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News from Leadership for a Changing World A program of the Ford Foundation in partnership with the Advocacy Institute and the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, New York University For more information about the awardees or program, contact Deborah Walter at dlwaltr@aol.com or (908) 522-1677 August 2002 Newsletter Justice Now Wins Groundbreaking Settlement for Prisoner’s Family On June 12, Justice Now, the Oakland-based prisoner advocacy group, announced the settlement of a lawsuit against the California Department of Corrections (CDC) for the alleged wrongful death of Rosemary Willeby. The suit charged that Willeby, a Los Angeles native, died on October 22, 1999 as a result of medical neglect and mistreatment. This lawsuit, brought by Justice Now, was one of the first cases nationally to challenge the standard of care for prisoners infected with the increasingly common and often lethal hepatitis C virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that one in four prisoners have hepatitis C. It is also one of the first cases to challenge the CDC’s practices involving communication with prisoners’ families. Most of the federal court settlement will go to the family of Rosemary Willeby, according to Cynthia Chandler and Cassandra Shaylor, Co-Directors of Justice Now and winners of the 2001 Leadership for a Changing World Award. “This case speaks to prisons’ inability to respond to medical crises and the human cost of mass imprisonment,” says Chandler. • In other news: New Media Artist Sharon Daniel is collaborating with Justice Now to develop a women prisoners’ oral histories project online. Cynthia Chandler and Cassandra Shaylor may be reached at wplan@pacbell.net and cshaylor@earthlink.net, or at 510-839-7654.
TROSA Launches Major Residential Campus Renovation and Rebuilding Project  Triangle Residential Options for Substance Abusers is launching a major renovation and rebuilding project in North Carolina. The goal: to help this pioneering residential rehabilitation program continue to house, teach, and train recovering addicts for at least two years each, at a more centralized location. In eight years, the program has grown from serving a handful of clients to 250 people in apartments and houses spread across Durham. “Now we’re pulling it together,” says TROSA president and 2001 Leadership for a Changing World awardee Kevin McDonald. The plan calls for the construction of two dormitories that will house 70 people and a mix of apartment buildings, duplexes, and single-family homes on the main campus. It also includes green, light-use recreation areas, and a specialized space for a clinic for the medical treatment provided TROSA residents through cooperative partnerships with the Duke University Medical Center. TROSA (www.trosainc.org) has created a variety of business enterprises that function as job and leadership training venues for its residents. Businesses range from local and interstate moving to brick masonry, painting, catering and picture framing. To make room on the existing campus for the new construction, TROSA will move some of its businesses onto other properties in more industrial areas of Durham. With a price tag nearing $5 million, the campus project will require both long-term financing and a dramatic increase in fundraising for TROSA. Kevin McDonald may be reached at kevinmc9@juno.com, or 919-688-3054.
Community Voices Heard Saves 7,000 Jobs; Launches Voter Registration Drive  After persistent activism and public testimony by more than 400 Community Voices Heard members and leaders, who were partnering with New York’s largest municipal labor union, Mayor Mike Bloomberg committed to keeping the Park Opportunity Program and hiring an additional 3000 welfare recipients to work in the New York City Parks Department. Recipients of the 2001 Leadership for a Changing World Award, CVH leaders (www.cvhaction.org) are also launching Welfare Votes!, with the goal of educating and registering low-income New Yorkers to vote in the gubernatorial election in November. • CVH program coordinator/media contact Gail Aska was recently named one of 10 Charles H. Revson Fellows for 2002-2003. Aska will continue working part-time for CVH while participating in the Revson Program for the Future of the City of New York, which provides a year of self-designed study at Columbia University along with weekly meetings with local and national leaders in politics and the arts. CVH may be reached through Paul Getsos at paul@cvhaction.org or at 212-860-6001.
