Monthly Archives: July 2020

The first word, Black, was designed by Tijay Mohammed, a Ghanaian-born artist, and used vibrant Kente fabric design and Adinkra symbols, which represent concepts like royalty, unity and legacy.

Sophia Dawson, a Brooklyn-based visual artist, took the second word, lives. The L contains the faces of the mothers who have lost their children to police killings. The I uses imagery inspired by Emory Douglas, an artist for the Black Panther Party; the V highlights the culture of the African diaspora; the E contains faces of Black Panther Party members who are currently in prison; and the S carries a passage from the Bible.

The street painting at Foley Square resembles many that have been done around the country in its word choice and placement, but part of what has been lost in the national debate over the art and the political statements they make is the logistical care, intentional placement and artistry that went into the creation of many of them.

While some like those at Trump Tower and near the White House are primarily stencil work in the blazing yellow paint typically used for road markings, and are known largely for their challenging placement, others have been fully realized works of art that went through rigorous processes of design and planning.

This month, the Foley Square street art in Lower Manhattan and the one in Harlem were unveiled, with the multicolored letters of Black Lives Matter replete with imagery related to Black people who were killed by the police, as well as vibrant symbols of freedom, hope and joy.

In Cincinnati, the art appears in the red, black and green of the Pan-African flag, with silhouettes, phrases and textured designs filling the letters. In Jackson, Mich., it was designed it in a graffiti-style font. In Portland, Ore., the letters contained a timeline of historical injustices in the state.

The purpose of the Fifth Avenue project at Trump Tower was clear: to rile up the president, who called it a symbol of hate. The street painting was intended to get the message up quickly; the stenciling and outlining was done by the Department of Transportation, and roughly 60 volunteers helped lay down 100 gallons of traffic paint.

The other artworks in Manhattan were intended not as a political statement meant for President Trump to see but as an opportunity for local artists, community togetherness and discussions about race and policing. The outlines of the enlarged Black Lives Matter letters are filled with intentionally placed symbols and colors.

I wanted the design to embody our experience as a whole as a Black community and what we strive for, said Patrice Payne, one of the artists involved with the work at Foley Square.

Justin Garrett Moore, the executive director of the citys Public Design Commission, said that there is a clear difference between the street paintings borne from mayoral decision making, which serve as an acknowledgment that public officials have heard the calls of racial justice protesters, and the community-driven murals, where theres a deeper connection to the space and the message.

These are Black communities that are really wanting to have an expression for this historic moment that were in, he said.

It happened to be a work near the White House, spearheaded by the mayor of Washington, Muriel E. Bowser, that set the groundwork for the countrywide spilling of paint on the ground.

After the Washington painting made the news, an organization representing small business owners in Harlem, called Harlem Park to Park, started discussing what their version of a Black Lives Matter artwork would look like.

There was a certain expectation that Harlem, known as the epicenter of Black culture, needed to take the trend a level up, said Nikoa Evans-Hendricks, the groups executive director. The result was two sprawling sets of words on either side of Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard, between 125th and 127th Streets. On the northbound side, eight artists had creative control over two letters each. The southbound side was painted red, black and green by a collection of community groups.

We wanted to make sure the mural didnt just represent words on the street but embodied the Harlem community, Ms. Evans-Hendricks said.

The artists were chosen by LeRone Wilson, the artworks curator, who also designed the first two letters. The B that he designed depicts the Ancient Kemetic goddess Maat, with feathered wings reaching across the curves of the letter, and the bird deity Heru, welcoming the spirits of those who have died at the hands of police into the universe.

Within the L, he painted the names of 24 Black people killed by the police, including George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Michael Brown and Amadou Diallo.

Within the outlines of several other letters, the artists painted images associated with the outrage over the treatment of Black people by the police: The faces of Ms. Taylor and Sandra Bland and Mr. Floyds daughter occupy the two Ts in the word matter. The I in lives contains the badge numbers of the four police officers charged in connection with Mr. Floyds death.

The artists received advice from the citys Department of Transportation on what materials to use on the asphalt. They took the agencys recommendation of using road line paint used for markings on streets and sidewalks, which many artists right now are doing to make the street art more durable.

The act of painting the work in Harlem was designed as a community event, with catering from local restaurants and help painting from the Boys and Girls Club of Harlem and Harlem Little League.

Every day we were out there, hundreds of people wanted to be involved, Mr. Wilson said.

And after the unveiling, the space became a gathering place for people, as well as a space to appreciate art at a time when museums are shut because of the pandemic.

The creators are hoping that the city agrees to a request to keep the street closed to traffic until the end of the summer, as the city did with a street painting in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, which was created with the yellow traffic paint and contains the names of Black people killed by the police.

The location for the Harlem work was chosen because it was at the heart of a Black community. In Lower Manhattan at Foley Square, it was because of a nearby cherished national monument: It draws meaning from its proximity to the African Burial Ground, which contains the remains of New York Citys colonial African-American community.

Amina Hassen, an urban planner with WXY, an architectural and urban design firm that worked on the project, said that the location along Centre Street, near the state and federal court buildings, was also significant because of its connection to the policing and incarceration of Black people.

As with the Harlem work, the artists of the Foley Square project had control over the designs within the outline of the Black Lives Matter letters, but the city still had to review the designs to make sure they complied with safety standards. (This time the artists were chosen by the Department of Cultural Affairs, and the project was shepherded by Gale A. Brewer, Manhattan borough president, and Black Lives Matter of Greater New York.)

