening at a faster rate with the Japanese American community,” he said. 

It also has been going on for more than a century. 

Located on the ground floor of the museum, the exhibit begins with

a display of a black and white family photograph depicting one of the first immigrants from Japan, Matsugoro Kuwata, who arrived in Hawaii in 1868 and married a Hawaiian woman. 

In the picture he has a long gray beard and is sitting next to his wife and their six children. Other black and white images depict additional racially mixed families that were amongst the first to settle in Oregon and California. 

The exhibit then examines the legal challenges these families faced. One law, the Cable Act of 1922, stripped U.S. citizenship from American women who married Asian men.

The act caused couples such as Fusataro Nakaya and Edith Morton to marry in Mexico. The exhibit displays their Spanish language marriage certificate as well as the naturalization certificate she received years later, after the law was repealed in 1936. 

Photos from the Manzanar Children’s Village, an orphanage in the Manzanar detention camp, one of the sites where more than 100,000 Japanese Americans were incarcerated during World War II, are also part of the exhibit. About 20% of the children in the camp were multiracial.

The exhibit includes a segment on artist Isamu Noguchi, who created sculptures, gardens and furniture. He was born in Los Angeles to an American mother and a Japanese father. One of the coffee tables he designed is on display.

The show also takes a pop culture turn, looking at figures such as Jerome Charles White. Born in Pittsburgh with African American and Japanese lineage, he is a singer who in Japan is known as Jero. The exhibit includes video footage of the singer and a family portrait. 

“He’s a quarter Japanese, and yet he really embraced his heritage and sings these enka songs in Japanese,” Williams said, referring to the term for traditional Japanese ballads. 

In many ways Jero exemplifies the future of the Japanese American community, Williams said. While Jero has mixed roots, he has embraced the Japanese part of his culture.

In recent years JANM has taken numerous looks at people of mixed ancestry. The museum has focused multiple times on the work of artist Kip Fulbeck, who has photographed many biracial children and adults. His 2006 show was titled Half Asian: 100% Hapa.

Cindy Nakashima, a co-curator of the current exhibit and author of the book The Sum of Our Parts: Mixed Heritage Asian Americans, said it is important to embrace broader definitions of culture, especially since it has always been part of the Japanese American community.

“The mix has always been there,” she said. “Our community was built by mixed multiethnic families.” 

Visible & Invisible: A Hapa Japanese American History runs through Aug. 25 at the Japanese American National Museum, 100 N. Central Ave., (213) 625-0414 or janm.org.

Contact Richard Guzmán at richard@downtownnews.com.

Supreme Court Case

Civil rights, employment discrimination, HARASSMENT, Title VII

University Of Texas Southwestern Medical Center v. Nassar

Oral argument: April 24, 2013

Court below: United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

Eradicating unlawful discrimination and retaliation in the workplace is one of core purposes of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Respondent Dr. Naiel Nassar, a former faculty member of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), alleges that his employer denied him a job in retaliation for a prior resignation letter alleging race discrimination in the workplace. Specifically, Nassar's resignation letter stated that his supervisor made derogatory comments about his Middle Eastern descent. Petitioner UTSW argues that Nassar needs to prove that retaliation was the sole motivating factor for the negative employment action. In contrast, Nassar argues that he need only show that retaliation was a motivating factor, but not necessarily the only one, for the negative employment action. A holding for UTSW may make it more difficult for victims of retaliation under Title VII to sue their employers, whereas a holding for Nassar may increase the costs borne by employers in defending against potentially meritless litigation.

Continues... http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/cert/12-484

Source: [LII] Legal Information Institute | Cornell Law School

Korean Multiracial Students

In Korean classrooms, multiracial students struggle to fit in

The only Korean one 15-year-old Chinese boy knew was simple greetings when he came to Seoul last summer with his mother, who married a Korean man.

But even after spending more than six months learning Korean at an alternative school, going to school is still torturous. He was recently admitted to a public school near his home, but soon decided to quit.

