Indianapolis Urban League

IUL Newsletter March 2018

Category: News

IUL Newsletter March 2018

Posted on by K Teague
This feature appeared in both the Indianapolis Star and the Indianapolis Recorder on March 15 ,2018.
David P. Hardy, founding CEO of Boys’ Latin of Philadelphia Charter School,
to speak at AFC’s National Policy Summit
The American Federation for Children, the nation’s voice for educational choice, is pleased to announce that David P. Hardy will address AFC’s National Policy Summit taking place on Wednesday, May 2 and Thursday, May 3 in Washington, D.C.
Statement from John Schilling, President of the American Federation for Children:
“AFC is honored to welcome David Hardy to this year’s National Policy Summit. His leadership at Boys’ Latin has not only been inspirational, but has provided a blueprint showcasing what happens when we invest in children from diverse social and economic backgrounds.”
Statement from David P. Hardy, founding CEO of Boys’ Latin of Philadelphia Charter School:
“Leading young men to tap into and experience the best of themselves through education has been and continues to be my passion. I am excited to share this passion and my knowledge with fellow education reformers at the American Federation for Children National Policy Summit.”
Background on Hardy and Boys’ Latin of Philadelphia:
Hardy founded the Boys’ Latin of Philadelphia Charter School in 2007 with the mission to provide young men of color with an education experience that would prepare them for a future of success and productivity. Ten years later, Hardy has surpassed his vision. Since 2012, Boys’ Latin has had a 99% college acceptance rate and has ensured that hundreds of young men of color have experienced a rigorous, college-prep education along with four years of Latin. Although Hardy recently retired, he’s not done fighting to ensure that underprivileged communities of color have access to a quality education.
Online registration for the AFC Summit is now open!
Complete step 1 of registration to secure your spot.
You can also make your hotel reservations today.
IUL News | Pg 04
National Urban League President Implores HUD Secretary to Reject Removal of Anti-Discrimination Language from Agency’s Mission Statement
WASHINGTON, DC (March 7, 2018) – National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial today sent a letter to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson imploring that he reinstate in the anti-discrimination language that was recently removed from HUD’s mission statement.
In the letter, Morial states, “You have spoken of the squalid conditions of your childhood neighborhood in Boston; you have experienced first-hand the demoralizing wounds of segregation and racism, and for a time, according to your spokesman, benefitted from the safety net of housing subsidy. You must bring these experiences to bear in your responsibility to uphold the duties of your office.
“A drastic change to the department’s mission statement is a move that should not be made lightly, or in haste. Before accepting this change, you must confer with your staff in the field, and HUD stakeholders, who must live with the consequences of your actions.”
The full letter to Secretary Carson follows and is attached.
The Honorable Ben Carson
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Washington, DC 20410
March 7, 2018
Dear Mr. Secretary,
It is with the utmost urgency I respectfully implore you to reject removal of anti-discrimination language from your department’s mission statement.
In signing the legislation that created the Department of Housing and Urban Development, President Lyndon Johnson said, “We must make sure that every family in America lives in a home of dignity and a neighborhood of pride, a community of opportunity and a city of promise and hope.” Without an affirmative commitment to “inclusive and sustainable communities, free from discrimination,” Johnson’s vision simply cannot be achieved.
You have spoken of the squalid conditions of your childhood neighborhood in Boston; you have experienced first-hand the demoralizing wounds of segregation and racism, and for a time, according to your spokesman, benefitted from the safety net of housing subsidy. You must bring these experiences to bear in your responsibility to uphold the duties of your office.
A drastic change to the department’s mission statement is a move that should not be made lightly, or in haste. Before accepting this change, you must confer with your staff in the field, and HUD stakeholders, who must live with the consequences of your actions.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act, proposed and passed in part in reaction to the findings of the Kerner Commission: that the United States was “moving toward two societies, one black, one white—separate and unequal,” and that the status quo would result in two separate societies: “one, largely Negro and poor, located in the central cities; the other, predominantly white and affluent, located in the suburbs.”
I fear the future envisioned by the Kerner Commission may become a reality if you allow the mission of HUD to be diluted. As the National Urban League is deeply committed to fair and affordable housing for every American, we look forward to sharing our input and assistance as your department seeks to refine its mission.
Sincerely yours,
s/Marc H. Morial
President and CEO
National Urban League
###
Contact: K. Kim Atterbury | katterbury@nul.org | (202) 629-5750
IUL News| 08
National Urban League Strongly Opposes Bill That Will Erase Consumer Protections Under Dodd-Frank
WASHINGTON, DC (March 7, 2018) – Today, National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial sent a letter to the full U.S. Senate urging they all oppose the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act, commonly known as the “Bank Lobbyist Act.” This bill would place low-income and borrowers of color at risk of falling prey to the same unscrupulous lending practices that caused the great recession by exempting large banks from key consumer protections implemented under the Dodd-Frank financial reform law.
The full letter follows and is attached.
March 7, 2018
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Senator:
On behalf of the National Urban League and its 90 local affiliates in urban communities in 37 states and the District of Columbia, we write to strongly urge you to oppose S. 2155, the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act, commonly known as the Bank Lobbyist Act.
We are concerned that S. 2155 would exempt large banks from vital consumer protections implemented under the Dodd-Frank financial reform law, and once again place low-income and borrowers of color at risk of falling prey to the same unscrupulous lending practices that caused the great recession. The legislation would also create a loophole exempting 85% of banks and credit unions from reporting the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data, ignoring the critical civil rights enforcement role of HMDA data which has highlighted discriminatory lending patterns and trends in the mortgage industry for over 40 years.
During the financial crisis, lenders engaged in discriminatory practices with impunity, steering African Americans into unethical, predatory products that they knew borrowers could not repay. This practice of “reverse redlining” by mainstream financial institutions was a leading cause of the housing crisis. While the brunt of the crisis took place nearly a decade ago, its impact can still be felt by millions of American consumers today. African-Americans, in particular, saw their homeownership rates drop to the level before the passage of the Fair Housing Act, nearly 50-years ago. In addition, the Center for Investigative Reporting found that banks discriminated against prospective borrowers of color in 61 U.S. cities, providing evidence that housing discrimination continues today and must be monitored.[1]
Despite claims to the contrary, HMDA is not a burden on the financial services industry. In fact, banks already collect the information required by HMDA, voluntarily. We need bipartisan solutions to end pervasive discrimination in lending. Now is not the time to rollback regulations that would protect consumers against pernicious and irresponsible lending practices. We must preserve and strengthen these important protections and continue collecting the data that exposes disparities in the industry. For these reasons, we urge you to oppose S. 2155, the Bank Lobbyist Act.
Sincerely,
s/Marc H. Morial
President and CEO
###
Contact: K. Kim Atterbury | katterbury@nul.org | (202) 629-5750
IUL News| 09

