294 Search results for "safe communities"

Stop Cop City: Atlanta Organizers Reimagine Community Safety
In the United States, police kill over 1,000 and injure more than 51,000 people each year, with evidence suggesting that these figures could be underreported by as much as 55%. In addition to these numbers being substantially higher than other developed nations, unfortunately, they are also plagued by biases and systematic failures which disproportionately affect […]
GenForward Survey Data – Perspectives on Community Safety from Black America (March 2023)
About the Survey The GenForward survey is a project of Professor Cathy J. Cohen at the University of Chicago. Interviews were conducted with a representative sample recruited and administered by NORC at the University of Chicago. The toplines for this survey include survey findings, questions, responses, demographics, and the complete study methodology. The March 2023 […]
Increases in police funding will not make Black people safe, it is time city leaders listened
by Philip V. McHarris Communities directly impacted by violence are starting to advocate for the diversion of funds from policing towards more community based solutions to violence and harm. Unfortunately, city leaders are not listening. Early in December, residents and community organizers attended the Minneapolis City budget hearing. They argued against allocating funds for […]
The Housing Crisis is intentional and Black communities are fighting back
by Maximillian Matthews “It was a nightmare, worse than pictures of a war torn or burned out riot area.” – Barbara Perry, a Durham, NC resident reflecting on returning to her neighborhood Horrified and traumatized, Black residents of Durham, NC surveyed the remains of their neighborhoods and businesses following the urban renewal of the late […]
How Black Muslimas are transforming our communities and futures
Contrary to their portrayal in the media, Black Muslim women (also referred to as Muslimas), are powerful and active change agents in our communities. They are fierce advocates who regularly contribute their time, energy and service towards a more equitable world. New Jersey Muslimas, in particular, have a unique experience that rests at the intersection […]
New experimental gene therapies offer potential cure for sickle cell, which largely affects Black communities
Sickle cell disease, which is caused by a mutated gene that results in red blood cells shaped like sickles, is a disease that primarily affects Black people. Given that, research surrounding a potential cure for the disease has been fairly modest. However, according to the New York Times, there have been advances in the science of […]
Local governments still haven’t done much about toxic wastelands in communities of color
As a child, my grandfather took my brother and me to a park in a Jacksonville, Florida African-American suburb. The park included standard kid-approved characteristics: The swings, grass, seesaws, sunshine and instantaneous friendships formed during play. Then, my grandpa learned that the park was constructed on a toxic site. He never took us back. I […]
‘Families of Chicago’ to host a safe space for LGBTQ people of color with 2nd annual holiday banquet
In a world that often expects and perpetuates whiteness and hetero-normativity, Black and Brown people in LGBTQ communities have a unique need for safe spaces. Given this need, an organization called Families of Chicago (FOC) will host a holiday celebration for queer and trans people of color—especially young Black people—on Sunday, December 10, 2017 in […]
How two young Black Chicago women are using art and activism to change narratives about Black communities
“Fighting the system is a very big burden to take on” – Martinez Sutton, “Another Life” The future of Chicago often seems uncertain as two factions within the city battle for power. The current mayor, Rahm Emanuel, and his supporters are continuing to push a narrative which supports the divestment from Black and Brown Chicagoans […]
We need to talk about anti-vaxxing in Black communities
By Zoé Samudzi Chances are, our engagement with “vaccine skeptics” has been limited to white anti-vaxxers. They often cite scientific empirics claiming causal relationships between measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine (MMR) sequences and autism diagnosis, even using the now retracted study published by British physician Andrew Wakefield in 1998 as a basis for their argument. Wakefield’s results weren’t […]
Black and Latinx queer people need safe spaces, too
By Preston Mitchum This past Pride month marked the one-year anniversary of the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando, Fla. At approximately 2:00 AM, 29-year-old Omar Mateen – who allegedly pledged allegiance to ISIS on a 911 phone call during the hate crime and terrorist attack – walked into Pulse on June 12, 2016, killed 49 […]
Red Cross Apologizes For Racist Pool Safety Poster
Far too often large organizations let things slip through the cracks that should never have been made in the first place. Red Cross recently came under fire after photos of a signboard they produced made its way around social media. What was the problem, you ask? Well, the picture shows people visiting a public pool and points […]