New York Immigration Coalition Reports on Rising Dropout Rates for Immigrant Students; NYICR Wins Keepers of American Dream Award  On June 18, the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), Advocates for Children (AFC) and other immigrant community groups, parents and students released a report on rising dropout rates for immigrant students who are struggling to learn English and proposed a plan to reverse the trend. The report was timed to coincide with the administration of the state's English Language Arts Regents Examination. The groups contend that too few immigrant students receive the level of instruction they need in order to pass. "New York's immigrant families are being robbed of the opportunity to achieve the American dream. Too many of their children who are English language learners have not received the additional help they were promised to meet the new graduation standards, with the result that these students now have the highest dropout rate of any group of students in the school system," said Margie McHugh, a recipient of the 2001 Leadership for a Changing World Award and Executive Director of the NYIC (www.thenyic.org), an umbrella policy and advocacy organization for roughly 150 groups in New York that work with immigrants and refugees. The report is entitled “Creating a Formula for Success: Why English Language Learner Students are Dropping Out of School and How to Increase Graduation Rates.” Nearly half of families in New York City speak a language other than English at home. • In other news: The National Immigration Forum recently named NYIC as one of four recipients of its Keepers of the American Dream award. The Forum celebrated NYIC's broad base and hailed its mobilization of immigrant rights advocates, immigrant community leaders, and service providers to help preserve immigration and integration policies after September 11. Margie McHugh may be reached at nyic@erols.com or 208-784-8891.
Immigrant Coalition to Release Results of Comprehensive Nationwide Survey of Post-9/11 INS Activities; Wins City of Chicago Human Relations Award  In August, the Coalition of African, Asian, European, and Latino Immigrants of Illinois (www.caalii.org) will unveil a comprehensive nationwide survey comparing INS’ service before and after the September 11th tragedy, proving the continued need for systemic change at INS. Coalition will also propose the establishment of an Ombudsman in the INS at the Department of Justice. The proposed Ombudsman would be a meaningful and independent office designated to receive, compile, and monitor inquiries and complaints, according to coalition director Dale Asis, a recipient of the 2001 Leadership for a Changing World Award. This year, the Coalition has aired a series of television commercials on Chicago-area stations, calling for an end to anti-immigrant sentiments and hate crimes in the wake of September 11. One of the three commercials runs with the slogan, “Anti-immigrant is anti-American.” • In other news: C.A.A.E.L.I.I. has received the City of Chicago Human Relations Award; and the Coalition was also one of the few nonprofits in Chicago to be featured at the annual conference of the Council on Foundations, the umbrella organization of foundations. As part of the conference, Asis addressed a session about leadership and building multi-ethnic alliances and led 50 funders on a site visit to various immigrant neighborhoods. Dale Asis may be reached at daleasis@hotmail.com or 773-784-2900.
Chinese Staff and Workers’ Association Forges “Beyond Ground Zero” Network, Challenges 9/11 Relief Policies  The Chinese Staff and Workers' Association has joined with other organizations to create the “Beyond Ground Zero” network. The network draws attention to the impact of the September 11 attack and its aftermath on low-income people who work or live in or near lower Manhattan. “Most relief has been focused on the property loss, not on the human loss or health loss,” says Wing Lam, Executive Director of the association, and recipient of the 2001 Leadership for a Changing World Award. For example, over 10,000 thousand garment workers — who lost their jobs after September 11, when hundreds of factories were forced to lay off their employees or close altogether — have received no disaster relief assistance, according to Lam. The Beyond Ground Zero network is challenging the Federal Emergency Management Authority and private relief agencies to extend assistance to these people and their families. “The main issue we are focusing on is health. Because of the toxic air in the area made many people sick, people's concerns with health have heightened dramatically,” says Lam. “Those concerns prompted several thousand people, mostly garment workers, to march on June 5 for our health and to rebuild our lives.” On July 31, the organization participated in a Washington D.C. march to protest 9/11 federal relief policies. Wing Lam can be contacted at wingshung@mail.com or 212-619-7979.
