American Association for Access, Equity and Diversity Honors Xavier University's President Norman C. Francis At its 41st National Conference and Annual Meeting

The Nation's longest-serving university president will receive the association's "Drum Major for Justice" Award for his outstanding contributions to access, equity, diversity and excellence in higher education

 

For Immediate Release: December 10, 2014 Contact:  Shirley J. Wilcher  240-893-9475  execdir@aaaed.org execdir@affirmativeaction.org    Washington, DC, December 10, 2014 - Dr. Norman C. Francis, the longest serving university president in the United States, will be honored during the 41st National Conference and Annual Meeting of the American Association for Access, Equity and Diversity (AAAED). The conference will be held on June 2 - 5, 2015 at the Marriott New Orleans in New Orleans, LA. AAAED's annual Awards Luncheon will take place on June 3, 2015. At the luncheon, Dr. Francis will receive the association's "Drum Major for Justice" Award.   Dr. Francis will be acknowledged for his many contributions to higher education and American society.  Francis has served as President of Xavier University since 1968 and he has also been an important civic leader in New Orleans and the state of Louisiana.   Under Francis' leadership Xavier, which is the nation's only university that is both a Catholic and a historically Black institution, has developed into the leading university in the preparation of African-American students to pursue and earn advanced degrees in the health sciences.   Francis is himself a Xavier alumnus, who then became the first African American to earn a law degree from Loyola University in New Orleans.  After serving in the Army, he worked in the U. S. Attorney's Office in New Orleans to help integrate federal agencies.  He subsequently became active in the civil rights movement, and went on to join the Xavier administration in 1961.  He was selected by the board to become the University's president in 1968.   A nationally recognized expert in educational administration and management, Francis has served as chairman of the board of directors of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning, the Educational Testing Service, the Southern Association of Schools and Colleges, and the Southern Education Foundation.  He has been a member of the board of trustees of the Catholic University of America, the board of Regents of Loyola University, and the board of directors of the National Catholic Council for Interracial Justice.  He also served as chair of the Louisiana Recovery Authority, which is the state agency in charge of planning the recovery and rebuilding of Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina.   In 2006, Francis was awarded the National Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush, and in 2009 U. S. News and World Report named him as one of America's Best Leaders.    Don't miss this opportunity to celebrate the outstanding career of this legendary leader at the AAAED 41st National Conference and Annual Meeting. For more information about the conference and the Awards Luncheon, go to: www.aaaedconference.org. Proceeds from the luncheon will support the work of the Fund for Leadership, Equity, Access and Diversity (LEAD Fund), established to provide thought leadership in promoting inclusive organizations and institutions by providing research and education on issues related to diversity, social responsibility, human and civil rights.         For more information, go to the  AAAED Website and the AAAED Conference Site

American Association for Access, Equity and Diversity Announces its 2015 Professional Development and Training Institute Program

Association launches Diversity Management and Title IX Training as part of its Equal Employment Opportunity Curriculum for Human Resources, EEO, Diversity and Affirmative Action Professionals

 

