RECONSTRUCTINGDEMOCRACY

CDMSCenter on Democracy in a Multiracial Society

Volume 7 l Fall 2009

2010-11 CDMS Fellowship Information u INSIDEReseah at the Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 CDMS Fellows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Immigration & Race in Illinois . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6CDMS Sponsored & Co-Sponsored Events . . . . . . . . . 7Select Public Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Forthcoming Publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10CDMS Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

In my first newsletter column, I put forward four goals for CDMS. These goals were to (1) support research and advocacy on diversi-fying higher education, especially here at the University of Illinois; (2) to engage in multidisciplinary research on democratic participa-tion in a multiracial society; (3) to work in and with communities of color in Illinois; and, (4) to publish

CDMS-supported research. In this, my fourth annual newsletter column, I am happy to report that we have made progress in all of these areas.

One recent piece of research on diversity in higher education compares the enrollments of African Ameri-cans and Latinos in public Big Ten universities with the proportion of each state’s population comprised of these two groups. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign can correctly boast of having the largest en-rollments of African American and Latinos. However, the state of Illinois has, by far, the largest population of these two groups of any Big Ten state. In addition to having the largest enrollments of these groups, the University of Illinois also has the largest gap between enrollments and the statewide population composition. The large enroll-ments are the results of long-term efforts and commit-ments to diversity, so the University can be proud of its accomplishments. The large gaps indicate that these ef-forts have to be sustained and amplified. More informa-tion on these data can be found on our website: http://cdms.illinois.edu/pages/Diversity/Illinois_Minority_Pop.pdf.

Our initiative on Immigration and Race in Illinois (IRI) has resulted in a preliminary product that will inform and connect research on this topic. In collabora-tion with the Applied Technologies for Learning in the Arts and Sciences (ATLAS) and with financial support from iCUBED (Illinois Informatics Initiative), we have developed a detailed demographic/geographic database that will enhance our understanding of the interactions between race and immigration in Illinois. The database is now available to the university community. (See the following URL for more information: http://cdms.illinois.edu/pages/IRI/CDMS_ATLAS_IRI.Database.pdf).

We have continued our previous work on demo-cratic participation by pursuing funding opportunities for research on this topic and increased student partici-pation in all aspects of our electoral process.

We have also been working with a nascent co-alition of community organizations known as the Fair Redistricting 2010 Research & Training Planning Project. The goal of this project is to increase the involvement and input of minority communities in the redistricting process. Our IRI database will facilitate the conduct of pertinent analyses for Illinois communities.

Our April 7, 2010 conference on “Diversity & De-mocracy,” will feature the great work of our fellows and campus partners. In response to the comments on our previous conferences, this one will have more opportuni-ties for dialog and discussion. We plan to devote an entire conference session to opportunities for dialog between presenters and audience members. We also invite members of the campus community to submit ideas for roundtable discussions that they would like to deal with at our confer-ence. (Please see page 9 of this newsletter and our website for more information.)

We have been active in our efforts to work in our local community. In response to a W.K. Kellogg Foundation request for proposals regarding building and developing sustainable Community-Based Racial Healing and Racial Equity Efforts, we submitted a proposal in partnership with Best Interest of Children (a local non-profit youth-serving agency) and the University of Illinois Psychological Ser-vices Center (PSC). The proposed project aims to improve the lives of school-age children in the Champaign-Urbana community by changing the attitudes, knowledge, and skills of its participants, with the goal of creating racial healing, racial equity, and improvements in the racial climate of our local schools. The BIOC-PSC-CDMS partnership proposed to mobilize multiple existing community contacts and links to help organize a broad-based community-wide Racial Healing Coalition of citizens, activists, children/youths, par-ents, schools, youth-serving agencies, faith-based organiza-tions, and University students, staff and faculty.

I close this column as I did my first and say that it is with great enthusiasm and excitement that I look forward to working at the Center and reporting to you in future newsletters.

—Jorge ChapaDirector

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Diversity, Democracy and Community

reconstructing democracy

Education Justice Project (EJP) Rebecca Ginsburg (PI) -- Assistant Professor in the Departments of Landscape Architecture, Architecture, Art History, and African American Studies

u RESEARCH AT THE CENTER

Language, Family & Health: Enhancing Treament Adherence Among Latino Immigrants Diagnosed with Chronic IllnessesLissette Piedra (PI) -- Assistant Professor, School of Social Work

Dr. Lissette Piedra’s research finds that Latino immigrants with limited English proficiency (LEP) who experience obesity, diabetes, and heart disease face worse health outcomes than their English-speaking counterparts. The lack of national standards for interpreters and the diversity of types of medical interpreters contribute to the uneven efficacy of interpretation services in medical settings. Recent conceptualizations of bilingual health communications suggest that rather than focusing on interpreters as the pathway to better communication, a more realistic approach is [...] to focus on the interrelationships between interpreters and healthcare professionals (Hsieh, 2006).