They first blocked out the artwork in 3-D software, carefully avoiding any street features that the Department of Transportation said they couldnt paint over, said Jhordan Channer, the architectural designer for the project. When it came time to install the 600-foot-long painting, they first painted a white canvas and a drop shadow to make sure the letters stood out. Tats Cru, a group of professional muralists in the city, executed the artists designs with heavy-duty traffic paint, exterior-grade enamel paint and spray paint. They were assisted by youth from Thrive Collective, an arts mentoring program that works with New York public schools.

For the last word, matters, Ms. Payne started in the M with the image of a Black woman as an ancestral figure and nurturer. The design progresses to images of broken shackles, a raised fist, a sun peeking out behind storm clouds, with a tattered American flag at the forefront.

Since the first street painting was unveiled in Washington, some segments of the Black Lives Matter movement have criticized them as being purely symbolic gestures from politicians at a time when activists are calling for the defunding of police departments.

The artists and designers behind the community-driven works say that there are important uses for this symbolism, like education and providing meaningful public art commissions by Black artists.

Ms. Evans-Hendricks remembers seeing a mother walking her son down the letters of the Harlem street art, which run between 14 and 16 feet wide, and explaining the meaning of each word.

It has come alive in a way that the community really needed, she said.

But they also recognize the limits of the works and hope that the solidarity coming from politicians goes beyond paint on the street.

Im very interested in the art going up and taking my child to visit it and discuss it, Ms. Dawson said. But Im more interested in the tangible change that must come from this.

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The Black Lives Matter Street Art That Contain Multitudes - The New York Times

Just a couple blocks west of Mill Creek Park the center of recent Black Lives Matter protests near the Country Club Plaza 3DHQ hopes youth tech outreach now can build a more inclusive future for creative problem solvers in Kansas Citys Black and urban communities, said Fabian Conde.

3DHQ

We want to be more intentional about our Black Lives Matter commitment and our partnership with Urban TEC gives us that opportunity to take direct action and invest in the next generation by teaching them 3D technology skills, said Conde, co-founder and CEO of 3DHQ, which launched in Kansas City as Doob in 2018.

A workshop Friday with Urban TEC a nonprofit digital literacy education organization led by Ina P. Montgomery that provides tech and soft skills training for future technology careers sought to introduce and engage a new generation of creators to 3D technology.

Click here to learn more about 3DHQ, which specializes in rapid prototyping and 3D-printed miniature statues.

By focusing on the potential for 3D printing to overcome a wide variety of challenges facing humanity from use cases in apparel, artificial organs and even mid-trip production of items while journeying through space Conde hoped to inspire young people with the opportunities that await in the industry.

Fabian Conde, 3DHQ

3D printing is just a tool that allows us to do cooler things, he told students at Fridays workshop, acknowledging a steep learning curve that ultimately creates an even better outcome. Conde specifically described 3DHQs own effort to craft a 3D-printed mask modeled by staff Friday at the Plaza shop that met the needs of the pandemic era.

It didnt come easily, he said.

You have to get all that stuff out of the way. Its OK to make mistakes as long as you use it as a lesson, Conde said. Then youre solving two problems at the same time.

Are you starting to see how you can make a difference with your ideas? he continued.

3DHQ recently designed and is now selling a Black Lives Matter keychain, proceeds from which go to support Urban TEC.

We are excited about this partnership and the funds that will go toward Urban TECs STEAM in the Streets program. It will be an opportunity for us to deliver our STEAM activities to different neighborhoods throughout greater Kansas City, said Montgomery, founder and executive director of Urban TEC.

Click here to learn more about Urban TEC.

This story is possible thanks to support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a private, nonpartisan foundation that works together with communities in education and entrepreneurship to create uncommon solutions and empower people to shape their futures and be successful.

For more information, visit http://www.kauffman.org and connect at http://www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdnandwww.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn

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More than statues: 3D printer on the Plaza showcases Urban TEC opportunity amid BLM movement - Startland News

By now, youve seen or heard the word privilege in myriad contexts: trumpeted from megaphones at city protests, stamped across aesthetically pleasing Instagram infographics, italicized and bolded in op-eds. In the context of recent race relations, the notion of privilege has been widely discussed and viewed as an exclusively White phenomenon that runs rampant in affluent, predominantly Caucasian, suburban neighborhoods, school districts, and job markets. However, while an emphasis on White privilege is certainly warranted, it egregiously neglects another facet of the conversation surrounding demographic entitlement: privilege in financially secure diverse communities and the blissful oblivion of first and second-generation immigrants.

As a first-generation Ethiopian American who, while not overtly wealthy, has never worried about the status of her familys financial stability, and as a resident of one of the most diverse regions in the country, racism had always felt like a distant concept. To my erroneously superficial understanding, while it did not seem as archaic as a mere relic of a bigoted history, I didnt perceive racism to be of significant pertinence to our world. My neighbors thought I was Indian; waiters spoke to my mother in Spanish at restaurants, and more than half of my high school identified as a person of color, so for years, Id unassumingly bubbled Black into standardized tests without truly internalizing the struggles that came with that label. Having never experienced or personalized the notion of racism and infrequently having been considered Black by my community upon first glance, I found myself in desperate need of the very re-education catered to many as Dear White People.

The inner dissonance I felt was not an individual occurrence. For a number of my close friends many Black, all minorities we collectively found that each of us felt relatively divorced from the intrinsic fear and dissatisfaction almost universal in the movement for racial justice. That is not to say that we were not angry we were, but as objectively privileged spectators and critics of a blatantly unjust institution, rather than as victims of racially motivated prejudice.