For Immediate Release: December 15, 2014 Contact:  Shirley J. Wilcher  240-893-9475  execdir@aaaed.org execdir@affirmativeaction.org Washington, DC, December 15, 2014 - The American Association for Access, Equity and Diversity (AAAED), an association of equal employment opportunity (EEO), diversity and affirmative action professionals, announced the release of its Professional Development and Training Institute (PDTI) program for 2015.  Founded in 1974 as the American Association for Affirmative Action (AAAA), AAAED has four decades of leadership in providing professional training to members, enabling them to be more successful and productive in their careers. It also promotes understanding and advocacy of affirmative action and other equal opportunity and related compliance laws to enhance the tenets of access, inclusion and equality in employment, economic and educational opportunities.   AAAED’s PDTI has been a primary sponsor of quality training in equal employment opportunity (EEO) and affirmative action law and policy since 1991. PDTI faculty consists of experienced educators who understand both the theory and the applications of EEO, affirmative action and diversity law and policy.   In 2015, PDTI is launching its Diversity Management Program for practicing professionals.  This addition to its curriculum constitutes an expansion of its longstanding training in EEO Law, Complaint Processing, Counseling and Resolution; and Affirmative Action plan development.  This expansion is consistent with the association’s name change to encompass professionals who work in the areas of Diversity and Inclusion as well as EEO and Affirmative Action.     AAAED will also offer courses related to Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.  Title IX is enforced by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. OCR has been actively investigating compliance with the rules prohibiting discrimination by programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance.  One of the issues that the agency has been vigorously pursuing lately involves campus sexual assaults.  AAAED will train members and nonmembers alike to be better prepared to comply with Title IX. For more information including the course catalog and registration, go to: www.aaaed.org/training or www.affirmativeaction.org/training.  Tel: 202-349-9855.  Email:  pdti@aaaed.org or pdti@affirmativeaction.org. ###   Click here for the AAAED PDTI 2015 Catalog:  AAAED PDTI Catalog

American Association for Access, Equity and Diversity Statement on the Announcement of Professional Standards for Chief Diversity Officers

The American Association for Access, Equity and Diversity (AAAED), an association of equal employment opportunity (EEO), diversity and affirmative action professionals, expressed strong support for the articulation of standards for the Chief Diversity Officer profession, released by the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE).

“The American Association for Access, Equity and Diversity (AAAED), a forty-year organization composed of equal opportunity, affirmative action, institutional equity and diversity officers in higher education, government and the private sector, commends our colleague organization, the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE), on the development and publication of its Standards of Professional Practice for Chief Diversity Officers (CDOs),” said AAAED President Marshall Rose. 

Founded in 1974 as the American Association for Affirmative Action (AAAA), AAAED has four decades of leadership in providing professional training to members, enabling them to be more successful and productive in their careers. It also promotes understanding and advocacy of affirmative action and other equal opportunity and related compliance laws to enhance the tenets of access, inclusion and equality in employment, economic and educational opportunities. 

“While its focus is ostensibly on institutions of higher education, these standards are tremendously important in articulating the knowledge and role of the CDO and its essential position in the executive leadership of any organization. They are also a foundational contribution to the national conversation on access, equity and inclusive excellence, and the contribution is one that AAAED welcomes,” President Rose added. 

AAAED urges NADOHE and other organizations to work with AAAED to build stronger interconnected efforts with Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action professionals, the Title IX and ADA officers, Human Resources and other relevant university personnel to promote a healthy and respectful environment for the entire Academic community. AAAED also welcomes those working in higher education, the public sector, government and the private sector to explore its various professional development and skills acquisition programs, including diversity management classroom training, webinars, certificate programs, and annual conference to promote access, equity and diversity both substantively and through greater collaboration and cooperation with the various entities charged with promoting diversity and inclusive excellence throughout our society.

U. S. Commission on Civil Rights Issues Statement on Ferguson Grand Jury and State of Missouri's Decision Not to Indict Officer Wilson for Death of Michael Brown

 The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights by bipartisan majority vote today issued the following statement upon the completion of the work of the grand jury and the State of Missouri's decision not to indict Officer Darren Wilson for the death of teenager Michael Brown.

We understand the disappointment and anger that many in Ferguson feel with regard to the decision of the grand jury not to return an indictment in the shooting death of Michael Brown. But our nation's commitment to the rule of law requires that the decision must be afforded our respect and we must abide by the decision. However, this does not mean that inquiries into the deeper issues of inequality and racial disparities raised by members of the African American community in St. Louis County and others in the aftermath of the shooting should end.

Please read more here http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/u-s-commission-on-civil-rights-issues-statement-on-ferguson-grand-jury-and-state-of-missouris-decision-not-to-indict-officer-wilson-for-death-of-michael-brown-300001403.html

Final rule to protect workers from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity announced by US Labor Department

WASHINGTON – A new rule prohibiting discrimination on the bases of sexual orientation and gender identity in the federal contracting workforce is being announced today by the U.S. Department of Labor. The rule implements Executive Order 13672, which was signed by President Obama on July 21.