It is almost impossible for him to follow the class or make friends, said Kim Ji-sun, a consultant from Seoul On Dream Multicultural Education center, where he learned Korean.

“His teacher told me that he always sits alone and hardly speaks to anyone,” she told The Korea Herald, noting that the boy is now only waiting to come back to the alternative school.

Children from China, Thailand and the Philippines attend a home-schooling program run by the Global Sarang School in Seoul. (Yonhap News)

Korea is rapidly becoming a multicultural society, with the increase in ethnic and cultural diversity already reflected in classrooms. Data puts the current number of multicultural primary and secondary school students in the country at near 48,000, more than double what it was three years ago.

It appears, however, many of them find it hard to fit into classrooms here. According to government data, more than 200 students from multicultural families dropped out of school from 2010-2011 due to difficulties adapting.

Student dropouts are nothing new, but there seems to be a genuine problem with the current education system which turns away, especially, multiethnic students.

Until recently, the multicultural children were mostly born in Korea from foreign women married to Koreans. Today, an increasing number of children are brought here from overseas following parents’ divorce, remarriage and immigration.

The language barrier is the major concern, especially for foreign-born multiethnic children, according to Ryu Bang-ran, a senior researcher from the Korea Education Development Institute.

Data from the Ministry of Justice shows that there are more than 6,000 foreign-born children of school age here, nearly twice as many as a year ago. Nearly 83 percent, or 4,800, are from China.

“The problem is most of them came here with little or basic Korean language skills, so it makes hard for them to go to school,” Ryu said.

In research, the problem is also apparent. A survey of 413 newly immigrated children in Gyeonggi Province found that about one-third of them cited learning the language to be the most difficult part of living in Korea, followed by adjusting to the new environment and making friends.

There is no official data available regarding school-age children outside of the public education system, but Ryu estimated that more than 6,100 multiethnic children are currently not in school, indicating that the government has been slow to meet the needs of those children.

Ryu suggested that the country should learn from the U.S., which has a long history of dealing with immigration.

In the U.S., English as a Second Language programs have long been in public education systems due the large influx of foreign-born children. Currently ESL programs are in place at all public schools from pre-kindergarten to high schools.

“We should encourage schools to develop Korean as a Second Language curriculum to teach foreign-born multiethnic students,” Ryu said.

The dilemma is, she added, it is difficult to introduce KSL in schools as only a small number of children are non-native Korean speakers.

“Also, schools here are reluctant to take the leading role, because they acknowledge that the more multiethnic children there are, the more work there is to handle,” she added, suggesting the government needs to solve the dilemma

In fact, KSL programs are being developed. The government announced last year that, starting this year, it would introduce the Korean language classes for newly admitted multiethnic children, allowing them to acquire a the level of Korean necessary to adjust to the regular school curriculum.

The plan, however, has been at a standstill amid the government transition since the presidential election.

To successfully benefit the non-native multicultural students, the Education Ministry should provide more trained teachers, according to Hong Jong-myung, a linguistics professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.

“Currently, teachers receive only short training to run the KSL program. But in the long term it is important to nurture teachers specialized in teaching Korean as a second language,” added Hong, who also heads the Seoul On Dream Multicultural Education Center.

The government has announced that it would increase the number of preparatory schools, where children can take basic language and culture classes before entering regular school.

There are currently 26 preparatory schools for multiethnic children around the country, each with a quota of around 60-90 students.

Although the government is planning to add 24 schools by end of this year, they are still significantly insufficient to meet the growing needs of multiethnic children.

In Seoul, for instance, there are 1,219 non-Korean children, but only 68 of them had been admitted to preparatory school as of April 2012.

Some believe building more alternative schools that use a nontraditional curriculum designed for multicultural children can be one solution. There are currently four alternative schools, one primary and three secondary schools.

“But alternative school can’t be a solution for all multiethnic children,” Ryu added, “It can also be disadvantage for them, because once they learn from the alternative schools, they can’t adapt to other public education.”