Statement from Tony Mason, President and CEO of the Indianapolis Urban League, on Indiana’s Refusal to Pass Comprehensive and Inclusive Hate Crime Bill.

Posted on by K Teague

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Statement from Tony Mason, President and CEO of the Indianapolis Urban League, on Indiana’s Refusal to Pass Comprehensive and Inclusive Hate Crime Bill.
 
For Immediate Release- January 31, 2018
” Today, we are greatly disappointed in Indiana’s Senate Corrections and Criminal Law Committee for failing to vote to pass an inclusive hate crime law, ultimately allowing it to die in Committee. This law was largely supported by Hoosiers, who came together with business and community leaders to ensure this law would pass. the Indiana Senators failed to listen to the majority, instead succumbing to those who opposed protections for LGBTQ+ Hoosiers. While we worked to find common ground with the opposition, we felt the inclusion of the LGBTQ+ in the proposed list of identified characters was vital, and refused to compromise on a bill that did not include them.
As we are being considered for the second headquarters for Amazon and are being increasingly more visible to prospective job-creating and economy- boosting companies, we fear that bills that clearly oppose equality for all Hoosiers will be a detriment to our state’s economic growth and diversity. While we are disappointed, we will not be discouraged. We urge you to join us in continued advocacy for senators and legislators to believe in and support a state that does not tolerate hate against any of it’s citizens. “
Please see below to review the original statement from the Central Indiana Alliance Against Hate.
Media Contact:
Shelby Royster, Indianapolis Urban League, sroyster@indplsul.org, 317-693-7631

Indiana Refuses to Pass Comprehensive and Inclusive Hate Crime Law
For Immediate Release – January 30, 2017
Today, with the lack of vote in the Senate Corrections and Criminal Law Committee, SB 418, a bill to pass a hate crime law in Indiana, died in Committee. Despite statewide polls prior to the session showing 65% of Hoosiers support the passage of hate crimes legislation, and calls from businesses and economic development leaders, and nearly a hundred community organizations, a majority of Indiana Senators listened to only those who oppose protections for LGBTQ+ Hoosiers. The Central Indiana Alliance Against Hate is profoundly disappointed that for another year, issues that largely centered around the inclusion of LGBTQ+ Hoosiers in a proposed list of identified characteristics, has prevented the Indiana Senate from passing an identical bias crimes bill to the one they passed in 2016.
The Alliance worked with Senators to try to find compromise language that would address concerns, but in the end we felt it was crucial to include a list of identified characteristics, as 44 out of 45 other states have utilized. However, the opposition would not agree to anything that continued to include sexual orientation and gender identity, identified characteristics the Alliance believes must be part of any hate crime law. It is incomprehensible that despite escalating examples of hate crimes in Indiana and at the national level, and despite national attention to Indiana’s lack of a hate crime law, Indiana is determined to continue to wear its badge of defiance by not providing full protection to persons commonly targeted by hate, including our LGBTQ+ Hoosiers.
While this is a setback, we are not going away. Advocates will continue to come back to the General Assembly for as long as it takes to change hearts and minds and finally help legislators see that it is imperative that we clarify our code, and strongly say as a state that we do not tolerate hate.
For more information or updates, visit the Central Indiana Alliance Against Hate’s Facebook page. Read the Alliance’s Fact Sheet for more answers to frequently asked questions about a hate crime law.
Media Contact:
Amy Nelson, Central Indiana Alliance Against Hate, anelson@fhcci.org, 317-644-0673 x1001
About the Central Indiana Alliance Against Hate
The Central Indiana Alliance Against Hate (Alliance) formed in March 2017 and is a group of individuals, nonprofits, and businesses that exist to reduce the occurrence and combat the consequences of hate crimes and hate-based incidents. The Alliance isa project of the Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana. More information on the Alliance is at: https://www.fhcci.org/ciaah/
#IndianaNeedsAHateCrimeLaw