 

“Americans believe in fairness and opportunity. No one should live in fear of being fired or passed over or discriminated against at work simply because of who they are or who they love,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez. “Laws prohibiting workplace discrimination on the bases of sexual orientation and gender identity are long overdue, and we’re taking a big step forward today to fix that.”

 

EO 13672 tasked the department with updating the rules implementing EO 11246 to add gender identity and sexual orientation to the classes it protects. While 18 states, the District of Columbia and many businesses, large and small, already offer workplace protections to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees, July’s executive order was the first federal action to ensure LGBT workplace equality in the private sector.

“We are building on the work of presidents and members of Congress from both parties who have expanded opportunities for America’s workers,” said Patricia A. Shiu, director of the department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, which will enforce the new requirements. “This rule will extend protections to millions of workers who are employed by or seek jobs with federal contractors and subcontractors, ensuring that sexual orientation and gender identity are never used as justification for workplace discrimination by those that profit from taxpayer dollars.”

 

The final rule will become effective 120 days after its publication in the Federal Register and will apply to federal contracts entered into or modified on or after that date. More information is available athttp://www.dol.gov/ofccp/LGBT. 

 

In addition to EO 11246, OFCCP enforces Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974. These three laws require contractors and subcontractors that do business with the federal government to follow the fair and reasonable standard that they not discriminate in employment on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, and now sexual orientation and gender identity.

 

For general information, please call OFCCP’s toll-free helpline at 800-397-6251 or visithttp://www.dol.gov/ofccp/. 

 

# # #

 

Media Contacts:

 

Laura McGinnis, 202-693-4653, mcginnis.laura.k@dol.gov

Michael Trupo, 202-693-6588, trupo.michael@dol.gov

 

Release Number: 14-1942-NAT

American Association for Access, Equity and Diversity Statement on One of the Lessons of Ferguson: The Need for Diversity and Inclusion

Association calls on policy makers to take positive, affirmative, action-oriented steps to promote equal employment opportunity and to increase diversity and inclusion in their departmental workforces

 

For Immediate Release: December 3, 2014 Contact:  Shirley J. Wilcher   240-893-9475  execdir@aaaed.org execdir@affirmativeaction.org Washington, DC, December 3, 2014 - The American Association for Access, Equity and Diversity (AAAED), an association of equal employment opportunity (EEO), diversity and affirmative action professionals, learned that the grand jury convened by St. Louis County prosecuting attorney Robert McCulloch will not indict Officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of unarmed 18 year-old Michael Brown.  We extend our deepest condolences to the family of Mr. Brown.    AAAED makes it a policy and practice not to comment or advocate on behalf of individuals in personal or legal matters.  Setting legal matters aside, AAAED observes that since the shooting in August, 2014, Ferguson, Missouri has been the locus of peaceful demonstrations and lootings and has been the center of both national and international debate.  International agencies including Amnesty International have expressed concern about this incident and the world's media outlets have sent observers to witness the human rights implications of the shooting and its aftermath.    Relevant to the central mission of AAAED, we note that the Ferguson Police Department has 50 white police officers and three or four African American officers in a city whose population is 67 percent African American.  While some may assert that African Americans in this geographic area are not interested in opportunities with this police department, our organization's 40 years of experience and our nation's employment practice changes demonstrate otherwise in countless employment diversification initiatives in the public, private and governmental sectors.  People of color will, and do, apply for jobs when the opportunities are real and they are genuinely wanted as applicants and workers.   We are reminded of the W. E. B. Du Bois quote:  "...the problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line."  And so we note this problem continues, unabated and with more scrutiny as to the nature and systemization of the "color line", in our 21st century.   We know that representational diversity in all elements of U.S. society, in particular diversifying schools and the workforce, does break down barriers as well as stereotypes.  Breaking down barriers and stereotypes are foundational elements to undoing systematized racism and discrimination.   We urge the Ferguson, MO police department, and police departments nationwide at the town, city, county, state and national levels, to take positive, affirmative, action-oriented steps to increase diversity in their departmental workforces and provide training for the necessary interpersonal and intercultural skill building necessary to dismantle systematized barriers and stereotypes in order to serve their communities.  We call on these agencies to make use of the skills of Diversity and Equal Employment Opportunity specialists, including those who are members of AAAED, to guide them in achieving a diverse workforce with nuanced community and cultural understanding skills.   We also urge the Congress to pass the End Racial Profiling Act, which we have called for in the past.  We know that legislation can be a catalyst for positive societal change. And change we must as a society to finally address the ongoing "problem of the color line".       For more information, go to AAAED Website.            AAAED Home Website    888 16th Street, NW, Suite 800 * Washington, D.C. 20006 *202-349-9855 ex 1857 * 800-252-8952 * Fax: 202-355-1399 *          ###

