Thinking about Progressive Politics in Silicon Valley
Anaruth Hernandez
Ze Kun Li
Darcy Paul
Tony Samara
Cam Vu
Ze Kun Li
Darcy Paul
Tony Samara
Cam Vu
Plan
I. Issue identification, framing, and explanation
* Identify a significant public policy or civic issue related to Asian Americans and Latino Americans that group will explore and heighten awareness. Frame the issue within a historical context and explain why it is significant.
***A discussion of what is meant by "Progressive" and "Progressivism" will include some historical background of the general movement, as well as an examination of how varying perspectives can inform and shape what individuals and groups tend to think of as progressive.
So from a larger consideration of what is “progressive politics” we thought we could distill the conversation through a consideration of one specific topic. If we take inequities in education as a broad topic then we can consider the issue of discipline (a seemingly race neutral thing) in schools. And then we could think about the issue of the Schools-to-Prison pipeline that disciplinary practice in schools has highlighted. Can we look at the idea of education more closely?
Racial disparities in school disciplinary policies and practices have become the subject of national debate. From out of school suspensions to expulsion and the involvement of police in schools, many communities are concerned that young men of color are being pushed into a “school to prison” pipeline. Communities have been organizing against racial disparities in discipline for years, winning important victories at the local and state levels. Earlier this year, the Departments of Justice and Education weighed in, issuing guidelines to school districts that encourage a move away from the failed “zero tolerance” approach of recent decades.
In the Bay area, community organizations in San Francisco have started to mobilize for reform across the SFUSD, away from criminalization and towards restorative justice approaches. The purpose of this project is to investigate policies in San Jose, to focus on practices in East San Jose, and to generate a set of policy recommendations for school officials, as well as to educate the broader public about the dangers of criminalization in the schools.
The project is also an effort to start a discussion about progressive politics within Asian American and Latino communities. We believe our research will raise difficult questions about social justice, race, gender, and class that require careful attention. Historically, policy solutions to important social problems neglect many cleavages within and between communities. One result is that not all voices within communities are heard, and those with more resources (wealth, education, access to political institutions, etc). This can lead to policies and practices ostensibly intended to improve the lives of entire communities being implemented unevenly, or a neglect of issues that affect marginalized sections of specific communities. Central to our project will be attention to how analysis and remedies to the criminalization of youth can identify and avoid these pitfalls. Zero tolerance disciplinary policies, for example, are in part premised on the idea of separating “bad” kids from “good” kids so that the educational environment for the latter is not spoiled. The movement for restorative justice approaches is premised on the idea that there are no bad kids, only bad learning and disciplinary environments.
* Develop a working title to identify groups, issue, and perspective/angle. (eg. Asian American and Latino Seniors: Providing Language and Culturally-Relevant Health Care)
A look at Progressive Politics for Latino and Asian American Communities in Silicon Valley via a look at Discipline in Schools and the Schools to Prison Pipeline.
II. Community research focus and key questions:
Identify the community research focus the project will seek understanding and awareness.
Brainstorm and refine a set of 4-6 thoughtful and carefully-crafted questions.
● What does a progressive politics look like in Silicon Valley? What are some insightful examples?
● Are there markers of progress for Latino and AsAm communities that we think are simplified; are there others that are not considered deeply enough?
● Is there a consensus on ‘progressive’? Should there be one?
● How, if at all, do disciplinary practices in schools affect Latino and Asian populations in similar manners? How, if at all, do disciplinary practices in schools affect Latino and Asian populations in different manners?
● What disciplinary practices can be more effective or more “progressive” than current practices for Latino/Asian populations?
Research the issue as appropriate through policy research, online platforms, published sources, public meetings, news articles, etc.
Several articles and links have been shared among the group through emails. We can compile our bibliography for the final project. One such link is: http://www.padresunidos.org/end-school-jail-track
Your group may want to identify knowledgeable individuals to interview and video-record to gain first-hand insights, experience, or information.
This might include interviewing local school officials such as teachers, principals, or counselors at SJ high schools.
III. Select and complete an action component such as:
Engage a public decision maker to provide information and lobby on an issue.
Use an online space to conduct a campaign or dialog to raise awareness.
Make a thoughtful statement to be delivered during “Public Comments” of a government meeting.
Write a letter to the editor of San Jose Mercury News.
Make a public service announcement on a radio or TV station.
Other actions as feasible.
Perhaps we go to a school board meeting, or submit something in writing to a school board with things we want them to do or consider. Or call into a radio show and start a discussion? maybe contact the station beforehand and ask if they can accommodate a conversation like that?
IV. Group Organization and Project Management
Discuss how group will be organized, decisions made, and project managed.
Online communication and collaboration.
Timeline for group project.
● Week 6 (2/14) This week the group will decide on format of the presentation: what issues to cover in the slides, apportion time to what we will discuss, including a more concise breakdown. We’ll brainstorm what action items we’d like to do and identify the steps that would be attached to any action item.
● Week 7 (2/21) This week the group will conduct research, readings, interviews to prepare their portion of the project. The group will also share their pieces with the rest of the group as a work in progress in order to support each other and provide feedback.. We will decide on our action item and begin the preparations to accomplish it.
● Week 8 (2/28) This week the group will finish its research, interviews, and presentation. Then the group will give feedback to each other’s pieces and make sure that the action item is ready to complete. Then we complete the action?! (Anytime between now and Week 11)
● Week 9 (3/7) - This week our group puts presentation on prezi/powerpoint, finish presentation by Week 10 (3/14) or Week 11 (3/21).
Due Date: Weeks 10 & 11
Project Presentations. Using a powerpoint or prezi, prepare a 15-minutes sharing of the project to heighten awareness for class, followed by 10 minutes of Q&A/dialog.