In addition to the daunting obstacles that language and cultural barriers pose, the individualistic nature of health care services further contributes to the problem of treatment adherence in unforeseen ways. In matters of public health, the individual is never the sole unit of analysis (Levins and Lewontin, 1985). Because most human beings live their lives in connection with families and groups, the harm created by chronic illness radiates from individuals to their family members. Yet, most health

providers fail to capitalize on this reality in discussing treatment plans. Diagnosis and treatment of chronic illnesses are handled on an individual basis which reflects the cultural value orientations embedded in the American healthcare system. Latino immigrants who operate from a different cultural value orientation often will prioritize family well-being over individual well-being.

This study aims to enhance the treatment of chronic illness by investigating how sociocultural factors affect communication in clinical encounters and whether reframing chronic illnesses as family problems and engaging trusted family members and friends in treatment plans will enhance patient motivation to manage their chronic illnesses.

The Education Justice Project (EJP) offers on-site upper-division courses at a nearby Central Illinois state prison. Formed in 2006 by a group of faculty, graduate students, and community partners, EJP receives financial support from multiple University units and private donors, and administrative support from the CDMS. Research reveals that higher education programs within prisons reduce recidivism rates, lower violence within prisons, and restore hope to incarcerated men and women. EJP’s own program assessment seeks to better understand the dynamics by which education programs produce such profound results and to disseminate findings to other university prison programs countrywide.

CDMS Office ~ 1108 W. StoughtonUrbana, IL

As a site for the initiation and support of multiracial and interdisciplinary research, the Center on Democracy in a Multiracial Society encourages proposals to establish research groups. Research groups extend the opportunities provided to faculty in ‘interest groups’ by moving existing collaborative research project ideas toward searches for external sources of funding and into pre-proposal grant writing. CDMS expects to share in the Indirect Cost Recovery generated from grants written with Center support. Working groups may receive seed funds consistent with the need of the project.

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Psychological Adjustment of Latina Women with Breast Cancer: Institutional and Psychosocial FactorsLydia Buki (PI) -- Associate Professor, Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, College of Applied Health Sciences

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer affecting Hispanic (Latina) women (American Cancer Society, 2007). Among Latinas, this cancer is more likely to be diagnosed in advanced stages of the disease, resulting in a lower 5-year survivorship rate of 76% for Latina women compared with 85% for non-Hispanic White women (Gilliland, Hunt, & Key, 1998; Li, Malone, & Daling, 2003; National Cancer Institute, 2002). This trend is concerning, particularly because the number of Latina survivors is expected to increase due to a growing population, improvements in screening practices, increased early detection, and advances in treatment options.

Dr. Lydia Buki is in the process of writing three manuscripts on this topic. The first paper reports on a study of women diagnosed twice and their specific challenges, a topic on which there are no published studies. The second manuscript reports on women’s perceptions of their social support needs, and contrasts these perceptions with reports of services provided by organizations offering support to this population.

The third manuscript addresses the process of attitude change that women undergo as a result of their experience battling a potentially fatal disease. These studies

build on previous research showing that many women feel the risks of breast cancer screening outweigh the benefits (Buki, Borrayo, Feigal, & Carrillo, 2004; Borrayo, Buki, & Feigal, 2005), which may help explain lower rates of mammography screening and rescreening in this population. She hopes that by conducting these studies and raising awareness about these critical issues impacting Latina women, policy changes can be made to ameliorate health disparities and enhance the mental health outcomes of this neglected population.

Racial Microaggressions Working Group Stacy Harwood (PI) -- Associate Professor, Urban & Regional Planning; Ruby Mendenhall (PI) -- Assistant Professor, Sociology & African American Studies

The Racial Microaggressions Working Group seeks to uncover the extent to which racial microaggressions affect the lives of students of color on the University of Illinois campus; educate the campus community about the negative impact of racial microaggressions in fostering an Inclusive Illinois community; and provide the administration with recommendations to improve campus climate for all community members. According to Harwood and Mendenhall, one possible reason for the differential experiences of campus climate by racial minority and majority students may be related to racial microaggressions. Thus, Harwood and Mendenhall find it important to explore the experiences of students of color in order to work to eliminate negative academic

outcomes and health effects of subtle and contemporary forms of racism on college campuses. In addition, one of

the implications of this research project is to promote and foster an inclusive campus community that respects differences and offers all members an equal opportunity to engage in a diverse democracy.