About The American Association for Access, Equity and Diversity (AAAED)

Founded in 1974 as the American Association for Affirmative Action (AAAA), AAAED is a national not-for-profit association of professionals working in the areas of equal opportunity, compliance and diversity. AAAED has 40 years of leadership in providing professional training to members, enabling them to be more successful and productive in their careers. It also promotes understanding and advocacy of affirmative action and other equal opportunity and related laws and regulations to enhance the tenets of access, inclusion and equality in employment, economic and educational opportunities.

Media Contact

Shirley J. Wilcher Executive Director  Phone: 240-893-9475 Email address: execdir@aaaed.org www.aaaed.org

Rape Remarks Undo a President

The president of Lincoln University of Pennsylvania is out of a job less than two weeks after he became widely known for making inflammatory suggestions about female students on his campus.

The university’s Board of Trustees announced Monday morning it had accepted the resignation of Robert R. Jennings, the 13th president of Lincoln, one of the nation’s oldest historically black colleges. In comments that drew national attention in mid-November, Jennings suggested several female students who made rape allegations were never raped, and questioned their motives.

Please read more here https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/11/25/lincoln-u-pa-president-criticized-rape-remarks-out-his-job

Another President Blaming Women?

The president of Eckerd College has become the latest college leader whose statements about preventing rape and sexual assault have resulted in criticism that he is blaming women.

Donald R. Eastman III sent an email to students Sunday in which he encouraged them to drink less and to avoid casual sex. He immediately faced criticism on and off campus that he was failing to understand that students have the right to engage in casual sex and to drink, and that doing so does not give anyone the right to rape them. As one post on Twitter said: "To Donald Eastman of Eckerd College. Women have the right to become intoxicated and not be assaulted. It's a crime."

Please read more here https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/11/25/eckerd-president-criticized-his-advice-students-how-avoid-rape

New Standards for Diversity Officers

As colleges and universities continue to add chief diversity officers to their top administrative ranks, some from within and outside the profession have called for a set of professional standards to guide their work. What qualifications should these officers have? What exactly do their jobs entail? How do they relate to equal opportunity officers on campus? The National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education has responded to their concerns by today releasing a list of Standards of Professional Practice for Chief Diversity Officers.

....

Shirley Wilcher, executive director of the American Association for Access Equity and Diversity, has previously criticized some new chief diversity officers for having insufficient legal knowledge of their field -- even if they do have a Ph.D. Via email, she also praised the new standards, saying that while they’re intended for colleges and universities, they’re also “tremendously important in articulating the knowledge and role of the [chief diversity officer] and its essential position in the executive leadership of any organization.” 

At the same time, Wilcher called on the chief diversity officers’ association to “build stronger interconnected efforts” with the equal opportunity and other compliance-based officers who make up her associations’ membership “to promote a healthy and respectful environment for the entire academic community.” 

