Cultural, legal shifts nudging immigrants in California out of shadows

By | May 11th, 2015|Immigration|

When he was in college, nearly a decade ago, Javier Hernandez did not feel as though he belonged.

Even though he had paid to be there, he was afraid.

Because he was not a citizen.

And fearing deportation, he and his friends referred to themselves in code.

Read more in the Los Angeles Daily News.

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As Middle Class Fades, So Does Use of Term on Campaign Trail

By | May 11th, 2015|Intergroup Relations|

Hillary Rodham Clinton calls them “everyday Americans.” Scott Walker prefers “hardworking taxpayers.” Rand Paul says he speaks for “people who work for the people who own businesses.” Bernie Sanders talks about “ordinary Americans.”

The once ubiquitous term “middle class”

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Inquiry to Examine Racial Bias in the San Francisco Police

By | May 8th, 2015|Police & Community|

First came disclosures of racist and homophobic text messages exchanged by officers of the San Francisco Police Department. That was followed by the discovery that sheriff’s deputies had been gambling on forced fighting matches between inmates at a city jail.

Then on Thursday, the San Francisco district

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We’ve Got Your Back

By | May 8th, 2015|Intergroup Relations|

Sometimes college and university leaders try to avoid the spotlight when a faculty member is under attack. Not so this week at Polk State College, which is standing behind a humanities professor accused of giving students anti-Christian assignments, even as the allegations were picked up by national conservative outlets.

The college’s leaders say the case raises

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Campus Diversity, Often Seen as Key to Learning, Can Have an Educational Downside

By | May 7th, 2015|Education|

Although diversity on college campuses is widely viewed as crucial for learning, negative experiences with students from other backgrounds may actually hurt undergraduates’ intellectual development, a new study suggests.

The study, based on tests administered to college students as both freshmen and seniors, linked negative experiences with diversity to declines both in students’ critical-thinking skills and

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Clinton calls for path to citizenship, countering GOP immigration views

By | May 6th, 2015|Immigration|

Hillary Rodham Clinton staked an early claim for Latino support Tuesday by calling for a pathway to citizenship for millions of immigrants living in the country illegally, elevating the debate on an issue likely to play a vital role in the 2016 presidential race.

Read more in the Los Angeles Times.

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Police Struggle With Loss of Privileged Position

By | May 6th, 2015|Police & Community|

WASHINGTON — Early this year, Megan E. Green, a St. Louis alderwoman, met with officials of a local police union to discuss a proposal for a civilian oversight board that would look into accusations of police misconduct. After Ms. Green refused to soften her support for the proposal, the union

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Most Minority Students at U. of Illinois Report Being Racially Stereotyped

By | May 5th, 2015|Education|

More than half of minority students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign say they have been the object of racial stereotypes in the classroom, according to the results of a new survey conducted by a faculty group at the university.

Read more in The Chronicle of Higher Education.

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Homicide rates drop as Richmond chief builds bond with community

By | May 4th, 2015|Police & Community, Uncategorized|

Residents packed the City Council chambers here in 2005, hoisting signs emblazoned with photos of slain loved ones. Eight men had been shot dead in gang-related violence in a two-week span.

Many residents had long had contempt for the Richmond Police Department, with its decades-old reputation of racism and ruthlessness. The community rarely cooperated with officers,

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