While the authorities have been slow to come up with ideas to help multiethnic children adapt here, like the 15-year-old boy, many of them are in despair, wondering about their future.

A survey of 1,275 multicultural students around the country showed that the majority of them answered they had “no idea” to the question about future education and career desire.

“The multiethnic children are suffering in our education system because their unique needs are not being met,” said Yoon Seok-ryong, the principal of Masongjungang Elementary School in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, where about 10 percent of students are from multicultural families.

Yoon noted he believes multiethnic content must be integrated into the overall classroom curriculum.

“We have many multicultural students, so we make sure every curriculum, even pictures on the wall, reflect these children,” he said.

“We also work very closely with their families, and invite them to teach their language and culture to other students. It really helps students understand each other.”

He acknowledged, however, he feels more teacher training programs are urgent to support the children.

“Many teachers still lack the understanding of these students, and don’t like to teach them as it might mean extra work. Teachers must understand that they are also part our society,” he added.

Source: The Korean Herald by Oh Kyu-wook (596story@heraldcorp.com)

Civil Rights Complaint Filed

Civil Rights Complaint Filed Against Texas School District for Issuing Class C Misdemeanor Tickets at Higher Rate to African-American Students

AUSTIN, Texas — Bryan Independent School District's use of school resource officers to issue criminal sanctions for a range of minor student misbehavior unlawfully impacts African-American students, who are "cited" at a rate four times that of other students, according to a complaint filed today with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR), on behalf of the public interest law center Texas Appleseed and the Brazos County branch of the NAACP.

Attorneys with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the National Center for Youth Law serve as legal counsel to the Complainants. 

The complaint outlines a historical and continuing pattern of issuing "Class C misdemeanor" tickets to students for "Disruption of Class" and "Disorderly Conduct-Language" (generally meaning profanity). These ticketing categories encompass minor behavior that is not generally deemed "criminal" and disproportionately harms African-American students in Bryan ISD. 

In Texas, such ticketing can mean missed class time due to required appearances in adult justice of the peace or municipal courts, fines, and the potential for a criminal record in addition to any other school-based punishment.

"In a very real sense, the Bryan school district is using law enforcement as its disciplinary arm. The school district must be held accountable for the disproportionate impact on African-American students, who are also much more likely to be suspended and expelled from Bryan schools," said Senior Attorney Michael Harris, with the National Center for Youth Law. The school district spent about $376,790 in 2011-12 to cover half of the salaries and benefits paid to the eight school resource officers assigned from the local police department to Bryan schools.

While African-American students comprise less than 25% of the students in Bryan public schools, they are significantly more likely to receive Class C misdemeanor tickets than their peers. "Over the last three school years, African-American students received more than half of all tickets issued—and are four times more likely to receive a ticket for 'Disruption of Class' or 'Disorderly Conduct-Language' than other students," said Texas Appleseed Deputy Director Deborah Fowler.

The Impact on Bryan ISD Students

"In Texas, the consequences are particularly serious because ticketed students are sent to adult courts that do not extend young people the confidentiality and other protections provided in juvenile courts," Fowler said.

In Bryan ISD, African-American students accounted for only 21% of its student population in 2011-12, but received the majority of citations for "Disruption of Class" (143 tickets, 53%) and "Disorderly Conduct-Language" (54 tickets, 51%)—two categories of offenses that encompass non-dangerous, adolescent misbehavior historically addressed through school discipline rather than citations that lead to court involvement.

Ann Boney, President of Brazos County N.A.A.C.P., said, "The entire Bryan community has a stake in this issue. Research shows that a discipline policy that removes students from school and introduces them to the justice system increases the risk of dropping out. When that happens, everyone suffers."

Bryan ISD's ticketing rate (59.6 tickets per 1,000 students in 2010-11) ranks second highest (only after Galveston ISD) among the 42 Texas school districts recently analyzed by Texas Appleseed and remains "consistently high" over time, according to the OCR filing.