Please read entire article here https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/11/24/growing-ranks-diversity-officers-get-set-professional-standards

Questions Surround a Possible Ben Carson Presidential Run By Carl Wicklander

With the midterm elections barely over, potential presidential candidates are already emerging. One anticipated Republican candidate is intriguing, but may also face some opposition as the party becomes better acquainted with him.

Former director of neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Ben Carson, has never held office before and has been a favorite of conservative grassroots activists for nearly two years.

Diverse students, but teachers mostly white

Waves of increasingly diverse students pour into schools across the region. Their teachers? Not so diverse.

This school year, more than 97 percent of teachers in Tippecanoe County, Lafayette and West Lafayette schools are white.

Please read more here http://www.jconline.com/story/news/education/2014/11/22/diverse-students-white-teachers/19404077/

New GOP Congressmen increase diversity in party

WASHINGTON — They came to town last week for freshman orientation: the first black Republican woman elected to Congress, the only Jewish Republican elected to Congress this year and the youngest woman ever elected to Congress.

Mia Love of Utah, by way of Brooklyn; Lee Zeldin of Shirley, Long Island; and Elise Stefanik, who lives in upstate New York, near Lake Champlain, were among 57 incoming representatives who trouped to lectures and parties, formed cliques and even stayed in the same dormlike Capitol Hill hotel.

Please read more here http://m.nydailynews.com/news/politics/new-gop-congressmen-increase-diversity-conservative-party-article-1.2020527#bmb=1

“Diversity Issues in Higher Education” Conference Tackles Critical Issues for Social Change

"We need a collective understand of diversity to create actions that positively change our environment," said Sophie Howlett, Ph.D., Associate Vice President for Learning Support and Director of Accreditation and Assessment at Kean University, during the opening remarks at the Diversity Issues in Higher Education conference on November 14.

Titled "The Changing Face of Diversity: Poverty, Education, Immigration, and Race," this 14th annual event drew an audience of more than 150 students, faculty, administrators, and corporate leaders who explored diversity challenges across public and private sectors.

Please read full article here http://m.centraljersey.com/articles/2014/11/20/newswire/doc546e5f6b83458412521542.txt

UCLA Approves Diversity Course Requirement

The University of California at Los Angeles Academic Senate has voted, 85-to-18, to approve a plan to require all undergraduates in the primary undergraduate college at UCLA to complete at least one course in a diversity topic. The idea of a diversity requirement has been debated for years at UCLA, and has been previously voted down.

Please read full article here https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2014/11/21/ucla-approves-diversity-course-requirement

RiseSmart® Named One of San Francisco Bay Area’s 101 Best &

RiseSmart, the leading provider of career transition services, was recently named one of San Francisco Bay Area’s 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For®. The award, given by the National Association for Business Resources (NABR), identifies organizations that demonstrate a commitment to excellence in human resources practices and employee enrichment. This accolade reflects RiseSmart’s dedication to creating the best possible work environment for its employees.

.......... 

This is one of many accolades RiseSmart has garnered because of its exemplary workplace. The company was recently named a Great Rated! Company by Great Place to Work and earned a spot on the Bay Area News Group’s Top 100 Workplaces in the Bay Area list. Additionally, RiseSmart won the 2014 Leadership 500 Award, was named a Champion of Diversity by the American Association for Affirmative Action and is a three-time winner of the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal and San Francisco Business Times’ Best Places to Work award.

Read full article here http://www.prweb.com/releases/RiseSmart/SFBestandBrightest/prweb12342761.htm

Research Universities Will Conduct Sex Assault Survey

The association representing the nation’s leading research universities said Friday that it planned to develop and administer a sexual assault climate survey for its members, in part to fend off efforts in Congress to mandate such surveys. The Association of American Universities said that it had hired a research firm to design a survey that its 60 U.S. member institutions may choose to have conducted on their campuses next April. The group plans to then publicly report the “cumulative results” from those surveys.