(L to R): Vanessa Gutierrez, Marizel Davila, Jioni Lewis, Stacy Harwood, Ruby Mendenhall, Margaret Browne Huntt

The Center’s research and scholarly agenda calls for examining both political institutions and the implications of living and working together in

a multiracial democracy.

CDMSCenter on Democracy in a Multiracial Society

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reconstructing democracy

David R . Roediger Kendrick D. Babcock Professor of History

This year’s fellowship theme intersects with Roedgier’s ongo-ing work on race and the history of capitalist management in the U.S. Specifically, Roedger will focus on completion of a book project

titled ‘One Symptom of Originality’: Race, Immigration and the Management of Labor in the United States (co-authored with Elizabeth Esch, PhD). According to Roediger, “This history of race, immigration and management in the U.S. takes critical race studies into areas of history, including history of engineering, where it has little presence. The study argues that from settlement and slavery forward, the fostering of racial competition, often while simultane-ously claiming surpassing knowledge of racialized workers and ability to improve ‘lower races,’ have marked manage-ment practices. Such practices and claims undergirded the phenomenal success of U.S. transnational mine engineering and coexisted with ‘rational’ scientific management prac-tices in shaping—and in meatpacking and other industries in Illinois and beyond, continuing to shape—industrial management.”

The Center on Democracy in a Multiracial Society (CDMS) offers fellowships to Illinois faculty and advanced graduate students. Fellowship applications, typically an-ounced in December and due in February, provide release time for one semester during which fellows will be in resi-dence to conduct research. For the 2009-2010 academic year, priority consideration was given to projects that align with the theme of Diversity, Democracy, and Immi-gration.

The Chancellor’s Diversity Initiatives Committee challenged the university to increase capacity for diversity-related scholarship. In addition to the Spring 2008 CDMS Race, Diversity, and Campus Climate conference, CDMS allocated funds for at least two faculty and/or graduate student fellowships for scholarship focused on campus di-versity issues to meet the committee’s challenge. Applicants had the opportunity to select which of the following three sub-themes their work best fit: Campus diversity issues (diversity); Students voting at the University (democracy); or Immigration and race in Illinois (immigration).

u 2009-2010 CDMS FELLOWS

Angela R . Wiley Associate Professor of Applied Family Studies and Extension Specialist

Dr. Wiley’s research addresses factors related to resilience among diverse families in a variety of contexts and evaluation of programs designed to support

resilience. For her fellowship with CDMS, Wiley will focus on the growing problem of childhood obesity among Mexican-American immigrants. According to Wiley, given expected population demographics of the United States in the coming 50 years, the health and well-being of Mexican-Americans and their children is an important consider-ation. Although rural communities have seen the highest growth in Latino immigrant populations, research and support has lagged behind. Ways to help reduce obesity among Mexican Americans using appropriately targeted, culturally sound, and effective techniques are not common

“This study examines and expands upon [these] sociocultural explanations by assessing the influence of

social networks and discrimination on Latino and immigrant health in Chicago...”

“This history of race, immigration and management in the U.S. takes critical race studies into areas of history [...]

where it has little presence. ”

Edna Amparo Viruell-FuentesAssistant Professor of Latina/Latino Studies

Researchers have proposed that the better-than expected health outcomes observed among Latino immigrants vis-à-vis U.S.-

born Latinos may be due, in part, to culturally specific health-protective characteristics that weaken in later generattions as individuals acculturate. This study examines and expands upon these sociocultural expla-nations by assessing the influence of social networks and discrimination on Latino and immigrant health in Chicago. In doing so, this study seeks to address concerns that these explanations are often “invoked without theoretically nuanced propostions concern-ing the interplay [between] culture, social structure, and well-being” (Viruell-Fuentes, 2007). To this end, Dr. Viruell-Fuentes will analyze cross-sectional survey data from the Chicago Community Adult Health Study. By foregrounding immigration as a lens through which to investigate the interplay between socioeconomic and racial/ethnic health disparities, this research will contribute to both the mission of CDMS and to the broader scholarly community seeking to achieve equity in health and well-being.

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knowledge; therefore, Wiley proposes to fill this gap by analyzing a needs assessment conducted with rural Mexi-can Americans and by conducting follow-up focus groups to explore acceptable and effective interventions.