To look at racism as an outsider, though, is to exclude oneself from a narrative that cares very little about personal experiences or perceptions. In truth, although relatively affluent people of color and children of immigrants may be brought up in environments starkly juxtaposing the African American canon, it is only a matter of time before one comes face to face with the experiential component of racial injustice. By then, every facet of the privilege found in such immigrant communities exclusive cultural distinctions, communal disassociation, and microaggressive ignorance will have been undermined by the harsh realities of a society that not only sees color but vilifies it.

Growing up, race was an almost nonexistent part of my socialization; after all, how could my parents teach me about a construct with which they, at least at the time, could not identify and were unfamiliar? As a second-generation immigrant, I had been conditioned to view myself as an exception to the racial rules that governed America. At home, I spoke Amharic with my parents, often ate traditional Ethiopian cuisine, wore uniquely habesha clothes on special occasions, and endured years of Amharic music blaring through our living room stereo. When out in public, there was an unmistakable camaraderie between my family and the odd Ethiopian passerby to whom we called Selam in unison. It would not be an understatement, then, to say that Black culture vernacular English, hip hop, soul food had no presence in my house, not out of intentional avoidance but because, truly, Ethiopian American and African American mean very different things.

This same cultural disconnect extends itself to the millions of other Black immigrants in the United States, a divide that continues to widen as the non-American-born Black population grows exponentially. As a result, key statistical differences arise between immigrant communities and their African American counterparts. The Pew Research Center found that Black immigrants are 37% more likely to have earned a college degree than African Americans. They are also 29% less likely to live in poverty, with incomes exceeding those of African Americans by an average of $10,000. These disparities are certainly not due to intrinsic racial inefficacy in the African American community, as has been falsely and maliciously suggested by proponents of race science for centuries. Instead, they can be extrapolated to indicate discrepancies in socioeconomic status, societal respect, and even deliberate moves by immigrants themselves to distinguish their communities from what Americans might view as conventionally Black.

Many immigrants and their children naturally segregate themselves in what are known as ethnic enclaves a phenomenon that contributes to the perpetuation of both intentional divisions from mainstream America and subliminally developed prejudices against American-born Black people. On several occasions, Ive heard immigrant-born adults in my own life simultaneously delineate themselves from and speak pejoratively against African Americans, resorting to the stereotypical and substanceless derogations pinned on the Black community by centuries of de facto American culture: lack of education, cyclical poverty, unkempt hair and dress, salacious and libertine lifestyles.

Due to their disparate cultural environments and tendency to self-isolate, many immigrants are often wealthier, unaccustomed to racial friction in their home countries, and unable to own the history of Black America, from slavery to segregation. Such differences, however, become problematic when used as justification for actively pandering to and perpetuating negative societal perceptions of the African American community. In doing so, immigrants, especially African immigrants, become free riders on the wave of progress towards equality, failing to recognize the grave threat racism poses to their livelihoods as people of color. Unfortunately, whether it manifests itself as higher socioeconomic status, elevated expectations of achievement, or subconscious biases developed against those also considered Black, privilege blinds many to the inescapable truth that racism and societys resultant discrimination of BIPOC, ironically, does not discriminate.

Image Credit: Privilege is when you think something is not a problem because it is not a problem to you personally by Tony Webster is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

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The Other Face of Privilege - Harvard Political Review

July 17, 2020 | :

March 12, 2020. The last time my students and I physically shared classroom space. We were moving into spring breaka week off from coursework and the exciting opportunity to return re-energized to further discuss student development theories. Specifically in this course, the midpoint in the semester is when students started to get it; to reach what, for many students, were new ah-ha moments that accompanied the understanding of development theories.

As a faculty member, my biggest concern was the online (re)creation of a deeply engaged and rich environment, while simultaneously supporting students battling various challenges due to COVID-19 including but not limited to the loss of jobs, mental health conditions, and deaths of family members. In the shift to remote learning, I was intentional about student check-ins, providing space for them to process feelings associated with, and impacts of the pandemicpersonally, professionally, and academically. One recurring classroom conversation was the lack of compassion experienced by many students, professional staff, and faculty across higher education. We were collectively astonished at the lack of humanity during a time of crisis. After several discussions about the benefits of exercising compassion, humanity, and grace (noting the importance of those components to the learning process), I invited my class to co-author this op-ed with me. It was obvious I was not the only one struggling with the idea that compassiona human gesture incorporating love, grace, kindness, understanding, and patienceneeded to be embodied and executed. While compassion is crucial, we call for the adoption of Haos (2011) Critical Compassionate Pedagogy, a commitment to openly critiquing institutionalized policies and practices, as well as engaging in self-reflexivity while centering compassion as a means of reshaping higher education, our communities, our students, and ourselves.

In the following sections, we reflect on our commitment and highlight the transferability of pedagogy to practice outside the classroom. We encourage education stakeholders to (re)consider ways to move toward embodying critical compassion in academic environments, noting that while exercising compassion is important during a pandemic, it should not be limited to moments of crisis. To create a critical compassionate environment is to create one in which open communication is valued and students, faculty, and staff are free to be their authentic selves.

As we engage in efforts to create campus environments that embrace critical compassionate pedagogy, we provide the following questions as a foundation to help move us forward: (a) How do we operationalize compassion in higher education? (b) How do we create a culture of compassion both inside and outside the classroom? (c) How do we challenge educational systems that view compassion as weakness and/or a threat to rigor? (d) How do we prioritize the overall well-being and holistic development of our students in the face of a crisis? And lastly, (e) How do we commit to ALWAYS humanize learning?