Please read more here https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2014/11/17/research-universities-will-conduct-sex-assault-survey

Sam Maiden to be New Director of Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) Southeast Region

OFCCP Director Pat Shiu has appointed Sam Maiden the new director of OFCCP’s Southeast Regional Office.  He will take the reins on December 14 and will oversee a region including four district offices and seven area offices in Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, North and South Carolina.

Read more here http://www.natlawreview.com/article/sam-maiden-to-be-new-director-office-federal-contract-compliance-programs-ofccp-sout

Inequality, Affirmative Action, Guns Top Issues Among Asians

With strong opinions on income inequality, affirmative action, and guns, Asian-Americans voters can no longer be seen as a limited issue group, according to the results of a multilingual poll by AAPI Data.

Read more here http://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/inequality-affirmative-action-guns-top-issues-among-asians-n248581

Court Won't Reconsider University of Texas Affirmative Action Program

  The courts will not reconsider the use of race as a factor in admissions at the University of Texas, Newsradio 1200 WOAI reports.

  In a brief decision released today, the Fifth Court of Appeals in New Orleans rejected what is called an 'en banc' hearing to reconsider a ruling by a three judge panel earlier this year that the 'limited' use of race is appropriate to create a 'diverse' student body.

Please read more here http://m.woai.com/articles/woai-local-news-sponsored-by-five-119078/court-wont-reconsider-university-of-texas-12963542/

Affirmative action should be viewed in global context

Affirmative action won’t be around for much longer, ” said one of our professors twenty years ago, advising against writing a dissertation on this topic. The United States Supreme Court’s Schuette decision earlier this year reinforces this common perception.

Please read more here http://theconversation.com/affirmative-action-should-be-viewed-in-global-context-33618

Affirmative (Re)Actions to racially-based admissions policies

Benefactors of affirmative action spoke on Wednesday night about their experiences and complicated relationship with the topic at an event entitled, “Affirmative (Re)Action.” 

Please read more here. http://www.thedp.com/article/2014/11/affirmative-action-reaction-panel

Affirmative Action Could Go Back to Supreme Court

The issue of affirmative action could be headed back to the U.S. Supreme Court after a federal appeals court refused to reconsider a ruling allowing use of race as a factor in University of Texas undergraduate admissions.

Please read more here http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/affirmative-action-back-supreme-court-26872703

What Professors Are Thinking

Faculty members may not be flocking to all-online class formats, but they’re using technology and other pedagogies to make their classrooms more student-centered. Faculty members are divided, however, along racial, ethnic and gender lines about the state of diversity and climate at their institutions. And while non-tenure-track professors seem to be getting some advance notice for courses, they’re still denied basic resources with which to do their jobs.

Please read more here https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/11/13/national-survey-suggests-greater-focus-teaching-ongoing-concerns-about-diversity

White House Report : Women and Girls of Color: Addressing Challenges and Expanding Opportunity

[Yesterday]  the White House Council on Women and Girls released a report entitled “Women and Girls of Color: Addressing Challenges and Expanding Opportunity”. This report highlights work the Administration has done over the last six years to reduce barriers to success for everyone including women and girls of color.  From continuing to fight to increase the minimum wage, encouraging women to enter STEM-related fields, providing increased access to health screenings and much more, this report re-emphasizes the Administration’s commitment to helping all women succeed in every area of their lives. A copy of that report is attached.

 

At 2:00pm EST today, the Council on Women and Girls will host a meeting with stakeholders at the White House to discuss a range of issues that impact girls and women of color -- including those topics featured within the report -- and to hear from a number of stakeholders on the work they have done and are continuing to do on this critical issue.  The event will be livestreamed at >www.wh.gov/live<.

 

 

About the Report:

In recent years, on indicators ranging from educational attainment to economic security to health and well-being, women and girls of color have made tremendous progress.  The number of businesses owned by women of color has skyrocketed, and women of color have ascended to the upper ranks of workplaces across industries.  Teen pregnancy rates for girls of color have plummeted, and high school and college graduation rates have risen.