Professor Wiley hopes to draft an initial white paper on family mealtimes, physical activity, and child obesity among Mexican immigrants. Such scholarship will serve as the foundation for a descriptive research report to be submitted to a professional journal and findings to be shared at professional conferences. At the end of the fellowship period, Wiley hopes to have drafted Spanish-language educational materials to support families in planning and implementing shared mealtimes and family physical activities that benefit the health and development of their children. These will be distributed via the national extension system and beyond.

“Although rural communities have seen the highest growth in Latino immigrant populations, research

and support has lagged behind.”

Kerry PimblottDoctoral StudentDepartment of History

As a scholar of African American history, Pimblott seeks to facilitate the development of pedagogical and instructional resources that will provide the foundation for service-learning initiatives on local African-American history at the

University of Illinois.From Pimblott’s experience, service-learning classes

can have a “transformative effect on the educational ex-perience of students”; and “...[B]ridging the gap between the academy and the community is a central component of the service-learning model, asking instructors to facilitate a fusion of theory and practice that is often denied by the traditonal classroom experience.” In Pimblott’s view, “...[S]ervice learning approaches are also consistent with the land-grant mission of the University of Illinois” and “could be applied easily through existing course offerings if instructors were provided with the necessary materials and training.”

Furthermore, Pimblott sees historians as offering at least three important resources to community mem-bers and organizations: 1) assist community members and organizations in recovering historical documents that shed greater light on the genesis of specific social problems and bolster claims on the state for restitution; 2) allow local actors in contemporary movements for equity and justice to situate themselves within a broader history of struggle; 3) play a key role in leveraging resources to publicly com-memorate local African-American history.

During Pimblott’s time as a CDMS graduate fellow, she hopes to provide such resources to instructors and have service-learning be a permanent feature of the His-tory Department.

“...[B]ridging the gap between the academy and the community is a central component of the service-learning model, asking instructors to facilitate a fusion of theory

and practice that is often denied by the traditonal classroom experience.”

Thank you to last year’s fellows for their contributions to CDMS: Dr. Lisette Piedra (School of Social Work); Dr. Lydia Buki (Kinesiology and Community Health); Dr. Ruth Nicole Brown (Educational Policy Studies/Gender & Women’s Studies); Dr. Julie Dowling (Latina/Latino Studies); Sharon Lee (Doctoral Student, Educational Policy Studies); Aimee Rickman (Doctoral Student, Human & Community Development).

Jioni A . LewisDoctoral Student Department of Educational Psychology, Counseling Psychology

Lewis’ research explores the ways in which issues — such as the experience of racial and gender microaggressions by

women of color on predominately White campuses — can impact campus racial and gender climate in a way that hinders the learning and collaboration of students across differences. Lewis asserts, “As a social justice-oriented teacher and researcher, I hope that my research will encourage faculty and administrators to focus on the unique experiences of women of color in higher education.” As a CDMS graduate fellow, Lewis will have the opportunity to focus on her dissertation project, of which she hopes to propose by the end of the 2009-2010 academic year. Lewis will also be able to begin analyzing the qualitative portion of her data, which she collected in the Spring 2009 semester with the CDMS Microaggressions Working group, and plans to present her preliminary research findings at the American Psychological Association annual conference in August 2010 and work toward publication.

“As a social justice-oriented teacher and researcher, I hope that my research will encourage faculty and

administrators to focus on the unique experiences of women of color in higher education.”

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“...[A]nother goal was to provide the University of Illinois community with information about

the current issues faced by Latino populations.”

uIMMIGRATION AND RACE IN ILLINOIS

By Amy Sponsler

Keynote speaker:Lydia P. Buki is an Associate

Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health

at the University of Illinois

IRI Workshop

• Issues related to the intersection of race/ethnic-ity, class, and gender disparities.

• Issues related to policy, legislative, legal, and societal-level (state-wide) developments.

• Issues of teaching, learning, and curriculum trans-formation.

• Research, assessment, and evaluation issues and best practice models.

• Building and fostering university community • partnerships.

The workshop consisted of four presentation ses-sions and one keynote address. The sessions were titled Organizing for and Against Immigrants: Local level responses in Illinois’ Multicultural Towns, Suburbs and Cities; Commu-nity and Health Issues; Latino Immigrants in Central Illinois; and Education Issues.