Email presentation to Josephine for posting on CLP website. Bring Powerpoint/Prezi on USB and also email to self for backup. Turn in hard copy.
* Identify a significant public policy or civic issue related to Asian Americans and Latino Americans that group will explore and heighten awareness. Frame the issue within a historical context and explain why it is significant.
***A discussion of what is meant by "Progressive" and "Progressivism" will include some historical background of the general movement, as well as an examination of how varying perspectives can inform and shape what individuals and groups tend to think of as progressive.
So from a larger consideration of what is “progressive politics” we thought we could distill the conversation through a consideration of one specific topic. If we take inequities in education as a broad topic then we can consider the issue of discipline (a seemingly race neutral thing) in schools. And then we could think about the issue of the Schools-to-Prison pipeline that disciplinary practice in schools has highlighted. Can we look at the idea of education more closely?
Racial disparities in school disciplinary policies and practices have become the subject of national debate. From out of school suspensions to expulsion and the involvement of police in schools, many communities are concerned that young men of color are being pushed into a “school to prison” pipeline. Communities have been organizing against racial disparities in discipline for years, winning important victories at the local and state levels. Earlier this year, the Departments of Justice and Education weighed in, issuing guidelines to school districts that encourage a move away from the failed “zero tolerance” approach of recent decades.
In the Bay area, community organizations in San Francisco have started to mobilize for reform across the SFUSD, away from criminalization and towards restorative justice approaches. The purpose of this project is to investigate policies in San Jose, to focus on practices in East San Jose, and to generate a set of policy recommendations for school officials, as well as to educate the broader public about the dangers of criminalization in the schools.
The project is also an effort to start a discussion about progressive politics within Asian American and Latino communities. We believe our research will raise difficult questions about social justice, race, gender, and class that require careful attention. Historically, policy solutions to important social problems neglect many cleavages within and between communities. One result is that not all voices within communities are heard, and those with more resources (wealth, education, access to political institutions, etc). This can lead to policies and practices ostensibly intended to improve the lives of entire communities being implemented unevenly, or a neglect of issues that affect marginalized sections of specific communities. Central to our project will be attention to how analysis and remedies to the criminalization of youth can identify and avoid these pitfalls. Zero tolerance disciplinary policies, for example, are in part premised on the idea of separating “bad” kids from “good” kids so that the educational environment for the latter is not spoiled. The movement for restorative justice approaches is premised on the idea that there are no bad kids, only bad learning and disciplinary environments.
* Develop a working title to identify groups, issue, and perspective/angle. (eg. Asian American and Latino Seniors: Providing Language and Culturally-Relevant Health Care)
A look at Progressive Politics for Latino and Asian American Communities in Silicon Valley via a look at Discipline in Schools and the Schools to Prison Pipeline.
II. Community research focus and key questions:
Identify the community research focus the project will seek understanding and awareness.
Brainstorm and refine a set of 4-6 thoughtful and carefully-crafted questions.
● What does a progressive politics look like in Silicon Valley? What are some insightful examples?
● Are there markers of progress for Latino and AsAm communities that we think are simplified; are there others that are not considered deeply enough?
● Is there a consensus on ‘progressive’? Should there be one?
● How, if at all, do disciplinary practices in schools affect Latino and Asian populations in similar manners? How, if at all, do disciplinary practices in schools affect Latino and Asian populations in different manners?
● What disciplinary practices can be more effective or more “progressive” than current practices for Latino/Asian populations?
Research the issue as appropriate through policy research, online platforms, published sources, public meetings, news articles, etc.
Several articles and links have been shared among the group through emails. We can compile our bibliography for the final project. One such link is: http://www.padresunidos.org/end-school-jail-track
Your group may want to identify knowledgeable individuals to interview and video-record to gain first-hand insights, experience, or information.
This might include interviewing local school officials such as teachers, principals, or counselors at SJ high schools.
III. Select and complete an action component such as:
Engage a public decision maker to provide information and lobby on an issue.
Use an online space to conduct a campaign or dialog to raise awareness.
Make a thoughtful statement to be delivered during “Public Comments” of a government meeting.
Write a letter to the editor of San Jose Mercury News.
Make a public service announcement on a radio or TV station.
Other actions as feasible.
Perhaps we go to a school board meeting, or submit something in writing to a school board with things we want them to do or consider. Or call into a radio show and start a discussion? maybe contact the station beforehand and ask if they can accommodate a conversation like that?
IV. Group Organization and Project Management
Discuss how group will be organized, decisions made, and project managed.
Online communication and collaboration.
Timeline for group project.
● Week 6 (2/14) This week the group will decide on format of the presentation: what issues to cover in the slides, apportion time to what we will discuss, including a more concise breakdown. We’ll brainstorm what action items we’d like to do and identify the steps that would be attached to any action item.
● Week 7 (2/21) This week the group will conduct research, readings, interviews to prepare their portion of the project. The group will also share their pieces with the rest of the group as a work in progress in order to support each other and provide feedback.. We will decide on our action item and begin the preparations to accomplish it.
● Week 8 (2/28) This week the group will finish its research, interviews, and presentation. Then the group will give feedback to each other’s pieces and make sure that the action item is ready to complete. Then we complete the action?! (Anytime between now and Week 11)
● Week 9 (3/7) - This week our group puts presentation on prezi/powerpoint, finish presentation by Week 10 (3/14) or Week 11 (3/21).
Due Date: Weeks 10 & 11
Project Presentations. Using a powerpoint or prezi, prepare a 15-minutes sharing of the project to heighten awareness for class, followed by 10 minutes of Q&A/dialog.
Email presentation to Josephine for posting on CLP website. Bring Powerpoint/Prezi on USB and also email to self for backup. Turn in hard copy.
| clp_2014_progressive_politics_project_plan.docx |
Presentation