                                                                                                                          

Yet, these achievements may obscure the very real challenges and disparities that persist for women and girls of color.  Girls of color still lag behind in their performance on standardized tests, and they are more likely to be suspended from school.  Women and girls of color still face higher rates of poverty and receive lower wages for their work than their white peers, and they are more likely to become involved in the criminal justice system.  Women of color still have some of the highest rates of heart disease, obesity, diabetes and other serious conditions, and they experience high rates of domestic violence.  And when women are the primary or sole breadwinners for nearly half of all households of color, these disparities do not just affect them, but their families and communities as well.

 

Further, as President Obama recently noted, women of color “struggle every day with biases that perpetuate oppressive standards for how they’re supposed to look and how they’re supposed to act.  Too often, they’re either left under the hard light of scrutiny, or cloaked in a kind of invisibility.”  When addressing the challenges women and girls of color face – challenges that often lie at the intersection of race and gender – we often fail to fully acknowledge, and account for, this complexity.

 

President Obama created the White House Council on Women and Girls in the first months of his presidency precisely for the purpose of addressing issues like these.  The Council’s mandate is to ensure that every agency, department and office in the federal government takes into account the needs and aspirations of women and girls in every aspect of their work.  Since it was established, the Council has worked on a number of issues and policies that impact women and girls of color across the country.  Highlights of these initiatives – as well as numerous others across the federal government – are detailed in this report. 

 

In detailing both the progress we have made and the challenges that still remain, this Report should serve both as a reminder of what is possible and as a call to action to do so much more.

 

Looking Ahead

Ø  As part of its efforts to address barriers and disparities that still exist for so many Americans and so many women and girls of color in particular, the Council is convening a Working Group on Challenges and Opportunities for Women and Girls of Color.  This Working Group will bring together policy staff from the White House and across federal agencies – as well as experts, leaders and advocates from outside the government – to focus on issues including education, economic security, health, criminal and juvenile justice, violence, and research and data collection.   More information on the Working Group will be released at a later date.

 

Ø  Consistent with President Obama’s commitment to ensuring that all students have an equal opportunity to succeed, in January, 2015, the Department of Education, the White House Domestic Policy Council, the White House Council on Women and Girls and Georgetown University will convene thought leaders, policy makers, practitioners, researchers, advocates, and marginalized girls and young women to focus on increasing access to STEM and CTE opportunities.  We will address barriers to access, including cultural competency, race and gender stereotypes, discrimination, and lack of sufficient resources to support programs in schools and communities.  This convening will produce and inform policy and programmatic proposals to help disrupt patterns of gender-based occupational segregation by increasing young women’s and girls’ participation in programs that prepare them for high-skill, high-wage jobs, including non-traditional occupations.  The aim is to develop a strategy to prepare students for in-demand careers in high-growth industry sectors.

 

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Auditing Workplace Diversity

Diversity is at the forefront of many company values nowadays, but making sure the measures have tangible effects isn’t so simple. While those companies at least have some actionable measures, sometimes those need to be drafted from scratch, a problem commonly seen in Certified Public Accountant firms, according the American Institute of CPAs.

Please read more here http://www.talentmgt.com/articles/6936-auditing-workplace-diversity

People like us: how our brains view others

Race-related demonstrations, Title IX disputes, affirmative action court cases, same-sex marriage bans.

These issues made headlines in all spheres of the media this year. However, thoughtful articles on these subjects seem always to devolve to pitting warring factions against each other: black vs white, women vs men, gay vs straight.

Please read more here http://theconversation.com/people-like-us-how-our-brains-view-others-33974

Daley, Segvich square off again for 11th Cook County Board seat October 30, 2014

Democrat incumbent John Daley is facing Republican challenger Carl Segvich for the third time for the 11th District Cook County Board Commissioner seat.

Carl Segvich vowed to get Cook County’s “sanctuary” law and affirmative action programs repealed.