OVEC Celebrates Court Ruling That May Limit Mountaintop Removal  On May 2, powerful floods swept through West Virginia, killing nine people and leaving hundreds homeless. Dianne Bady and Janet Fout, Co-Directors of the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition and recipients of the Leadership for a Changing World Award, believe that such frequent, devastating floods are due in part to the coal-mining practice of mountaintop removal, which denudes forests, alters the watershed and reduces the land’s ability to absorb water. Despite decades of flooding, pollution and the permanent alteration of some of nation’s most cherished wilderness, the mining industry and government have renewed their push for mountaintop removal and valley fill. On May 3, the federal government announced plans to legalize valley fills, thus encouraging the practice of mountaintop removal, which would jeopardize watersheds in West Virginia and across the nation. If enacted, the new rules would undermine the 30-year-old federal Clean Water Act. To oppose the change, the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition (www.ohvec.org), along with other groups, launched a protest across West Virginia and in Washington D.C., where Kevin Richardson (of the Backstreet Boys) and Robert Kennedy, Jr. joined them in opposing the proposed change. Five days later, in an unexpected turn of events, U.S. District Court Judge Charles H. Haden II ruled against the legalization of valley fills. Bady and Fout see this as a victory in their ongoing fight. An appeal is expected. Dianne Bady and Janet Fout can be contacted at dbady@marshall.edu or jfout@ezwv.com, or at 304-522-0246.
Nebraska Appleseed Achieves Partial Injunction in Fight to Retain Childcare Subsidies  In June, the Nebraska Appleseed Center for Law in the Public Interest filed a class-action lawsuit challenging a July 1 cut-off of childcare subsidies for thousands of low-income families across the state. Granting a partial injunction on behalf of one of the named plaintiffs, a judge made a ruling that lets 700 low-income families continue to receive their subsidy benefits for one more month. The court has not yet ruled on the key issue in this case: whether these childcare cuts were lawful. According to Milo Mumgaard, Leadership for a Changing World awardee and Nebraska Appleseed executive director, the organization will continue to fight these subsidy cuts as the case continues through litigation. Milo Mumgaard may be reached at mmumgaard@neappleseed.org or 402-438-8853.
Gwich’in Leaders Win Goldman Environmental Prize  Three Gwich’in Steering Committee members — Jonathon Solomon, Norma Kassi, and Sarah James, Committee spokesperson and Leadership for a Changing World awardee — have won the Goldman Environmental Prize for extraordinary grassroots leadership on environmental issues. The Committee represents the indigenous Gwich'in, or “Caribou People,” who are fighting to protect both their culture on Alaska’s coastal plain and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from oil drilling. The international Prize, given to grassroots environmentalists each year, was celebrated at the biannual Gwich’in Gathering in July. James argues that oil drilling will disrupt the caribou herd, and potentially destroy the sustenance and soul of her culture. “The gain isn’t worth the price,” she says. Indeed, the U.S. Geological Survey estimates that there are only six months' worth of economically recoverable oil in the Arctic Refuge, and would not be available for at least ten year; the Arctic Refuge resources would only reduce U.S. oil imports from 64 percent to 62 percent of total oil consumption in 2020. Sarah James may be contacted at sarahjamesav@hotmail.com or 907-587-5315.
AAAPTI Works with African American Press to Raise Public Awareness about HIV/AIDS  In July, the African American AIDS Policy and Training Institute worked with America’s leading African American press organizations to provide instant, accessible news coverage of the XIV International AIDS Conference in Barcelona, Spain. Tens of thousands of people working to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic gathered for this important biannual meeting. AAAPTI (www.aaa.instititute.org) is dedicated to closing the information gap between such world AIDS conferences and the African American, Afro-Caribbean, and African communities. AAPTI helped assemble a team of African-American journalists who reported on the conference. In conjunction with Africana.com and The Kaiser Family Foundation, AAAPTI is also building a vibrant new Web site (www.BlackAIDS.org) In addition to news, features, and columns, the site is designed to offer multi-media newsmaker interviews, among other interactive features. Starting this year, the Institute will provide special segments on National Public Radio’s The Tavis Smiley Show. While the world AIDS conferences provide invaluable opportunities for people fighting against HIV/AIDS to come together and learn from one another, the conferences remain inaccessible for too many of those who could most gain from them, according to Phill Wilson, Executive Director of AAAPTI and recipient of the 2001 Leadership for a Changing World Award. AAAPTI, which Wilson calls “the world’s only think tank devoted to HIV/AIDS in black communities,” says that the HIV/AIDS information gap is particularly wide in African American, Afro-Caribbean and African communities. Phill Wilson may be contacted at phillw@aaainstitute.org or 213-353-3610.