A National Problem

The complaint comes at a time of a focused national dialogue regarding the appropriate ways to promote safe and healthy schools in light of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Since then, there has been much debate about the impact of police in schools. What is happening in Bryan ISD is part of a disturbing national trend. Bryan is one of many communities in Texas and across the country where school police have crossed the line between safety and discipline, thereby criminalizing typical adolescent behavior that does not pose a danger to others.

Misdemeanor tickets, suspensions, expulsions, and other disciplinary action are meted out to children as young as elementary-school age, and for offenses as harmless as throwing a tantrum or swearing. Research shows that in many school districts, African-American students are disciplined at a much greater rate than white students and are often punished more harshly for engaging in the same behavior as their white peers.

According to the OCR, which recently began collecting

data on school-based law enforcement referrals and arrests, 42% of public school students referred to law enforcement and 35% of students arrested in school are African-American, compared to a nationwide student population that is only about 18% African-American.

"Experts agree that issuing tickets to children does not make schools safer," said Rachel Kleinman, Assistant Counsel with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. "Ticketing also exacerbates inequalities because African-American students are subject to overzealous discipline much more than their peers. Instead of 'policing' students, school districts should adopt proven alternatives to keep misbehavior in check without treating young people like criminals."

School disciplinary practices—and their disproportionate impact on African Americans and other minor students—have been challenged by advocacy groups in New York, Florida, Colorado, Illinois, and California, among other states.

Remedy Sought

The complaint filed today focuses on the racial disparities in Bryan's issuance of Class C misdemeanor tickets. Complainants are asking the OCR to apply what is known as the "disparate impact" standard. In applying that standard, the OCR can hold the Bryan ISD liable if its policies have the effect of discrimination based on race, regardless of whether that discrimination is intentional.

The Complainants are asking the OCR to require Bryan ISD to restore the distinction between school safety and school discipline by developing and implementing clear guidelines regarding the kind of school-based behavior that is properly handled by School Resource Officers (SROs)-and to provide additional training for SROs in adolescent behavior, conflict resolution and de-escalation techniques, and cultural factors affecting children's behavior. Implementation of research-based alternatives to ticketing—such as Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports—is strongly encouraged.

Also requested are:

• Revisions to the Bryan Student Code of Conduct to establish graduated consequences for misbehavior that minimize missed class time and reserve suspension, expulsion, and police responses to student misbehavior to only those incidents that pose a safety risk;
• Required campus-based quarterly reporting of data on ticketing and school-related arrests, by type of incident disaggregated by race; and
• Intervention services for students who receive multiple Class C citations and/or disciplinary referrals and who are at risk of educational failure.

Download: Complaint filed against Bryan Independent School District

Download: Summary of OCR Complaint (Bryan, TX, ISD) 
Source: National Center for Youth Law

CVS Pharmacy and Asian Slur

New Jersey Woman Claims CVS Worker Used Asian Slur On Receipt

Hyun Lee was picking up photos Feb. 7 at a CVS in Egg Harbor City when she noticed the phrase “Ching Chong Lee” on her ticket. (photo credit: Handout via Steve Sandberg/1010 WINS)

BELMAR, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) – A southern New Jersey woman of Korean descent is suing CVS Pharmacy, claiming a worker used an Asian slur to identify her on a receipt for photographs.

Attorney Susan Chana Lask said Hyun Lee used her own name when ordering pictures online, but noticed her name was listed as “Ching Chong Lee” on the receipt when she picked up the photos on Feb. 7 at a CVS in Egg Harbor City.

“‘Ching Chong’ is a very pejorative, racial slur meant for Asians. That is not her name,” Lask told 1010 WINS. “She was very distressed.”

Lee said she complained to CVS customer relations and was told the worker would be “counseled and trained.”

