Race

Podcast - EP 40: Cori Bush: Action must be the reaction

Damian Cristodero — Wed, 15 Jun 2022 16:07:09 +0000

Podcast - EP 40: Cori Bush: Action must be the reaction Damian Cristodero Wed, 06/15/2022 - 12:07

In This Story

Rep. Cori Bush, Missouri's first Black congresswoman, talks to ��AV President Gregory Washington about the importance of the class she is teaching this summer at Mason. A pastor, teacher, nurse, and a Black Lives Matter activist in Ferguson, Mo., Bush explains her unusual path to Congress, and doesn’t flinch when discussing issues surrounding race and policing.

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Podcast Episode

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Police and Public Safety

Race

Academic and Activist Cornel West Comes to the Schar School April 14

bmcclai2 — Wed, 30 Mar 2022 15:23:18 +0000

Academic and Activist Cornel West Comes to the Schar School April 14 bmcclai2 Wed, 03/30/2022 - 11:23

In This Story

Michael K. Fauntroy

Noted academic and progressive political activist Cornel West visits ��AV’s Van Metre Hall in Arlington for a wide-ranging discussion with Schar School of Policy Associate Professor Michael K. Fauntroy on Thursday, April 14 at 7 p.m.

The in-person appearance, sponsored by the Schar School’s Race, Politics, and Policy Center (RPPC), is free and open to the public.

Cornel West: 'We will explore the deep crisis that America finds itself in.'

“We will discuss issues of personal integrity, civic virtue, and a political vision of justice and fairness,” West said. “We will explore the center of the deep crisis that America finds itself in.”

Specifically, added Fauntroy, founding director of the RPPC, the discussion will address the state of American democracy, human rights, critical race theory, and other topics. A question-and-answer session with audience members will follow the conversation.

Fauntroy, who has known West for more than a decade, noted that his appearance exemplifies the kinds of events the RPPC will produce as it aims to become “a major player in advancing the public discourse about the vital issues on which we focus,” he said. West’s appearance as the first in-person event is “a big honor for the center, the Schar School, and the university at-large.”

West, a well-known as “a provocative intellectual,” has written 20 books, edited 13, and taught as a professor at Harvard University, Princeton University, Yale University, and the University of Paris. He currently serves as the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Professor of Philosophy and Christian Practice at Union Theological Seminary in New York City.

Participants must complete Mason COVID Health™ and receive a “green light” status on the day of the event. Event organizers must confirm status during check-in prior to event entry. Attendees are required to wear masks during the event.

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Race

Politics

Cornel West

Schar School News March 2022

Combining Black Racial Groups Hides Health Disparities in Breastfeeding

John Brandon Cantrell — Wed, 23 Mar 2022 15:19:30 +0000

Combining Black Racial Groups Hides Health Disparities in Breastfeeding John Brandon C… Wed, 03/23/2022 - 11:19

In This Story

Amira Roess, PhD, MPH

A new study from Amira Roess in the Department of Global and Community Health highlights the differences in breastfeeding initiation between African Americans and Black immigrants enrolled in the Washington, D.C. WIC supplemental nutrition program.

Illnesses such as sudden infant death syndrome, asthma, and obesity disproportionally affect African American populations, and researchers have long underscored that lower breastfeeding among African Americans is a reason why. A goal of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is to address this disparity in breastfeeding rates. However, the current way data are reported hides important differences among Black American subgroups and biases data. To understand the potential differences in breastfeeding initiation within this population, a group of researchers are comparing patterns in breastfeeding initiation between two Black subgroups, African Americans and Black immigrants, for clues.

A new study from Amira Roess, professor in the Department of Global and Community Health, showed that breastfeeding rates are significantly lower for African Americans compared to Black Immigrants and other race/ethnic groups.

“By looking more carefully at African Americans and Black immigrants we can see that combining the two can hide important health disparities since Black immigrant populations tend to have higher breastfeeding rates,” said Roess. “Without detailed breastfeeding initiation data by more nuanced race/ethnicity definitions, the potential for poorly targeted interventions and policies exists, and opportunities to improve breastfeeding may be missed.”

This research gathered data from participants in Washington, DC’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) from 2007-19. The Centers for Disease Control’s Healthy People 2020 provided 10-year objectives (ending in 2020) to increase American’s health, and one goal was to increase the number of infants who were breastfed. This goal was met nationally (81.9%), but not met for all racial subgroups. People in the non-Hispanic Black demographic had the lowest reported breastfeeding initiation (73.7%), which fell well below the Healthy People 2020’s goals. Roess’s study further dissected the non-Hispanic Black demographic into subgroups and found that African Americans have a lower breastfeeding rate (39.9%) than Black immigrants (69.6%). Overall, breastfeeding initiation for both groups increased over time in the study population, which mirrored the national trend, but at lower rates.

The paper titled “Disparities in Breastfeeding Initiation Among African American and Black Immigrant WIC Recipients in the District of Columbia, 2007–2019” was published online in March 2022 in the American Journal of Public Health.