Barbara Miller Seeks Volunteers for Idaho Superfund Campaign  Barbara Miller, director of the Silver Valley People’s Action Coalition and recipient of the 2001 Leadership for a Changing World Award, calls her home, Idaho's Silver Valley, east of Spokane, WA, “the Appalachia of the West.” The valley, once the world’s most productive silver mining region, is now the nation’s second largest Superfund toxic cleanup site. This summer, the Coalition needs volunteers to gather information door-to-door for a community health profile. Survey data will be used to help establish a Community Lead Health Project to diagnose and test lead-poisoned residents and their families who have lived in the 21-square-mile Superfund site for more than a century. Minimum funds are available for travel, lodging and other sources. You may contact Barbara Miller at paccrcco@imbris.com or 208-784-8891.
Just in case you missed it: Former Seattle Mayor Norm Rice, in a Seattle Times Op-Ed piece, praises Betsy Lieberman: “National Treasure in the Emerald City”  Among comments by former Seattle Mayor Norm Rice, The Seattle Times: “…In a time when Seattle has a growing national presence for coffee, technology and baseball we are fortunate to be recognized for leadership that is compassionate and brilliant in creating effective models for caring for those in need. Betsy Lieberman, executive director of AIDS Housing of Washington (www.aidshousing.org)...joins a distinguished group of community leaders who work in such areas as economic and community development, human rights, the arts, education, human development, sexual and reproductive health, religion, media, and the environment…Lieberman and her organization have brought thousands of residents in our city the opportunity to live in dignity. They have given peace of mind, stability and opportunity to those living with HIV and AIDS. She has shared her experience and success with others throughout the United States in building a world that nurtures and supports those in need.” Betsy Lieberman can be contacted at betsy@aidshousing.org or 206-448-5242.
LCW Program News 2002 Leadership for a Changing World Finalists Announced On July 18, after an extensive national search, 34 leaders were named national finalists in the Leadership for a Changing World awards program for 2002. “Leadership is alive and well in America, but it defies the outdated definitions of leadership” said Kathleen D. Sheekey, President and CEO of the D.C.-based Advocacy Institute. “In the post-Sept. 11 era, we’re more aware than ever that celebrity doesn’t equal leadership and that leadership comes in many forms. These individuals are among the thousands of leaders who, though they often go unrecognized nationally, represent the true strength and the powerful diversity of our culture.” The 34 finalists were selected in a highly competitive process from a pool of over 1400 nominations. Each finalist is now eligible to become one of the twenty national award winners who will receive $100,000 each to advance their work and an additional $30,000 for supporting activities. The final winners will be announced on October 1, 2002. To read about the finalists, go to http://leadershipforchange.org/finalists LCW / NYU-Wagner Leadership Research Begins to Bear Fruit Based on the LCW co-research project, Sonia Ospina, a researcher at the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University, presented two papers at conferences this summer: “From Consent to Mutual Inquiry: Balancing Democracy and Authority in Action Research” at the Academy of Management Conference on Action Research, Constructivism, and Democracy in Stockholm; and “Reconsidering Leadership Research: Insights from Emerging Perspectives” at the Academy of Management Annual Research Conference in Dallas. A third paper, “Appreciative Narratives as Leadership Research: Matching Method to Lens” — written with NYU-Wagner colleagues Ellen Schall, Bethany Godsoe, and Jennifer Dodge — has been accepted for publication in Advances in Appreciative Inquiry, a new book series edited by David Cooperrider and Michel Avital, Case Western Reserve University. All three papers are based on NYU-Wagner’s work with Leadership for a Changing World. Leadership for a Changing World awardees have formed two co-operative inquiry groups to explore how to create opportunities for other individuals to recognize themselves as leaders and develop their leadership. To reach the NYU researchers, please contact Bethany Godsoe at bethgodsoe@yahoo.com New on Leadership for Changing World Web Site
