Black History Month at Tides: Equity In Action

Historian Carter G. Woodson started Negro History Week in 1926 to educate the American people about African-American history and to promote that history as a more significant part of American history as a whole.  Despite his original intentions and the federal expansion of the week into a month, critics rightly argue that African Americans and other people of color are still viewed as the exception to the majority white rule, and that this marginalization continues to be pervasive and at the detriment to economic and social mobilization.  We must fully embrace that this “exception” of race is the rule—as data shows—and more justly distribute resources and elevate opportunities to pursue true equity.

Racial Justice at Tides

It's an exciting time at Tides. Not only do we have a wonderful CEO in Melissa Bradley, who has just completed her first year of service with Tides, we have been building our capacity to build Black donor engagement and increase our support to Black communities. Tides has long been committed to racial justice. This is an important time for Tides to build it's relationships with communities of color broadly.

How Do YOU Define American?

Define American, a project of Tides founded by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas dedicated to changing the conversation about immigration, just launched a story feature that enables anyone, anywhere, to share their personal experiences as well as thoughts and beliefs about what it means to be an "American" today. Over 500 stories and definitions have already been submitted by immigrants and their allies, and will be unveiled over the next few days.  As Vargas noted, "I shared my personal story to lay bare the realities and complexities of living as an undocumented immigrant. But I'm just one person; it's just one story."  Take a look at Jose's video:

Why We Support the #OccupyWallStreet Movement

#OccupyWallStreet is clearly a people’s movement.  However, the media has attempted to undermine its legitimacy by minimizing its goals and effectiveness, and they have missed the power of this movement in addressing various issues and becoming a force in various cities, sectors, and elections.  As CEO Melissa L. Bradley comments, Tides is proud of #OccupyWallStreet and looks forward to the future of the movement.

Experience Progressive Change at This Year’s Bioneers Conference

Experience the leading-edge of progressive system-change at this year’s Bioneers Conference, October 14-16, in San Rafael, CA and in 21 other sites around the nation.  Bioneers is offering a registration discount of 20% to members of the Tides community who’d like to register – just enter code: TIDES20.

Preserve Democracy: Expand the Vote, Don’t Restrict It

This year has marked the largest legislative effort to roll back voting rights in more than a century.  In response to record turnout in 2008—specifically among young voters, low-income voters, seniors and voters of color—a dozen states have passed new laws designed to impede voters at every step of the electoral process.  The Advancement Project's Judith Browne-Dianis comments on these new barriers aimed at neutralizing these surges and systematically disenfranchising already registered voters.

Melissa L. Bradley: Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial (Video)

In this video blog, Tides CEO Melissa L. Bradley comments on the unveiling of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, reflecting on how King's lessons can be applied to our current moment of wealth disparity and economic crisis.

Join Melissa Bradley at the 2011 Bioneers Conference

Join Melissa Bradley at the 2011 Bioneers Conference—October 14-16, 2011— to explore the forefront of positive change in deeply inspiring keynote talks, panels, workshops and intensives.  Tides is pleased to host a session entitled Recognizing and Honoring the Convergence of Race and the Environment, aimed at connecting several of our 2011 priority issue areas.  Bioneers is offering a 20% discount to the Tides community -- click here to register and use the coupon code civics20.

The Racial Opportunity Gap

The recession that was supposed to have ended in 2009 has become a depression for many communities of color. The Pew Research Center's astounding report "Wealth Gaps Rise to Record Highs Between Whites, Blacks, Hispanics" is the most recent to draw this conclusion. Consider it's findings. The median wealth of white households is 20 times that of black households and 18 times that of Hispanic households.  From 2005 to 2009, inflation-adjusted median wealth fell by 66% among Hispanic households and 53% among black households, compared with just 16% among white households. This is the biggest racial wealth divide this country has seen in the past 25 years.

Today: Tides Community Member on NPR's Fresh Air

Today's edition of NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross will feature Jose Antonio Vargas, a founder of Define American, a Tides project, and a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who courageously shared the story of his life as an undocumented immigrant. You can find when it airs in your local NPR station here.