WEEK TWO
Immigration in the United States is one of the dominant forces shaping our experience of race today. While it is customary to refer to the United States as a nation welcoming immigrants or “the melting pot”, immigrants, specifically in the past 50 years have been taken advantage of for their cheap labor and singled out as second-class citizens. Until we unambiguously eliminate the intrinsic racism that is in the substance of our immigration policies, we cannot have an unprejudiced immigration system that establishes a possible paradigm for immigrants to call the US home and not feel as outsiders.
Challenge:
Watch:
Actions are illegal, never people 16:48 min
Why the US has birthright citizenship 12:57 min
A Conversation with Latinos on Race 6:31 min
Read:
Why we should think twice before using the term 'migrant'
Additional Resources (OPTIONAL):
Watch:
What Do Native Americans Think About 'Illegal Immigration'? 3:11 min
Valedictorian Reveals Undocumented Status in Speech 6:06 min
Share the UndocuJoy 3:06 min Transcripts
Read:
Not Just a Latino Issue: Undocumented Asians in America
Indigenous groups say they are left out of US immigration debate
You may be wondering what housing and homelessness has to do with racial equity. We tend to think that homelessness and housing insecurity are simply caused by poverty and that they are mainly due to a person’s inability to pay rent. But learning about the systems that cause race-based housing discrimination, both historically and today are at the heart of the issue.
Challenge:
Watch:
Why Cities Are Still So Segregated? 6:36 min (advisory of explicit adult language in the beginning)
Read:
Mapping Inequality (contains interactive tool)
Housing market racism persists despite “fair housing” laws
Revealed: 93% of districts in major US cities unaffordable to Black residents
Additional Resources (OPTIONAL):
Read:
Homelessness and Racial Disparities
Housing, equity, and health in U.S. news, 2020-2021: Findings and recommendations
Housing Abundance as a Condition for Ending Homelessness
California Statewide Study Investigates Causes and Impacts of Homelessness
Black people in redlined neighborhoods face higher risks for heart failure
Watch:
Racial Segregation and Concentrated Poverty: The History of Housing in Black America 6:01 min
A large part of our health is determined by our environment. For generations, the impact of pollution and environmental damage has largely fallen on marginalized communities. Systemically racist policies have resulted in people of color having an increased likelihood of exposure to unsafe drinking water, lead paint in homes, and industrial waste.
Don't forget to fill out your reflections log!
Challenge:
Watch:
Environmental Justice Explained 3:33 min
Environmental racism is the new Jim Crow 1:28 min
A Conversation With Native Americans on Race 6:23 min
Tale of two zip codes 4:33 min
Read:
What Standing Rock Teaches Us About Environmental Justice
Additional Resources (OPTIONAL):
Environmental Justice Index, a new place-based mapping tool that measures the cumulative impacts of environmental burden through the lens of human health and health equity.
Watch:
Environmental Justice 7:52 min
A Brief History of Environmental Justice 3:35 min
Roots of Change writes: Racism underlies the history of agriculture and food access in the United States. It began with the taking of land from Indigenous people to create farms. It continued with the enslavement of Indigenous and African peoples to work the farms. It continued with the exploitation of immigrant labor from Asia and then Latin America. During the period of Reconstruction former slaves began to gain access to land and achieve financial success. But the death of Reconstruction saw the stealing of most of this land by whites using unjust law and outright theft. Racism can also be seen in the tolerance for, and in some places, imposition of food swamps or food apartheid. These are terms that are used to describe the great divide in access to healthy fresh food evident when comparing the average white community to the average community of color. This inequality in access to healthy food is a major contributor to the disproportionately high rates of diet related disease found in populations of Indigenous, African Americans, Latinos, Asians and Pacific Islanders. Poor diets impede learning, paths to empowerment and financial success.
Food justice is the work to right this wrong. It encompasses a wide array of activities and activism.
Challenge:
Watch:
The Intersection of Black Lives Matter and Food Justice 21:22 min (try to watch at least the first 12 minutes)
Diabetes among Native Americans - Genes or Environment 2:23 min
Read:
How Would SNAP Benefit Cuts Affect Your Community?
Structural Roots of Food System Inequalities | UTNE
Current state of food insecurity in America
New Brief: Food Insecurity & Poverty Among California’s Undocumented Immigrants
Additional Resources (OPTIONAL):
Watch:
Food + Justice = Democracy 12:09 min
Food Insecurity is a Public Health Concern 17:11 min
Read:
Food Workers Food Justice: Linking Food, Labor and Immigrant Rights : Food First
Eating Behind Bars: Ending the Hidden Punishment of Food in Prison
As Inequality.org puts it, “Systemic and structural racism has contributed to the persistence of race-based gaps that manifest in many different economic indicators. The starkest divides are in measures of household wealth, reflecting centuries of white privilege that have made it particularly difficult for people of color to achieve economic security.” This gap means that many Black and Indigenous people and Communities of Color are more at risk financially than White people at times of disruption.
Challenge:
Watch:
The Racial Wealth Gap in America 3:33 min
The story we tell about poverty isn't true 15:17 min
A Conversation with White People on Race 5:25 min
Read:
Wealth Matters for Health Equity
Additional Resources (OPTIONAL):
Read:
The Racial Wealth Gap: What California Can Do About a Long-Standing Obstacle to Shared Prosperity
Forward a resource from the Challenge to a colleague, friend, family, or loved one and have a brave conversation.
Enter your address to find and contact your federal, state, county and local elected representatives
Share your lived experiences, concerns and supports with your elected officials.
Over the weekend, we invite you to find some quiet time (if possible and desirable) to get centered and to consider the past week of your participation in the Challenge. If there are challenges you missed, use this time to get caught up. Check in with yourself. What do you sense/feel? How are you physically? Intellectually? Emotionally? Spiritually? What are these sensations telling you? Please make sure you fill out your reflections log for the week.