Leadership Wisdom from LCW Awardees and Friends A leader is self-aware and does not need the approval of others to feel self-worth. He/she has laid claim to his or her personal power (and does not abuse it). A leader is highly motivated, deeply committed to a cause, and serves as an inspiration and model for others. A leader's ego does not stand in the way of the personal growth of others as they emerge as new leaders. A leader always tells the truth--even the hard truth. Not every leader is a visionary; some are just great at motivating others and leave the visioning to someone else. A leader knows when to lead and when to step back and make room for new leadership. A leader has good instincts (intuition) about people and situations. A leader has a deep knowledge of the organization for whom he/she works and stays fully apprised of programs and issues in which the organization is involved. A leader has some spiritual grounding (different for different people). A leader is compassionate, has realistic expectations, has learned to trust, doesn't live or die on outcomes; is persistent, passionate, strategic and clear about goals. A leader also has faith that good work eventually produces good outcomes--even if one never lives to see tangible results. — Janet Fout, Co-Director, Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, and recipient of the Leadership for a Changing World Award
I recently met in Tucson, Arizona as one of 30 people recognized this year by the Ford Foundation as leaders “for a changing world.” Among us are former janitors from Los Angeles who have led their co-workers to unionize for salaries they can live on; a woman raised in Alaska’s remote caribou country whose community is successfully holding off oil exploration in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge; and mothers just coming off welfare who are leading the way to thousands of publicly created jobs for former welfare recipients in New York City. We all started out faced with some real threat - corporate polluters making our families sick, no benefits for a 40-hour workweek. Our leadership began simply with believing we could live differently. We found we were not alone. We formed or joined small, often voluntary groups, then built our ranks. Most of the non-profit organizations we now represent have modest budgets and we make decisions, dare I say “collectively.” We lead by passing the microphone, not by hanging on to it. Social change leaders are often depicted as brilliant, charismatic and few and far between, or dismissed as professional “advocates” or benign “activists.” But, while some of us may benefit from moments of insight and clarity, we’re more seasoned than stunning.
Our hope lies first in our hopefulness. Can we be less afraid? Can we unite a vision with a strategy? Can Americans in the new millennium come together and sacrifice, as did generations before us, in service of peace? I do know that leadership can arise from the simplest of places, in the bleakest of situations. — Joan Minieri, Organizer/Program Director, Community Voices Heard, and recipient of the Leadership for a Changing World Award
— Dale Asis, Director, Coalition of African, Asian and Latino Immigrants of Illinois, and recipient of the Leadership for a Changing World Award We can't expect that every day we're going to always embody exactly what is needed. Or maybe we do expect that, and so we feel guilty at those times when we're not operating at our best - and we need to learn to let go of that guilt. We're human — we have bad days and we have personal lives that sometimes intrude on our work. Sometimes the stress of our environmental struggles is so great that just staying in the fight is the biggest immediate objective. Spiritual practice is so essential. It undergirds all of our work and our leadership. And radical trust — no matter what happens, if we give our fights the best that we can, good will come of it somehow. Maybe not always in the ways we want or expect, but good will come. — Diane Bady, Co-Director, Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, and recipient of the Leadership for a Changing World Award
As Gardner wrote: “Most Americans welcome the voice that lifts them out of themselves. They want to be better people. They want to help make this a better country. When the American spirit awakens, it transforms worlds. But it does not awaken without a challenge.” That is a message worth pondering on this Independence Day. — David S. Broder, syndicated columnist, The Washington Post, July 03, 2002 Copyright © 2004 Advocacy Institute |