Learning from the Pause: Compassion in a Pandemic

The current pandemic is a crash course in pedagogical flexibility for all in higher education. What previously was established as normal life is now on indefinite pause. Educators are forced to rethink syllabi and methods of instruction, while students are figuring out how to survive while remaining successful with new ways of learning. Our resiliency is being tested with added stressors of working from home, losing jobs, facilitating childrens education, having limited access to the outside world all while experiencing trauma of a life-threatening virus. Our daily routines have been disrupted, small businesses are struggling more than ever, and some corporations are marketing the pandemic to their advantage. Is this our new society? Take-out food, staying six feet apart, wearing masks, trucks with refrigerators being used to store bodies at major hospitals in highly impacted areasand still, homework due at midnight.

Dr. Raquel Wright-Mair

The overarching paradigm of higher education upholds dominant ideologies of individualism and meritocracy, seeking to maintain oppressive hierarchies. Such structures have required perfectionism and hyper productivity even under the current pressures of a pandemic. During this time, inequities faced in the academy and society have been heightened, reinforcing power and privilege across institutional structures.

The need for critical compassionate pedagogy is essential and must be prioritized when working in the academy. Critical compassionate pedagogy seeks to listen, understand, empathize, and take action towards creating more equitable structures in education. An ethic of care and attentiveness to others starts with our own cognitive and psycho-emotional well-being and engagement in reflexive practices of how we show up at home, work, and in the classroom with particular focus on our positionalities. Critical compassionate pedagogy requires us to extend open-hearted and open-minded compassion towards others, and recognize the multiplicity of hardships, and the intersections of oppression that individuals face. It should not take a pandemic for society to recognize the necessity of grace, compassion, and kindness. Rather, critical compassionate pedagogy should be utilized to create more equitable and honest spaces for participation, learning, and growth for all.

Our sense of normalcy has dramatically shiftedin this redefinition, we should insist on no longer persisting with standards of the past. As we experience new changes, higher education can learn from the pause. We must sit with our differences and learn the power of vulnerability in sharing our experiences. We must also recognize how current policies and practices are working against equitable outcomes and move towards embodying a compassionate pedagogy.

Processing Loss

The university environment should be a place of solace, fostering a sense of community to push the limits of knowledge. Unprecedented changes have ultimately affected the abilities of academic community members to succeed. Not having graduation ceremonies, human connection, and other shared memories was a loss for many and it is important to have a space to process and grieve. Open invitations by faculty and administrators to debrief the magnitude of current realities and process raw feelings have led to a sense of validation and affirmation for many. Through honest, transparent, and personal interactions, critical compassionate spaces have been created to help individuals cope and grieve lost experiences and opportunities.

However, there is more than simply missing out when it comes to processing loss. Marginalized populations have had to process hypervisibility and adapt to a new reality around them without crucial support structures. Many are experiencing the abrupt loss of important resources instrumental to their wellbeing and success. Community members have been left to navigate a virtual university, often without adequate support and resources. Having community and resources to help process loss is central to healing and surviving. When this does not occur it is detrimental and we risk not acknowledging individuals:

You See Me

Do you remember me?

Remember when I spoke to you and expressed the struggles going on with me?

Or that one time when I had that anxiety attack in the middle of class,

You told me, Its okay, go take five minutes to yourself and come back to reconvene.

Or maybe you remember when I told you that my father just died in front of me from COVID-19.

Not getting a chance to hold him for one last time.

Or when my brothers and sisters are getting shot and killed from the violence surrounding me.

Or my mother crying to me when she lost her job and couldnt help to pay for me to sit in these seats.

Well, actuallyNo.

You dont even know me but you see me.

Physically behind this computer screen, with my covered background hiding my reality.

Missing an online lesson because I have no access to Wi-Fi and couldnt afford to pay the electricity.

Having to mute the microphone because of the police sirens in my community.

My parents outside, fighting about feeding my family and figuring out how to make ends meet.

But still. No compassion.

You see me.

But you still failed me.

Rethinking Compassion in the Academy

The academy is often too unwilling to acknowledge the need to shift dominant ways of understanding in higher education. Becoming comfortable with the uncomfortable is easier said than done. The unwelcoming academy could implement more humanity, kindness and equity. Tomorrow is unknown, but leading with compassion, flexibility, and understanding is what we need to help each other heal in crisis. There is no better time than the present to implement changes and commit personally to work towards a more loving, understanding, and equitable approach to teaching and higher education.

We urge higher education stakeholders to consider the following action items, as they prioritize our call to center critical compassion:

One: Redefine Expectations of Productivity

The effort that individuals are putting in may look different now than it did when we were on campus. Different does not mean less than. Individuals support systems have completely changed, for better or for worse. Everyone is doing the best they can at this given time; effort is demonstrated differently when people are experiencing crisis and trauma. Accept that output from others looks different now, honor what is being contributed and understand that some people are not okay.

Two: Be Proactive and Attentive

To provide proactive and intentional support is to recognize and respect an individuals needs. Take the time to be fully present and engaged. Concentrate on communication (verbal and non-verbal) and be prepared to address them in the moment as needed. Provide students and colleagues an additional level of honest, unscripted support.