Our keynote address was given by Lydia Buki, who discussed health issues. Her presentation was titled Latina Women’s Health: When Will We Take Action? Lydia earned her doctorate in Counseling Psychology from Arizona State University in 1995. Her area of interest is psycho-oncology, with particular emphasis on the psychosocial, cultural, individual, and institutional factors that contribute to health disparities in medically under-served Latina/o populations.

Each of the presenters was affiliated with the Uni-versity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign The presenters from Champaign were:

CDMS sponsored and hosted a one-day workshop on April 25, 2009 called Immigration and Race in Illinois (IRI). The event was held at the Illini Union. The idea for the workshop came about at an IRI meeting that took place in the CDMS conference room where many IRI members showed a strong interest in and enthusiasm for sharing their recent research

and activities with the larger community. The goal of the workshop was to bring together

these individuals to explore and discuss issues related to immigration and race in Illinois. In addition, another goal was to provide the University of Illinois commu-nity with information about the current issues faced by Latino populations. The presentations covered at the workshop were:

Julia Bello Bravo, Maria Galarza, Stacy Harwood, Faranak Miraftab, Marcela Rafaelli, Monika Stodolska, Elizabeth Sweet, Edna A. Viruell-Fuentes and Angela Wiley. The presenters from out of town were Gloria Delany-Barmann and Carla Paciotto.

The presentations were very in-depth and sparked lively discussions with many participants want-ing more time to have question and answers. In addi-tion, our surveys showed that participants enjoyed the discussions.

This is what some of the participants had to say about the workshop, “Very informative, left me want-ing to know more” and “Good connections, great researchers and exciting discussions.”

(L to R): Marcella Rafaelli; Edna Fuentes

(L to R): Faranak Miraftab; Elizabeth Sweet; Stacy Harwood

(L to R): Gloria Delany-Barmann; Carla Paciotto.

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uCDMS SPONSORED EVENTSRestorative Justice: What is it, why it works and what it can do for us Featuring: Dr. Howard Zehr (Professor, Eastern Mennonite University) November 2008According to Dr. Zehr, restorative justice emphasizes repairing harm and restoring relationships in a process that includes everyone involved. Instead of asking what laws were broken, who did it, and what they deserve, it focuses on victims, asking who has been hurt, what they need, and who is responsible for meeting those needs. Practices include victim-offender reconciliation, family group conferencing, and peace-keeping circles.

Challenging the Black/White Paradigm From the ‘Racial Middle’: Latina/o and Asian American Students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1968-1975 Featuring: Sharon Lee (Doctoral student, Education Policy Studies) April 2009In the 1960s and 1970s, many college campuses initiated programs to recruit, retain, and support minority students; however, these programs often centered onAfrican American students. Latina/o and Asian American students challenged these programs that marginalized and ignored their experiences, giving voice to minority students’ needs that did not fit within a Black/ White racial lens.

uCO-SPONSORED EVENTS

• Scholarship of Engagement Learning Community: Perspectives on Diversity and Service-Learning Reading Group (Center for Teaching Excellence)• Public talk by Dr. Sunaina Maira (Asian American Studies Program)• 5th International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry: Advancing Human Rights Through Qualitative Research • Issues in the News Forum on the U.S. Financial Crisis in a Global Context (Women, Gender, and Global Perspectives Program)• Naomi Klein Lecture (Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies)• Immigration: History and Policy (Center for Advanced Study)• Food and Immigration (Center for Advanced Study) • 4th Biennial Latina/Latino Studies Graduate Student Conference (Latina/Latino Studies Program) • Art and Resistance (Critical Research Collaborative) • Feminist Futures (Unit for Criticism and Interpretive Theory, Gender and Women’s Studies)• Semana de la Mujer (Week of the Woman) (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicana/o de Atzlan (M.E.Ch.A.)• Rolando Hinojosa Smith, Jr. Lecture Series: Junot Diaz, a reading (Latina/Latino Studies Program)• 18th Annual Daniel S. Sanders Peace and Social Justice Lecture (School of Social Work) • Latina Youth Conference (La Casa Cultural Latina) • Committee on Institutional Cooperation-American Indian Studies Consortium Tenth Annual Graduate Student Conference (Native American House/American Indian Studies)• Community as Intellectual Space Symposium: Critical Pedagogy/Community Building as Curriculum (Community Informatics Initiatve/Puerto Rican Cultural Center) • Women of Color’s 20th Annual Conference: The Renaissance of the Black Woman (Women of Color) • Dennis H. May Conference on Diversity Issues and the Role of Counseling Centers (Counseling Center)