The study defined African Americans as those self-reporting as African American, not Hispanic, and speaking English only. Black immigrants were defined as those self-reporting as African American and speaking a language other than English. Researchers acknowledged this definition may underestimate the Black immigrant population, especially because some may come from English-language countries.

The research team included Rebecca C. Robert from the Conway School of Nursing, Catholic University of America; Doris Kuehn, Emily Woody, Swathi Vinjamuri, and Paulette Thompson from the DC Department of Health, District of Columbia Women Infant Child State Agency; and Nwanneamaka Ume and Brianna Ericson from Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University. Ume was supported by a fellowship from the Clara Schiffer Project on Women’s Health.

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African American/Black

Center for Health Equity

Race, Politics & Policy Center Opens Nov. 1; Cornel West to headline inaugural spring lecture

Mariam Aburdeineh — Mon, 25 Oct 2021 18:50:00 +0000

Race, Politics & Policy Center Opens Nov. 1; Cornel West to headline inaugural spring lecture Mariam Aburdeineh Mon, 10/25/2021 - 14:50

Michael Fauntroy. Photo by: Shelby Burgess/Strategic Communications/��AV

Since returning to ��AV earlier this year, Schar School Professor Michael Fauntroy has been ready to hit the ground running. He founded the new Race, Politics, and Policy Center that will officially launch on Nov. 1st—and said there’s a lot to be on the lookout for.

“I’m really looking forward to having a positive impact on the university and putting together a vehicle to position the university toward the forefront of our national conversation about race, politics, and public policy,” Fauntroy said.

Cornel West. Photo provided.

Fauntroy said the center will advance student learning, enlighten public discourse, and inspire civic engagement.

“We hope to be able to energize the university community,” he said, adding that students will have the chance to conduct research and work on center projects. “It’s going to be a dynamic place, one that’s working at this intersection of theory and practice.”

The center’s introductory webinar is Thursday, Nov. 4, and gives the Mason community the opportunity to hear from Fauntroy and learn more about the center, its mission, vision, and upcoming events.

A major highlight for the center will be its inaugural spring lecture on April 14 at Van Metre Hall Auditorium on the Arlington Campus with American philosopher, author, professor and political activist Cornel West.

Fauntroy said he and West will cover a variety of different topics that intersect with the Race, Politics, and Policy Center. In particular, West has often focused on the role of race, gender, and class in American society.

“He’s a profound man, and we want to give him an opportunity to share his wisdom with the audience,” Fauntroy said.

Keesha Middlemass. Photo provided.

The center isn’t just for Schar School students, Fauntroy said, but the whole university community and beyond—as the topics cut across disciplines from social justice to criminal justice policy, to health care and more.

One example of that is the center’s January event with Howard University Professor Keesha Middlemass who will speak on ex-offender reentry policies.

“[Middlemass] wrote what I consider to be one of the great books in recent years on the way in which public policy decisions can impact somebody throughout their lives,” Fauntroy said. “[Her book] ‘Convicted and Condemned: The Politics and Policies of Prisoner Reentry,’ looks at the public policies that are created that make it more difficult for people who have served their time to come out on the other side and reenter society.”

There’s a lot to unpack in that particular topic, but whether it’s food insecurity, homelessness, or any other number of potential barriers, Middlemass will address those from a public policy perspective, Fauntroy said.

Tony Affigne. Photo provided.

In April, the center will also welcome Providence College Professor Tony Affigne who will discuss Latino politics.

Fauntroy said he is motivated by wanting to make an impact for students and contribute to the national conversation on race with the center’s events and activities.

“I’m excited about what we have the potential to be, and to do, and the value we can bring to the university and the Northern Virginia community,” he said.

To learn more about the center, and sign up for email updates visit rppc.schar.gmu.edu.

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Guest Speaker

New York Times: “What the ‘Majority Minority’ Shift Really Means for America

Andrew J Schappert — Thu, 26 Aug 2021 16:48:57 +0000

New York Times: “What the ‘Majority Minority’ Shift Really Means for America Andrew J Schappert Thu, 08/26/2021 - 12:48

In This Story

Justin Gest

In a major op-ed, Schar School Associate Professor Justin Gest puts into perspective census data that shows America becoming more racially diverse. “The truth is, just as populations in the United States ebb and flow, the salience of racial and ethnic identities emerges and disappears.” Read more.

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Schar School in the Media

Decreased support for Black Lives Matter will not stop progress for racial equity, Mason professor says

Mariam Aburdeineh — Tue, 22 Jun 2021 20:28:51 +0000

Decreased support for Black Lives Matter will not stop progress for racial equity, Mason professor says Mariam Aburdeineh Tue, 06/22/2021 - 16:28

In This Story

Tehama Lopez Bunyasi

Though several public opinion polls have shown a decrease in support for the Black Lives Matter Movement year after the murder of George Floyd, the political victories gained by the movement’s earlier momentum will set the stage for what’s next, said Carter School professor Tehama Lopez Bunyasi.

“#BlackLivesMatter and the Movement for Black Lives have played critical roles in not only shaping our contemporary discourse on racism, but we have seen how those mobilized in concert with this movement have brought about important electoral victories,” Lopez Bunyasi said. “This racial justice movement endures and evolves alongside a countermovement that seeks to restrict who participates in our democracy and what stories get told about our country.”