Three: Lead with Love

Actions and interpersonal interactions are opportunities to demonstrate transparent and caring leadership. How departments interact with and support faculty, staff, and students impacts relationships and connections. Reflect on what you believe truly matters in this moment, and examine what you are willing to sacrifice in order to create a path toward more equitable campus environments. When making decisions, think critically about the impact on marginalized populations within the academic community who are often excluded from decision-making processes. Reconsider and (re)evaluate decisions from a place of love, remembering the lack of it in the academy. To lead with love means to lead with both compassion and critical action towards creating equitable educational environments.

Four: Use your Privilege

U.S. higher education has long been plagued with inequities, and the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated systemic racism and brought it into full view. As educators, it is crucial that we recognize structures of inequality in our society, and acknowledge the roles we play in upholding them. We must leverage the various privileges we hold as we advocate for change toward equity, and practice humility as we learn to be more critical compassionate educators.

Higher education cannot function effectively without centering critical compassion and showing up with heart. Critical compassionate pedagogy throughout the field, in and out of the classroom, will develop a generation of faculty and practitioners who are able to engage on a deeper and more meaningful level. Leading with critical compassion and vulnerability may be the only way the academy will stay relevant as our society is forced to triage how they will use scarce resources and radically re-envision the delivery of knowledge in a new climate fraught with fear and uncertainty. Now more than ever we should focus on, and execute criticality, compassion, and love.

References

Hao, R. N. (2011). Critical compassionate pedagogy and the teachers role in firstgeneration student success. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 2011(127), 91-98.

Dr. Raquel Wright-Mair, is an assistant professor of Higher Education at Rowan University. You can follow her on Twitter @DrRaquelWrightM.

Dr. Wright-Mair collaborated on this article with her following students listed here: Lauranne Adriano, Jason Artrip, Alana Brown, Marina Ceneviva, Samantha Contrini, Nicole C. Kides, Gabrielle A. McAllaster, Stacie Mori, Lynn Oberkehr and Anna Pietrzak.

Originally posted here:

A Work of Heart: Practicing Critical Compassionate Pedagogy in the... - Diverse: Issues in Higher Education

Senate Republicans plan to unveil their plan next week, which would continue providing unemployment insurance subsidies, tax incentives for employers to avoid layoffs and encourage rehiring, and a new round of checks and direct payments sent by the IRS.

Additional funds for testing and healthcare are also likely to be included, though Republicans may keep the initial line items low to keep the overall price tag under $1 trillion.

The proposal will resemble much of the historically large aid package passed in March (Public Law 116-136). But it isnt likely to include a new round of direct aid to state and local governments, or the full $600 per week unemployment subsidy provided by that law, according to multiple sources familiar with internal deliberations of Senate Republicans. Also notably absent from the expected proposal is a payroll tax cut.

Democrats have made aid to local governments and unemployment subsidies major priorities for the next stimulus phase.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is a gatekeeper for what ends up in the proposal, and Senate committees and their leaders, such as Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), are providing input. A number of tax relief proposals will be part of the discussion, Finance Committee spokesperson Michael Zona said in a statement yesterday. Read more from Colin Wilhelm.

McConnell wants to give federal courts jurisdiction over liability claims arising from coronavirus infections to limit the legal exposure of businesses, schools and other organizations as they reopen, according to a summary of legislation he plans to offer. McConnell and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) are working on a measure to include in the package.

The proposal, which would extend through 2024, would move to federal courts medical liability claims against caregivers that arise from care provided for the virus by licensed health care facilities and medical workers. Like employers generally, they could only be successfully sued if they engaged in gross negligence and intentional misconduct. Read more from Laura Litvan.

Virus Relief Set to Vanish in Series of Fiscal Cliffs: The U.S. faces an urgent set of decisions on whether to extend historys biggest rescue effort or let parts of it lapse.

The government approved more than $2 trillion of extra spending after the coronavirus brought swaths of industry and commerce to a sudden halt. Some measures targeted those who took the biggest hit, like the unemployed and small business. Others were across-the-board, reaching every corner of the economy.

But these programs are due to run out in the coming weeks and months. Each expiration date will test the still-fragile U.S. recovery unless policy makers opt to keep crisis supports in place. These kind of cutoff dates, when past decisions dictate a big change in net government spending unless further action is taken, are sometimes known as fiscal cliffs. They have a history of roiling markets, as politicians take the debate to the brink. Ben Holland and Laura Davison track some of the looming deadlines, and the numbers involved.

New Lockdowns Threatened: Yesterday public officials across the U.S. warned they will wield lockdowns again if people dont immediately act to halt the resurgent coronavirus. The mayors of Houston, Los Angeles and Miami have floated the prospect, along with a top adviser to the governor of Texas. Yesterday, in the absence of a national strategy, state and local officials kept pushing familiar and thus far ineffective preventive measures, but many said they are running out of soft options.

Texas posted its worst day of fatalities, 129, and recorded more than 10,000 new cases for a third-straight day. Florida posted a record 156 new deaths. Read more from Bloomberg News.

Georgia Governor Sues Atlanta Mayor Over Mask Battle: Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) sued the mayor of Atlanta to stop her from enforcing a city mandate that people wear masks in public given a spike in coronavirus infections. Kemp said in a statement yesterday that he filed the lawsuit to force Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms to comply with his executive order blocking Atlanta and at least 14 other local governments across the state from requiring residents to wear face coverings. Read more from Robert Burnson.

Childhood Covid-19 Infections Mount: As the school year draws near, children and teens represent a ballooning percentage of Covid-19 cases in the U.S. as the youngest Americans increasingly venture outside their homes and are able to get tested. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has long maintained on its website that those younger than 18 make up only 2% of cases, state data paints a much less rosy picture. California and Mississippi, for instance, are recording rates nearing 10% of overall cases. Florida has found that about a third of all children tested there are infected. Read more from Anna Edney.