CDMS contributed to the following events throughout the 2008-2009 academic year:

uIRI WORKSHOP: FEATURED SESSIONSUnpacking Local Level Anti-Immigrant Initiatives in Illinois . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stacy Anne Harwood Immigration & Racialized Histories: The Case of an Emerging Multicultural Small Town in Illinois . . . . . . . . . . . . Faranak MiraftabGender & the Anti-Immigrant City: Women Respond to a New Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elizabeth SweetLeisure, Youth, Violence Prevention, & Gang Intervention in Latino Neighborhoods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Monika Stodolska The Social Contexts of Latino & Immigrant Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Edna Viruell-FuentesKeynote Address: Latina Women’s Health: When Will We Take Action? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lydia BukiLatino Immigrants in Central Illinois: Project Overview & Initial Finding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Marcela Raffaelli, Angela Wiley, Maria Galarza, & Diana RodriguezEducation Reform in a Midwestern Elementary School: A Teacher Movement for Interethnic Integration. . . . . . . Carla Paciotto & Gloria Delany-Barmann Challenges of Attracting Higher Numbers of Hispanic Students into Four Year Colleges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Julia Bello Bravo

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u CO-SPONSORED WITH THE CENTER FOR ADVANCED STUDY (CAS) EVENTS

IMMIGRATION AND MULTI-LINGUAL AMERICAMarch 16, 2009

Over the last century, the numbers of immigrants entering the country and the languages they speak have changed dramatically. Gillian A. Stevens, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology, showed how these demographic shifts in the language characteristics of immigrants coincide with changes in Americans’ attitudes and expectations about the use of non-English languages and the learning of English among immigrants. Stevens provided evidence to show

that the ability to learn English as a second language decreases with age. According to Stevens, this age-specific decay in second language learning and the demographic shifts in the language characteristics of immigrants and their children over the last century have conspired to feed the impression that contemporary immigrants are not learning English as quickly as immigrants entering the country a century ago.

IN THE TRAILS OF THE HISTORIC DIASPORA: AFRICA’S NEW GLOBAL MIGRATIONS AND DIASPORASNovember 3, 2008

Professor Paul Tiyambe Zeleza’s presentation explored the scale of Africans’ contemporary global migrations and how they compare to those from other world regions. Zeleza also interrogated conventional understandings of intersections between globalization, migration, diasporization, and development for Africa and for the global South. Forces behind the African

migrations and their impact and implications for the region were addressed, and Zeleza emphasized that global migrations are part of many complicated dymanics — including generational, gender, and class shifts. Zeleza also suggested President Barack Obama as a metaphor for various dimensions of diasporization: “Obama reconnects the diaspora to Africa and vice-versa in more immediate, intimate and innovative ways... [...] Obama’s personal and political biographies symbolize the braided histories of the old and new diasporas...”

ENCHILADAS, DIM SUM, AND APPLE PIE: IMMIGRATION & FOODSeptember 24, 2008

Chancellor Richard Herman addressed the significance of immigration for the University of Illinois and individuals. Several scholars briefly and informally discussed the relationship

between Asian, Latina/o, and other migrations and the notion of “ethnic” and “American” food. Sponsored by Center for Advanced Study; College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; Department of History; School of Litera-tures, Cultures, and Linguistis; Women and Gender in Global Perspectives Program; among other campus units and depart-ments.

Streaming video of Professor Zeleza’s lecture can be accessed via the CAS ‘Past initiatives’ link from the following website: http://www.cas.uiuc.edu/events

Streaming video of Professor Gillian A. Steven’s lecture can be accessed via the following link: http://www.cas.uiuc.edu/events

Throughout the 2008-2009 academic year, CDMS and several other campus units partnered with the University of Illinois Center for Advanced Study’s Fall 2008-Spring 2009 initiative on ‘Immigration, History and Policy’. Migra-tion today directly affects all of the world’s societies. The United Nations estimates cross-border migration at 192 million people, and this fails to account for much unauthorized immigration. The issue has generated remarkable controversy. The concentration of immigrants is extremely uneven, with most settling in the more developed countries like the United States, where legal immigrants comprise about 11 percent of the population. Since 9/11, nations are increasingly implementing regulations to restrict the flows of immigrants at the same time that they are promoting

flows of goods and services. Workers in rich countries fear immigrants will work for lower wages, leading to wage cuts and job loss for longer-term residents. Work permit programs institutionalize transnational families. Millions of women and children are trafficked annually as domestic or sex workers. The positive side of immigration is less visible. Contributions of immigrants to the economies, cultures and political landscapes of their host countries rarely make the headlines.