CVS issued the following statement Thursday: “CVS/Pharmacy is committed to treating all of our customers with dignity and respect and we have a firm non-discrimination policy. We take this matter very seriously as the allegations in the complaint describe behavior that is unacceptable and not in keeping with our values or our policies.“There’s no amount, in my opinion, of training from CVS or any company that’s going to stop this kind of hate and bullying against someone’s race,” Lask said. “To me, this is something that deserves psychological counseling, not CVS counseling.”

We are looking into this matter but cannot comment further due to the pending litigation.”

Lask is seeking $1 million is the discrimination lawsuit filed Tuesday in Camden.

“CVS touts that they make $300 billion a year on their filings, then $1 million should be enough to teach them a lesson that their employees should not be getting away with this,” Lask said.

Source: CBS News and AP

Multiracial Discrimination

Ninth Circuit: Caltrans can continue its multiracial discrimination

The disappointing decision by the Ninth Circuit yesterday in AGC San Diego v California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) means that Caltrans can continue its policy of multiracial discrimination.

Caltrans imposes a one-size-fits-all racial preference on all federally assisted transportation construction and engineering contracts statewide.  Such a preference is unconstitutional because it can never be narrowly tailored on both construction and engineering contracts in such a large and diverse state as California.

Currently the program makes prime contractors discriminate again male subcontractors who are South Asian or white.  For instance prime contractors must favor subcontractors who trace their heritage to China, Japan, or South America, but disfavor male subcontractors whose national origins are from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.

The Caltrans program offends all notions of equality and fairness.  Subcontractors who are not of Caltrans’ chosen races or ethnicities are denied equal opportunity.  Caltrans believes it must discriminate to balance out its massed statistical disparities.  But as Chief Justice Roberts of the United States Supreme Court said: “The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race.”
Source: Pacific Legal Foundation/April 17, 2013 Ralph Kasarda

Multiracial Adoption Case

ADOPTION, BEST INTERESTS OF THE CHILD, FAMILY LAW, INDIAN CHILD WELFARE ACT

Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl

Oral argument: April 16, 2013

Court below: South Carolina Supreme Court

Petitioners, Adoptive Couple, decided to adopt a baby girl from a single mother. After Baby Girl's birth, Adoptive Couple began the official adoption process and Birth Father, a member of the Cherokee Nation, signed a form relinquishing his rights to Baby Girl.

Later, however, Birth Father claimed that he did not intend to relinquish his rights and sought to invoke the Indian Child Welfare Act ("ICWA") because Baby Girl is of Indian heritage. Both the Charleston County Family Court and the Supreme Court of South Carolina held that Birth Father should have custody of Baby Girl.

Adoptive Couple argues that Birth Father does not qualify as a “parent” under the ICWA and, thus, does not have parental rights to stop Baby Girl’s adoption. Furthermore, Adoptive Couple asserts that given the intent of the ICWA and the fact that Baby Girl has no parental relationship to Birth Father or other ties to the Cherokee Nation, the ICWA cannot be applied to oppose her adoption.

Respondents Birth Father and the Cherokee Nation claim that Birth Father does meet the “parent” definition of ICWA because he has proven his biological link to Baby Girl and also acknowledged her as his child. The Supreme Court's decision in this case will have an impact on the adoption process and system for children of Indian heritage, their biological parents, and prospective adoptive parents.

Continues... http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/cert/12-399

Source: [LII] Legal Information Institute | Cornell Law School

Black Men and College Success

Black Men's College Success Depends on Grit, Not Just Grades, Study Finds

Talent and strong high school achievement can propel young black men to college, but a new study finds their grit—the determination and ability to handle setbacks—is nearly as critical to their success at majority-white campuses.

In "What Role Does Grit Play in the Academic Success of Black Male Collegians at Predominantly White Institutions?" released this week in an online preview for the Journal of African American Studies, Ohio State University associate education professor Terrell L. Strayhorn found that grit was nearly as predictive as ACT scores to the college success of young black men who attend mostly white universities.

Strayhorn tracked 140 mostly first-generation college students at a large public university. He found that those who scored higher on an eight-item measure of grit earned higher course grades after taking into account prior achievement, age, transfer status and school engagement, among other factors.