Meadows Calls Faucis 1918 Comparison Irresponsible: President Donald Trumps chief of staff criticized Anthony Fauci for comparing the current coronavirus outbreak to the 1918 flu pandemic, after reprimanding another top White House adviser for publicly attacking Fauci, the nations top infectious disease expert. He suggested that this virus was worse than, or as bad as, the 1918 flu epidemic, Mark Meadows said during a Fox News interview yesterday. I can tell you that not only is that false, its irresponsible to suggest so.

Fauci said Tuesday at an event sponsored by Georgetown University that the coronavirus is a pandemic of historic proportions and when history looks back on it, will be comparable to what we saw in 1918, when influenza killed tens of millions of people worldwide. Covid-19 has so far killed more than 588,000 people worldwide, and more than 138,000 in the U.S., according to statistics compiled by Bloomberg. Read more from Jordan Fabian.

CDC Extends No-Sail Order for Cruises: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has extended its no-sail order for cruise ships through the end of September, preventing vessels from sailing in U.S. waters out of concerns over Covid-19. The extension is the second for an order that dates back to March 14 and was issued after a series of coronavirus outbreaks on cruises. Read more from Jonathan Levin.

Drug Hoarding Stirs Calls for Accessible Data: Protecting existing patients in the next rush to buy up a promising Covid-19 treatment may require a national database of drug supplies and more reporting standards to stop hoarding. The fractured federal response to the coronavirus has pitted facilities against each other for medications and supplies, according to supply chain specialists, doctors, and policy analysts. Read more from Jacquie Lee.

Democrats Fundraising Continues Flowing: House Democrats running for re-election in the most politically competitive districts intensified their fundraising advantage over Republican challengers in the second quarter, as the pandemic complicated campaign operations for both parties. The 29 Democrats seeking new terms in districts Trump won in 2016 had a median of $3 million in cash on hand on June 30, according to campaign-finance reports filed this week to the Federal Election Commission analyzed by Bloomberg Government. Greg Giroux and Emily Wilkins have more.

Lobbyists Bundle $2.4 Million for Trump: Lobbyists bundled $2.4 million for Trump and the GOP from April through June, bringing the total that they have raised to over $10 million since the start of 2019, according to Federal Election Commission records. That includes money raised for the Republican National Committee and Trump Victory. Trump and his Republican Party pulled in $266 million total through the second quarter, according to the campaign. Megan R. Wilson has more.

Wisconsin GOP Lame Duck Move Survives: Wisconsin Democrats cant revive their challenge to the Republican-controlled legislatures enactment of two laws after the 2018 elections reducing the powers of the governor-elect, a Democrat, as the case raises nonjusticiable political questions, the Seventh Circuit decided. While Gov. Scott Walker (R) was still in office, the legislature passed the two laws stripping Gov.-elect Tony Evers (D) of various authority, and vesting authority in legislative committees that would remain under Republican control. Read more from Brian Flood.

Bolton Asks Judge to Throw Out Profit Suit: Trumps former National Security Adviser John Bolton asked a judge to throw out a government lawsuit seeking to seize profits from the sale of his tell-all memoir on the grounds that it illegally spills classified information.The Justice Department is ignoring core constitutional principles by seeking to punish the former top Trump administration official for publishing speech that is embarrassing to the president, Bolton said in the filing late yesterday in federal court in Washington. Read more from Erik Larson.

Amazon, Apple Hire Prominent Critic: Fiona Scott Morton is widely recognized as a top antitrust expert, known for her warnings that American tech giants are stifling competition and innovation. Yet Scott Morton, a Yale University economist and former Justice Department official, is also advising two of the biggest names in tech Amazon and Apple as they confront federal antitrust investigations. She didnt disclose those relationships in papers she recently co-authored outlining how the U.S. could bring antitrust cases against Google and Facebook. Read more from David McLaughlin.

Twitter Says Hackers Targeted 130 People: Twitter revealed hackers targeted just 130 accounts during the cyber-attack this week that compromised some of the worlds most recognizable people, though no passwords were stolen. The U.S. company said the still-unknown perpetrators had gained control of a subset of those accounts and were able to send tweets. Twitter has blocked data downloads from affected accounts as its investigation continues, it said on its online support page. Read more from Kurt Wagner.

Barr Urged to Ban TikTok: More than 20 House lawmakers wrote to Attorney General William Barr calling for a national ban on the popular social media platform TikTok, saying the app represents a security and privacy threat to anyone who has it on their smartphone. The U.S. should not trust TikTok or any other Chinese-affiliated social media websites or apps to protect Americans data, privacy, or security, the lawmakers said, Victoria Hodges reports.

DOD Service to Match Vendors, Investors: A dating service for the defense industry will be rolled out by the Pentagon in the coming months according to the militarys acquisitions leader, after an earlier attempt to match companies with venture capitalists stumbled last year. The department has been working on a system to connect investors with companies that need cash to build new technologies such as drones since May 2019, when it introduced the Trusted Capital Marketplace. Read more from Travis J. Tritten.

Federal Register Dinged for Printing Rules: The Government Accountability Office has determined the Office of the Federal Register, a sub-agency within the National Archives and Records Administration, violated a spending law in publishing documents during the 2019 partial federal government shutdown. The decision is a rebuke to the Department of Justice, which adopted a policy change midway through the shutdown to get around the Antideficiency Act, a law enacted in 1884 that bars federal agencies from spending in advance of a congressional appropriation. Read more from Cheryl Bolen.