(Thank you to Jim Barrett and Gale Summerfield (CAS Resident Associates) for the above description.)

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I-VOTE STUDENT-VOTER INITIATIVEFall 2008

CDMS continues to support non-partisan voter registration and electoral involve-ment efforts on the University of Illinois campus. Prior to the 2008 elections, CDMS partnered with I-Vote, among other campus units such as the Illinois Student Senate

Governmental Affairs Committee. I-Vote, a non-partisan school funded group, was able to register thousands of students to vote and provide non-partisan information about the process of voting, what is required to vote and what issues and candidates would be seen on the ballots. I-Vote also sponsored Presidential and Vice Presidential Debate Watch Parties. According to Ross Good, the Fall 2008 I-Vote Director, “This year was a huge step forward in the school’s efforts to get people registered to vote and involved in the political process.” CDMS and I-Vote will continue its efforts to involve more students in forthcoming elections.

THE GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISIS: GENDER IMPLICATIONSOctober 26, 2008

With the world in the midst of a global economic crisis, the forum examined the situa-tion and explored the differential impacts on women and men and explored the global credit market—particularly, how this crisis affects jobs, income, health, education, and

remittances—issues that are central to families. The speakers also weighed in on the impact the credit crisis has on each of these areas and how this affects women and families. CDMS was one of several co-sponsors for this event, and the following faculty members were featured speakers: Mary Arends-Kuenning (Department of Agri-cultural and Consumer Economics and Women and Gender in Global Perspectives); Noreen Sugrue (Women and Gender in Global Perspectives), Anne Villamil (Department of Economics; Gale Summerfield (Women and Gender in Global Perspectives and Department of Human and Community Development); and Dr. Jorge Chapa (Center on Democracy in a Multiracial Society).

SHOCK DOCTRINE: THE RISE OF DISASTER CAPITALISM IN LATIN AMERICAOctober 29, 2008

Hosted by the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, CDMS parterned with several other units at the University of Illinois to host award-winning journalist Naomi Klein. Klein is a regular columnist for The Nation and The Guardian, as well as a syndicated columnist for The New York Times. In her lecture, Klein outlined a provocative interpretation of how the neoliberal project in Latin America was imposed, starting with the Pinochet regime in Chile,

conceived as the first laboratory of the ideas of Milton Friedman and his “Chicago Boys.” She also discussed Argentina and the impact of the Falklands War on economic policies, as well as Bolivia’s meltdown in the 1980s. Klein’s argument showed how military coups and neoliberal ideologues in these countries guided the path for the imposition of a new economic model.

u SELECT CENTER EVENTS

uSave the date for the CDMS Conference

Streaming video of Naomi Klein’s lecture can be accessed via the CAS ‘Past initiatives’ link from the following website: http://www.cas.uiuc.edu/events

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If you are interested in proposing a related roundtable discussion or a

poster presentation, please respond to Ruth Mathew via email

(rcmathew@illinois .edu) by January 30, 2010

reconstructing democracy

Stephen Harnett

uFORTHCOMING PUBLICATION

Challenging the Prison-Industrial Complex: Activism, Arts, and Educational AlternativesEdited by Stephen HartnettResearch and publication sponsored by CDMSUniversity of Illinois Press (Summer 2010)

Stephen John Hartnett is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Communication at the University of Colorado, Denver. Before moving to Denver, Hartnett worked at the University of Illinois for nine years, during which time he served as an advisory board member for the Center on Democracy in a Multiracial Society. This book is the culmination of a project that began in 2004 as the CDMS-sponsored conference entitled “Education or Incarceration? Schools and Prisons in a Punishing Democracy.” Harnett’s other forthcoming books include volumes one and two of Executing Democracy: Capital Punishment & The Making of America, and a new paperback edition of his Globalization and Empire.

The book features essays by leading activists, scholars, teachers, and artists, and is divided into two halves: the opening set of five essays diagnoses the crisis, whereas the second set of five essays offers grassroots-based “how to” guides for building educational, artistic, and activist alternatives to mass-incarceration. The analytic chap-ters are written by Erica Meiners, Julilly Kohler-Hausman, Daniel Larson, Travis Dixon, Rose Braz, and Myesha Williams; the “how to” chapters are by Buzz Alexander (from The Prison Creative Arts Project), Robin Sohnen (from Each One Reach One), Jona-than Shailor (from the Shakespeare Project), Lori Pompa (from The Inside/Out Prison Education Project), and Garret Albert Duncan (from the Alternative Urban Education Project). To demonstrate the vast talent of those Americans currently locked up in

prisons, the book also includes ten poems by imprisoned writers and ten full-page, color plates of art made by imprisoned artists.