“It’s 2014 if I’m not mistaken,” said Segvich, the 11th Ward’s Republican committeeman, self described conservative activist, and “transportation provider” [cab driver] who said he first got interested in politics during the 1980s Council Wars.

Please read more here http://www.gazettechicago.com/index/2014/10/daley-segvich-square-off-again-for-11th-cook-county-board-seat/

Czech Republic still struggling with gender equality issues

“The most serious discrimination of women takes place on the labour market. Women are discriminated against when looking for a job and if they have small children they tend to be the first to be laid off. But the biggest and most visible type of discrimination that women face in the Czech Republic is called pay discrimination as can be seen in the gender pay gap. Women in the same or similar positions as men earn less money than their male colleagues and the higher we go in the company hierarchy the bigger the difference. A woman in a managerial position for instance can earn just 50 percent of what her male colleague would earn.” 

Please teas more here http://radio.cz/en/section/curraffrs/czech-republic-still-struggling-with-gender-equality-issues

Report: Pro-affirmative action group BAMN rallies at U-M in protest of low minority enrollment

Members of the pro-affirmative action group By Any Means Necessary -- also known as BAMN -- protested on the University of Michigan campus Wednesday over what they called "a real shame" after minority student enrollment among freshmen fell by 0.6 percent for the fall 2014 school year.

Please read more here http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2014/10/report_pro-affirmative_action.html

University continues to struggle with minority enrollment

Minority enrollment at the University has shifted dramatically in the past decade, following two court cases over the University’s race-conscious admission policies and a successful statewide referendum that banned the consideration of race in a public higher education admissions decisions.

This summer, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of The Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, more commonly referred to as Proposal 2. The 2006 popular referendum banned the consideration of race, among other factors, in college admissions — rendering the final word on affirmative action in the state of Michigan.

Please read more here http://www.michigandaily.com/news/minority-enrollment

2015: Women insist on 35% affirmative action implementation

Ahead of the 2015 general elections, female politicians in the country have said Nigeria has yet to abide by the African Charter Protocol, which says women must have 35 per cent representation at all levels of decision-making.

Please read more here http://www.punchng.com/news/2015-women-insist-on-35-affirmative-action-implementation/

Renate Barnard taking up the cudgels against racial quotas on full-time basis

Trade union Solidarity today announced that Renate Barnard, a former lieutenant colonel in the SAPS, resigned from the private sector. She is going to continue her battle against racial quotas on a full-time basis, and has joined Solidarity's Centre for Fair Labour Practices.

After a nine year battle, the Constitutional Court recently ruled against her in one of South Africa's most prominent affirmative action court cases. Twice she was the best candidate for a promotional post but was not appointed because of the colour of her skin.

Please read more here http://www.politicsweb.co.za/politicsweb/view/politicsweb/en/page71654?oid=762777&sn=Detail&pid=71616

OFCCP issues two new “FAQs”

The OFCCP recently added two new “FAQs” to its website to help explain contractors’ obligations under new Section 503 and VEVRAA regulations.  The first addresses the information contractors must maintain related to efforts to invite voluntary self-identification of disability.The FAQ informs contractors that if the contractor uses an electronic version of the required disability self-identification form to solicit disability status, the contractor need only retain the data, not the form or copy of the form, provided that its system does not store completed forms.  However, if the contractor only maintains this form of data, it must also be able to demonstrate how it delivered or displayed the invitation to self-identify so that the OFCCP can verify that the contractor used the OMB-approved form.  If the contractor used paper invitations to invite self-identification of disability, it must retain either hard copies of the forms or electronic copies of the forms (such as scanned pdf files).Contractors utilizing paper forms must also retain any data compilation prepared that records the information from the paper self-identification forms.

The second new FAQ informs contractors that where they have openings for a remote position, that opening should be listed with the state workforce agency “where the work unit, division, department or supervisor to which the employee will report or be assigned is located.”

The new FAQs are the product of the OFCCP’s ongoing efforts to answer questions surrounding Section 503 and VEVRAA regulatory updates put in place last year.

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