NEPA Changes Imperil Communities of Color: Low-income Black and Latino communities will be pummeled by the Trump administrations changes to the nations permitting rules for U.S. infrastructure projects, environmental justice leaders across the nation said. These communities rely heavily on the National Environmental Policy Act to push back against gas pipelines, highways, power plants, and other projects that have historically polluted communities of color more than affluent White neighborhoods, the leaders argue. Read more from Stpehen Lee, Ellen M. Gilmer and Kellie Lunney.

Solar Projects Relied on Rule Thats Changing: A landmark, decades-old law thats been key to the growth of renewable energy in the U.S. is getting a major overhaul, threatening to cut demand for solar projects. Federal regulators this week imposed new limits on which energy projects fall under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act that helped spur a generation of solar and wind farms across the country. More than 30% of solar facilities online today benefit from the law. Stephen Cunningham and Christopher Martin have more.

To contact the reporters on this story: Zachary Sherwood in Washington at zsherwood@bgov.com; Brandon Lee in Washington at blee@bgov.com

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Giuseppe Macri at gmacri@bgov.com; Loren Duggan at lduggan@bgov.com; Michaela Ross at mross@bgov.com

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What to Know in Washington: Senate Republicans Ready Relief Plan | Bloomberg Government - Bloomberg Government

TheCalifornia Fair Political Practices Commission, the states campaign finance watchdog is moving forward with an investigation of drug company executive Michael Weinsteins AIDS Health Foundation on a complaint by California YIMBY for allegedly failing to report tens of thousands of dollars of campaign spending. AHF is the funder of Proposition 21, a rent control measure on the November 3rd ballot, opposed by affordable housing, veterans, labor and taxpayer groups. The title of Prop. 21 is, Expands Local Governments Authority To Enact Rent Control On Residential Property.

The initiative is a revised version of Proposition 10, Weinsteins 2018 rent control initiative to repeal the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act. Prop. 10 failed to pass, 59% to 40% at the polls, despite $25 million in campaign spending by Weinsteins AIDS Healthcare Foundation. Supporters raised $25.30 million, with 89 percent of funds received from theAIDS Healthcare Foundation, Ballotpedia reported. Five ballot measure committee registered in opposition to Proposition 10Californians for Responsible Housing,Californians For Affordable Housing,No On Prop 10,Issues PAC of Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles, andSanta Barbara Housing Providers Against Proposition 10. Together, the committees raised $71.37 million. The committees spent $72.11 million, according to Ballotpedia.

California YIMBY, which stands for Yes In My Back Yard, says yes affordable housing, yes to inclusive, equitable communities, yes to opportunity, and yes to more neighbors!

The FPPC confirmed it is investigating the AIDS Health Foundation for violating multiple state campaign finance laws to oppose Senate Bill 50, a controversial housing bill defeated in the Legislature earlier this year. In the complaint, California YIMBY alleges that AIDS Healthcare Foundation failed to report its spending for radio and social media advertisements, direct mail pieces, a website, and other activities attacking the legislation. Included are controversial and inaccurate mailers from Weinsteins group that were assailed by the San Francisco chapter of the NAACP, and other organizations as racist and offensive.

AHF is aware of the requirements of Californias Political Reform Act and nonetheless disregarded the plain fact these expenses are clearly reportable under California law, the complaint alleges.

According to CaliforniaYIMBY, In recent years, AIDS Healthcare Foundation has established itself through its political disinformation campaigns, running an array of dirty tricks campaigns that deploy aggressive lobbying tactics, and undisclosed political spending to advance its secretive agenda.With an annual budget of $1.5 billion, Weinsteins organization has grown into a powerful political and lobbying group for Weinsteins pet causes with ample resources to ensure compliance with the law.

Weinsteins violations of the lobby disclosure provisions of the Political Reform Act appear to be an intentional attempt to deny the public vital information regarding the organizations lobbying expenditures, California YIMBYs CEO Brian Hanlon said in a statement in February. While were confident this is a violation of state law, were also disturbed by the fact that it goes against the spirit of charitable organizations, a cornerstone of American civil society. Rather than devote resources in accordance with their healthcare mission, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation chose to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars dishonestly attacking both SB 50 and state Senator Scott Wiener for authoring legislation to make California more affordable and inclusive. While it is Michael Weinsteins right to oppose affordable home building, it is not his right to violate political finance law, and to spend charitable dollars for political purposes, possibly in violation of tax law.

In February, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said the AIDS Health Foundation was delinquent in its nonprofit status after the group failed to file documents required to meet the requirements to claim charitable standing in the state.

Last August, Senator Ben Hueso (D-San Diego) alsocalled on the Attorney Generalto investigate the AIDS Health Care Foundation, charging thatthe group was fraudulently misusing savings from a federal drug-discount program designed to help low-income patients.

The FPPC finedthe AIDS Healthcare Foundations committee in 2018 for its failure to disclose political campaign spending on Measure S, a housing ballot measure in Los Angeles.

Advocacy at AHF has been pushing the boundaries in the name of basic human rights for over thirty years, AHF says on its website. Its as fundamental to our organization as the care we give our patients. AHF has advocated for reducing drug prices, and has sued numerous pharmaceutical companies over exorbitant drug prices and antitrust and patent violations.

You can read California YIMBYs complaint here.