Statement on Passage of Vote Centers and Satellite Voting Resolution by the Marion County Election Board

Posted on by K Teague

Statement on Passage of Vote Centers and Satellite Voting Resolution by the Marion County Election Board

Friday, January 26, 2018
This week, the Marion County Election Board took a pivotal step in the push for voter access equality. The Vote Centers and Satellite Voting Resolution that was passed is being regarded as “one of the most monumental bipartisan agreements achieved in the history of Marion County.”  This trans-formative resolution will expand voter options in Marion County for the foreseeable future making it easier for voters to cast their ballots beginning with the 2019 Primary Election.  The Election Board will shift its near decade long satellite voting focus to discussions and deliberations on how many satellite sites to have and their locations. While doing so, steps must be taken in the short term to ensure that Marion County voters have access to more early voting locations during this year’s elections.  The Indianapolis Urban League, the African American Coalition of Indianapolis and other community organizations are prepared to provide input and assistance as needed to help increase voter participation this year and beyond.
Highlights of the Vote Centers and Satellite Voting Resolution include:
  • The resolution creates an Election Administration Planning Committee (EAPC);
  • The EAPC will develop a plan to implement vote centers in Marion County that includes but is not limited to the following:
    • The transition to vote centers will occur with the 2019 Primary Election;
    • All of the approximately 300 polling locations will be vote center polling places on Election Day to the extent practicable;
    • Several of the vote center polling places will be open for early satellite voting;
    • Electronic poll books will be used county-wide at each vote center polling place; and
    • The EAPC will make timely recommendations to the election board regarding changes to equipment, staffing, process, and applicable law sufficient to carry out the purposes of this resolution.
Below are pertinent voting deadlines and dates for 2018.  Save these election dates and head to the polls!  Cast your vote and be heard!
If you would like to review Clerk Myla A. Eldridge’s statement and the actual media release, they are also attached below.

Indianapolis Urban League’s Project Ready Featured as the UWCI Friday Success Story

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United Way fights for the education, financial stability, health and basic needs of everyone in our community. Indianapolis Urban League is a United Way-supported agency addressing one or more of these priorities by assisting African-Americans, other minorities and disadvantaged individuals to achieve social and economic empowerment.

Chelsea, Eric and Devonta are three very different high school students with varying backgrounds and experiences. But one thing they have in common is a brighter future because of Project Ready.

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Coloring and Conversations: An Innovative Strategy for Talking About Mental Health

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TAKE ACTION FOR HEALTH

Coloring and Conversations: An Innovative Strategy for Talking About Mental Health

With a common goal of eliminating health disparities in the African American community, Anthem, Inc., the National Urban League, City of Hope and Pfizer, Inc., have teamed up to create Take Action for Health, a unique initiative focused on reducing some of the greatest health risks facing the African American community today: breast cancer, heart disease and emotional well-being. Take Action for Health strives to increase mammograms, blood pressure screenings and screenings for depression and anxiety-risk in an effort to catch these health conditions early while they are more treatable.  For example, African-American women have the lowest breast cancer survival rate of all ethnic and racial groups, according to the American Cancer Society, and one potential reason may be because African-American women are diagnosed with more advanced or later stage breast cancer.

Take Action for Health

In Indianapolis, Indiana, staff collaborated with the Center of Wellness for Urban Women to deliver an innovative strategy for talking about mental health. Taking advantage of a recent surge in adult interest in coloring books as a method for relaxation, they hosted a Coloring and Conversations workshop. In addition to providing markers, crayons and coloring pages, affiliate staff delivered the Project Wellness Mental and Emotional Well-Being curriculum to participants. Individuals were offered a depression risk screening and upon completion referred to a local mental health provider if they were interested.