Implementing Diversity: Contemporary Challenges and Best Practices at the University of Illinois and

Other Predominantly White InstitutionsEdited by Helen Neville, Margaret Browne Huntt, & Jorge Chapa

Under review by the University of Illinois Press

While the prison-industrial-complex has expanded dramatically over the last generation, becoming one of the fastest growth industries in the United States of America, now housing over 2.3 million prisoners and supervising another 5 million parolees and probationers, public education in America has suffered a precipitous decline. The State of California now spends more money on its prison system than on its once celebrated universities and state colleges combined. One result of such political choices in California and elsewhere is that there are now more African-American men in America’s prisons than in its colleges. The U.S. is thus not teaching a generation of young, impoverished men how to be better citizens; it is teaching them how to be better criminals.

“Challenging the Prison-Industrial Complex tackles the complicated and compelling question of how to reclaim our schools — and hence the future of democracy — from the clutches of the prison-industrial complex.”

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This book and the “Race, Diversity and Campus Climate” conference upon which it is based is focused on a major issue facing the University of Illinois campus. The edited work consists of 12 chapters focusing on contemporary challenges and best practices in achieving diversity goals at predominantly white institutions. Most, but not all, of the chapters center on an analysis of Illinois and related activities.

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center on democracy in a multiracial society

uCENTER STAFF

uCONTACT CDMSCenter on Democracy in a Multiracial Society

1108 W. Stoughton, Urbana, IL 61801Phone: 217.244.0188 • Fax: 217.333.8122

E-mail: cdms@illinois.edu

DirectorJorge Chapa

Program Coordinator/Business Manager

Jenny Roether

Research SpecialistMargaret Browne Huntt

InternRuth Mathew

Graduate Student LiaisonUriel Montoya

uBEST WISHESCongratulations to former CDMS undergrad-uate assistants: Roy Linzy-Turner, Uriel Montoya, Janet Moreno, and Kaylin Young for graduating from the University of Illinois.

Janet currently works as a bilingual interpreter and assistant in the Superintendent’s office of School District 89 Illinois.

Roy is working for the City of Chicago.

Uriel is now a graduate students at the Edcuational Policy Studies at UIUC.

Kaylin is teaching English in Spain.

Congratulations to Amy Sponsler, CDMS In-tern, for completing her Masters in Social Work program, and thanks for her service to CDMS.

Thank you to Jared Collins and Kristin Mc-Cann for their work with CDMS.

Jared is a University of Illinois graduate and worked at CDMS as an office assistant for 3 years. We wish him well in his academic and professional endeavors.

Kristin McCannwrote and designed our news-letters, and also helped write funding proposals for the Center. She is a Lectrice d’Anglais (Lyon, France) and will continue her research on stu-dent advising and student affairs programming.

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2010 - 2011 CDMS FELLOWSHIP CALL

Campus diversity issues will always be a priority for CDMS and they will be the focus of two faculty or graduate student fellowships during the 2010-2011 academic year. Complet-ed applications must be submitted, and letters of support must arrive, by 5:00 p.m. on February 12, 2010.

CDMS is facing the same budgetary challenges as other units of the University of Illinois and many other public institutions. In response to these challenges and to make CDMS sustain-able in the long-run, the balance of any fellow-ship funds we may have will be used to support faculty participation in joint efforts to procure external funding. Interested faculty may contact Jorge Chapa (jchapa@illinois.edu) directly if they would like to discuss this.

For more information about the Center’s fellowship program and research support op-portunities, please visit: http://cdms.ds.uiuc.edu/pages/Fellowship/2010-2011Fellowships.html

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reconstructing democracy

Non-profit OrganizationUS Postage PAIDChampaign ILPermit No. 75

RECONSTRUCTINGDEMOCRACY

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Volume 7 l Fall 2009

CENTER ON DEMOCRACY IN A MULTIRACIAL SOCIETY University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign1108 West Stoughton MC-253 Urbana, Illinois 61801

CDMSCENTER ON DEMOCRACY IN A MULTIRACIAL SOCIETY

CDMSCENTER ON DEMOCRACY IN A MULTIRACIAL SOCIETY

Telephone 217.244.0188 Fax 217.333.8122Web http://cdms.illinois.edu E-mail cdms@illinois.edu