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FPPC Probing Weinstein's AIDS Health Foundation for Campaign Finance Violations - California Globe

When Charlotte Lartey was 4 years old, she discovered her sister standing in a bathtub, screaming in pain after pouring bleach on her skin so that the other girls at school would stop calling her ugly and evil.

About eight years later, a boy who had already directed an ethnic slur toward Larteys brother, stabbed her in the chest with a needle and told her to die.

During the first week of her first year as a teacher at Jordan High School in Sandy, Utah, a student scratched the N-word into her classroom door. In her second year of teaching, she walked into her classroom one morning and found LARTEY HAS EBOLA written in large letters across all of the whiteboards.

As the only Black educator at Washougal High School, Lartey wants to make sure young people of color in Washougal dont experience the same discrimination she endured as a youngster growing up in a predominantly white Utah community.

Its very clear that some of the things that happened to me are still happening to kids today, Lartey said. Ive healed, and found inner peace about my experiences, but the world is the same.

In a recent email to the Washougal school board, Lartey said she was dismayed when district leaders had shot down a proposal from the teachers union to hire an equity-and-inclusion teacher.

It was very disappointing to hear from the district that they are not interested or willing to spend any money on equity, or in hiring new personnel to help the district advance the equity goals, Lartey stated in her email.

Although she praises Washougals school leaders for the districts recent efforts to improve its anti-discrimination policies, Lartey said she would like to see district administrators take additional actions to show theyve put their money where their mouth is.

Racism is alive and well in Washougal, just like it is everywhere else, Lartey said. Ive seen Confederate flag-waving. Ive heard (white) kids make slave-owning jokes, slave-whipping jokes, cotton-picker references. Ive heard them say the N-word and that its OK for them to say it.

The school district has made equity one of the six pillars of its new strategic plan, and said the equity component is a major part of the districts newly created assistant superintendent role.

We commit to engage in intentional efforts to identify disparities that create opportunity gaps and act to eliminate the achievement gap, Washougal School District Superintendent Mary Templeton stated on a message posted to the districts website. We further commit to challenge and disrupt systems that are perpetuating institutional biases and oppressive practices, as well as develop culturally responsive school houses. We have not accomplished all that we need to as it relates to our work with equity, but please know that as we engage in this work together, we will need to count on our courage, commitment, honesty and be gracious with one another as we aspire toward true systemic change.

My first year here was the hardest Ive ever had as a teacher. I experienced some things that made me want to walk out of the classroom. I said, Wow, Im not sure how much longer I can do this,' Lartey said. Its been tough at times, but I wouldnt stay here if I didnt feel it was a good place for me to be. There are a lot of good people here that are ready to do this work if someone leads the way, and the same cant be said in Utah, so Im remaining patient.

We need an anti-racist system

Lartey recently completed her second year as a member of Washougal Highs career and technical education department, teaching health sciences, medical science, bio-medicine, anatomy, physiology, medical terminology and health.

Margaret Rice, the districts CTE director, said Lartey brings a wealth of knowledge about AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination), a nonprofit organization that provides educational strategies to help schools move to a more equitable, student-centered approach to prepare all students for college, careers and life, and has been able to apply AVID strategies to her health science classes.

Rice also praised Larteys work leading staff development on AVID practices and for founding a Black Student Union club at the high school.

(She) has a passion for the awareness and elimination of racial injustice, Rice said.

Ive always stood up to racially biased harassment since I was kid, so it feels like Ive been preparing for social justice work my entire life, Lartey said. There is a lot of work to be done to change the educational system, but knowing how much work there is to do is fuel in itself.

As chair of the Vancouver-based Washington Education Association (WEA) Riverside chapters political action committee, Lartey keeps tabs on the latest legislation, as well as on local and state government practices, policies and positions. She interviews and endorses candidates for elected positions and urges other educators to run for school board positions and write to their elected officials about important issues.

WEA-Riverside is a regional council of 15 local education associations that represents more than 4,600 educators in Southwest Washington. Lartey also works with the groups equity committee, which works with school districts in Battle Ground, Ridgefield, Camas, Washougal and Vancouver to create a network of educators of color and help them to hold administrators accountable for their actions.

The Washougal High teacher is a member of the Washougal Association of Educators teachers unions bargaining team, which is currently negotiating for new teacher contracts in Washougal.

In the educational system, there is systemic racism, but it manifests itself on a variety of levels, Lartey said. We see micro-aggression, interpersonal acts of racism, oppressive practices for educators of color and higher discipline rates. We need to create anti-racist systems. Its not enough to not be racist anymore. Too much needs to be fixed. The system is racist, and we need an anti-racist system to (replace) it. Its daunting, overwhelming and isolating work. But its important.

Lartey will also be a part of a webinar panel series along with several other BIPOC (Black, indigenous and people of color) educators in Washington called Collectivist Action through COVID-19 and a Revolution, created and organized by Estefa Gallardo, a member of the WEA board of directors. The four panel discussions, which will be hosted by Zoom, will focus on the varying activism work that is largely being led by educators of color around the state.

Lartey will participate in The B in BIPOC: Black Educator Experiences in a Very White Washington, which will begin at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 23 and can be viewed at action.washingtonea.org/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=426230; and Uprising in Rural and Small School Districts, which will begin at 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6, and can be viewed at action.washingtonea.org/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=426232.

The WEA board and WEAs Black Caucus have endorsed this project, and it would be great to have our local communities tuning in as we have these conversations about educationalactivism and racial and social justice, Lartey said. I am really excited about this.

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Racism is 'alive and well in Washougal, just like everywhere else' - Camas Washougal Post Record