"The environment at predominantly white institutions can be very different from the cultural backgrounds from which some black males come. So these students not only have to deal with the academic demands, but work around the social differences that are dramatically different from where they grew up," Strayhorn said in a statement on the findings.

 "The ability to persevere in the face of obstacles is a key to college success for black men. You can't change where a student grows up, or the quality of the high school he attended. But grit is something that can be taught and instilled in young men and it will have a real effect on their success."

The findings are the latest in an array of research exploring grit and what role it plays in success both in academics and life. Grit can still be a bit of a squishy concept—the latest term attempting to encompass a mix of resilience, perseverance, self-control, focus, and positive mindset—and there is a lot of debate right now over whether grit is a character trait, or a skill that can be taught.

Strayhorn is in the camp of considering it a skill, and he told me he envisions pre-semester "boot camps" to instill students with grit and other skills needed to succeed in college:
"What I envision entails actual learning activities and experiences that (a) nurture students' capacity to persevere despite setbacks or failure, (b) clarify their personal and professional goals, and (c) provide them strategies for overcoming obstacles to achieving such goals, to name a few," he said.
Source: Education Week/Sarah D. Sparks

Claiming Portuguese Citizenship

Descendants of 16th century Jewish refugees may claim Portuguese citizenship

(JTA) -- The Portuguese parliament passed legislation facilitating the naturalization of descendants of 16th-century Jews who fled because of religious persecution.

The motion, which was submitted by the Socialist and Center Right parties, was read Thursday in parliament and approved unanimously Friday as an amendment to Portugal’s Law on Nationality.

It allows descendants of Jews who were expelled in the 16th century to become citizens if they “belong to a Sephardic community of Portuguese origin with ties to Portugal,” according to Jose Oulman Carp, president of Portugal's Jewish community.

Applicants must be able to show “Sephardic names.” Another factor is “the language spoken at home” -- a reference which also applies to Ladino. The amendment also says applicants need not reside in Portugal, an exception to the requirement of six years of consecutive residency in Portugal for any applicant for citizenship.

“The next step is the creation of a bureaucratic framework for reviewing applications, which will probably involve the Jewish community of Lisbon and government officials,” said Carp, who has lobbied for several years for the amendment. He called it “a huge development.”

The Portuguese Inquisition began in 1536 and resulted in massive expulsion and forced conversion to Christianity. Portugal had a Jewish population of about 400,000, many of them refugees from neighboring Spain, where the Inquisition started in 1481 and intensified with royal decrees in 1492 and 1501. Spanish lawmakers are said to be drafting a similar motion.

Carp is hoping the measure will help attract new members to the country’s Jewish community of 1,000 to 1,500. “I expect the amendment will attract some interest from members of the Jewish community of Turkey, a country which absorbed many Portuguese immigrants,” he said.

Popular support for the motion stems from a desire to “make amends” for a dark historic chapter in Portugal, a country Carp describes as being “virtually free of anti-Semitism.” Some also hope the law would attract investments by Jews seeking to settle in Portugal, one of the European Union’s most vulnerable economies.

Troubled South Africa

Troubled South Africa debates impact of white rule

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In this photograph taken Thursday April 11, 2013, South Africans wait for the start of a fashion show in Johannesburg.This month, South Africa opened a conversation _ not the first _ over the extent to which the shadow of apartheid drives today's social ills as society fights to overturn entrenched imbalances in services and opportunities. The fresh discussion began with reported comments by Trevor Manuel, national planning minister, that South African officials should assume full responsibility and resist the temptation to continually blame apartheid for missteps. Photo: AP

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Few South Africans have the moral stature of retired archbishop Desmond Tutu, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who campaigned against apartheid and now laments the crime and inequality that plague the nation two decades after it cast off racist white rule.

"We can't pretend we have remained at the same heights and that's why I say please, for goodness' sake, recover the spirit that made us great," Tutu said. "Very simply, we are aware we've become one of the most violent societies. It's not what we were, even under apartheid."