The countermovement, Lopez Bunyasi said, has voting rights under attack in several states, and a renewed call against the instruction and use of critical race theory in schools and workplaces.

Also concerning, she added, is that most Senate Republicans failed to support an independent commission to investigate the January 6 attack on the Capitol, which violently disrupted a joint session of Congress assembled to count electoral votes to formalize Joe Biden’s victory.

Many aspects of Black Lives Matter have brought positive influences in the year it saw heightened support.

“The conviction of Derek Chauvin on all three charges for the murder of George Floyd is an important and rather exceptional event,” Lopez Bunyasi said. “That millions around the country waited anxiously and skeptically for the verdict says a lot about what we've come to expect of our judicial system.”

Despite enhanced expectations, Lopez Bunyasi said more people of color have been brutalized and unnecessarily killed by police since Chauvin’s conviction and that this is one of many indications that unequal systems of policing and courtroom justice endure in our country.

Lopez Bunyasi said comprehensive transformation at multiple levels of government is a necessity.

“Attaining racial equality will need to involve every sphere of American life: the courts, policing, health care, education, labor, housing, voting rights and so forth,” she said.

“One year out from the murder of George Floyd, which re-energized a multiracial movement for racial equality, this is a time to recommit to egalitarian action.”

Tehama Lopez Bunyasi is a political scientist whose scholarship is broadly concerned with matters of race, racism and antiracism in the United States, with specializations in structural inequality, racial attitudes and ideologies, racial marginalization, and the politics of whiteness. She can be reached at 703-993-9363 and tlopezbu@gmu.edu.

For more information, contact Mariam Aburdeineh at 703-993-9518 or maburdei@gmu.edu.

About George Mason

��AV is Virginia’s largest public research university. Located near Washington, D.C., Mason enrolls 39,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. Mason has grown rapidly over the past half-century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity and commitment to accessibility. Learn more at www2.gmu.edu.

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Michael Fauntroy returns to Mason to lead new Race, Politics, and Policy Center

Mariam Aburdeineh — Tue, 22 Jun 2021 19:08:22 +0000

Michael Fauntroy returns to Mason to lead new Race, Politics, and Policy Center Mariam Aburdeineh Tue, 06/22/2021 - 15:08

In This Story

Mark J. Rozell

Michael Fauntroy comes home to Mason, leading new Race, Politics, and Policy Center. Photo by Shelby Burgess/Strategic Communications

��AV’s Schar School of Policy and Government will launch its new Race, Politics, and Policy Center in Fall 2021 under the leadership of Professor Michael Fauntroy. Fauntroy, who taught at Mason for 11 years before joining the faculty at Howard University in 2013, returned to Mason in June.

“If you look at what’s going on around the country at colleges and universities, there’s not a lot of energy and attention being put to these issues,” Fauntroy said. “The goal of the center is to help change that and put together research and events that can better inform students, influencers and the public at large.”

It will also contribute to a national conversation.

“This is an opportunity to engage the academic community and the broader public in critical discussions on issues of race, politics and policy,” said Schar School Dean Mark J. Rozell. “If we are to be responsible publicly engaged intellectuals, we have to take on these difficult issues head on.”

Fauntroy said some of his plans for the center include raising funds to partner with media and conduct quarterly public opinion polls around issues of race and politics, which tend to be exampled during times of crisis but not consistently and systematically. He also plans to host public events, speaker and film series, and conferences, and to launch a podcast to amplify Mason’s expertise.

The opportunities will supplement what students learn in the classroom.

“These kinds of questions on race and politics are insufficiently addressed in political science and public policy,” Fauntroy said. “This is an opportunity to help position Mason students to have additional arrows in the quiver, if you will, in terms of their ability to analyze public policy in American politics.”

Rozell said Fauntroy’s passions and his return to Mason inspired the center.

“We have a chance to be thought leaders in this arena and doing so requires the right person to lead the effort,” Rozell said, adding that as an expert on Washington, D.C., politics, Fauntroy brings a regional expertise to the school. “Fauntroy comes with the academic credentials, as well as a public profile that will enable such a center to thrive over time.”

A regular on the media circuit, Fauntroy is an American politics analyst for CTV News Canada and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation radio. He regularly appears on WUSA9, WRC 4, and FOX 5, and has written on the intersection of race and American politics for years. He is the author of “Republicans and the Black Vote and Home Rule or House Rule? Congress and the Erosion of Local Governance in the District of Columbia.” He has been published in numerous academic journals and newspapers around the country, most recently in the New York Daily News.

Prior to Mason, Fauntroy was also an analyst in American national government at the Congressional Research Service (CRS). There he provided research and consultations for Congress. From 1993 to 1996, he was a civil rights analyst at the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, where he researched civil rights issues including voting rights and fair housing.

“I want Mason to be known, in part, as a place where you can go and study these issues in a deep and profound way,” Fauntroy said. “I want this center to provide value to the university and the larger community.”

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Campus News

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Schar School of Policy and Government

Schar School News June 2021