This month, South Africa reopened a conversation over the extent to which the legacy of apartheid drives persistent imbalances in services and opportunities. Some argue that current leaders lean on the past to justify squandered chances to improve South Africa and even invoke the specter of apartheid for political gain.

The fresh discussion began with reported comments by National Planning Minister Trevor Manuel that South African officials should assume full responsibility for the nation's problems and resist the temptation to continually blame apartheid.

Those include a faltering education system, an uneven record on providing basic services and allegations of corruption and cronyism that drain public faith in the government. The African National Congress, in power since the first all-race elections in 1994, has improved housing for many poor people and presides over a society that is immeasurably more tolerant than its predecessor. But the gulf between the wealthier white minority and the millions of blacks who can't find work and live in shacks remains wide.

"While wanting to see change happening fast in every corner of the country, we are under no illusion that South Africa will automatically and comprehensively change in only 20 years. That is impossible," President Jacob Zuma said this week. "The legacy of apartheid runs too deep and too far back for the democratic administration to reverse it in so short a period."

Zuma has pointed to old inequities, noting white South Africans earn far more than blacks even if political power is now in the hands of elected leaders. Yet South Africa is in "a much better place" than it was under apartheid, and is working toward real unity, devoid of racism and other forms of discrimination, said Zuma, who turned 71 on Friday.

But the grim reference point of apartheid is fading among younger voters. The general elections in 2014 will mark the first time that the leading edge of the generation born after apartheid, known as the "born frees," will be eligible to vote. An estimated 3 million young people, or 10 percent of the electorate, with no direct experience of apartheid will be able to vote.

A foundation chaired by F.W. de Klerk, the last apartheid-era president who negotiated a power transition with Mandela and later shared a Nobel Peace Prize with him, said in a statement Friday that Zuma's references to apartheid are diverting attention from the need for effective policies.

"When President Zuma says that 'we cannot stop blaming those who caused it,' he is playing the very dangerous game of making whites the racial scapegoats for the manifest failures of his own government," de Klerk's foundation said.

Recent cases of alleged police brutality, a staple of the apartheid era, reinforce the idea that South Africa is morally adrift, even if the rate of some violent crimes has dropped in recent years.

On Friday, a judge postponed to May 24 a case against nine police officers accused of murdering a Mozambican taxi driver who was dragged from a police vehicle in February. Also Friday, eNCA.com, a South African news outlet, posted CCTV footage purportedly showing a woman being beaten by an off-duty police officer in view of two of his uniformed colleagues. Top police officials have said the vast majority of officers are law-abiding.

While South Africa has made "huge advancements" in the past two decades, "there is still a long way to go," saidLesiba Seshoka, spokesman for South Africa's National Union of Mineworkers.

He said whites mostly dominate industry and that there should be a "radical transformation" to distribute economic resources more equally. When Nelson Mandela and other ANC leaders negotiated an end to apartheid, they did not insist on such restructuring, fearing it could set the country on a downward path similar to that of neighboring Zimbabwe after independence.

Tutu made his comments Thursday in a Cape Town ceremony to celebrate his receipt of the 2013 Templeton Prize, a $1.7 million award for spiritual work, the South African Press Association reported. He recalled that South Africa was "flavor of the month" at the time of the 1994 elections, as the world saw voters waiting patiently to cast the first ballots of their lives.

He also said it was "utterly blasphemous that we should still have people who live in shacks," SAPA reported.

White income earners make on average four times as much as blacks, according to a recent study published by the South African Institute of Race Relations, a research center based in Johannesburg.

Lucy Holborn, research manager at the institute, said it is possible to assign responsibility for South Africa's problems to both apartheid and the government that came after it.

"There are still definitely cleavages within our society that reflect past injustices and are left over from them," she said. At the same time, Holborn said, the "gaps would be much narrower" if the government had built a strong education system and empowered a "broader group of people" rather than seeking change mostly at the top.

Source: By CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA, Associated Press