On Sunday, October 16, 2011, at the dedication of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial on the National Mall in Washington D.C., President Obama reminded us all that a man with no official rank or title transformed our country and indeed was an inspiration to the world.

The President said that the memorial was not only for Dr. King. He reminded us of those "...who through countless acts of quiet heroism helped bring about changes few thought were even possible."   He also called it a monument to the collective achievements of the civil rights movement.

I agree with the President when he says that we should celebrate Dr. King's dream and vision of unity, and that we have an "...America that is more fair and more free and more just than the one Dr. King addressed" at the march on Washington. But the president also said that, "Our work is not done...Too many young people grow up with little hope and few prospects for the future."  When speaking of the work that needed to be done, the president included "...fixing our schools so that every child-not just some, but every child-gets a world-class education." He called on us to embrace this goal "....even if our own children are doing fine."

I concur, and that is the reason for ERASE Racism's Education Equity Project. When I hear someone say that we can't make structural changes like changing district boundaries because it will be hard and disruptive, I remember Dr. King's I Have a Dream speech, when he spoke of "the fierce urgency of now" while warning against "the tranquilizing drug of gradualism." Now I will also remember President Obama's words when he said, "As was true 50 years ago, as has been true throughout human history, those with power and privilege will often decry any call for change as "divisive."  They'll say any challenge to the existing arrangements are unwise and destabilizing."

In this issue of EMERGE, you will hear voices of young people who are ready for change. I hope President Obama's remarks at the dedication ceremony will inspire more young people to take action and to "to keep pushing for what ought to be."

With hopeful resolve,

V. Elaine Gross

President

Olivia Ildefonso, Communications Coordinator

For the past two years ERASE Racism has brought together a diverse group of high school students to take part in our Student Leadership Forum. The program teaches participants about the history of race and racism in the U.S. and how it continues to affect all of us in different ways.   The students have expressed gratitude for opening their eyes to topics that they had never considered. We often hear that their favorite part of the forum is being able to interact with students from other schools and learn from their different experiences.

It didn't surprise me that this cross-cultural dialogue was so valuable to the students.

When I was in high school on Long Island, I helped to organize a project that taught elementary school students about other cultures from around the world. My supervisor felt passionately about putting an end to racist attitudes and stereotypes that she witnessed all too frequently from students.   She developed the C.A.L.M Project as a way to break down the belief that anyone who looks "different" is strange or to be feared.

Working with this project was the beginning of my journey to imagine an existence that was not racially isolated. At the time, segregation was the only way of living that I knew. I grew up in the same house that my mom lived in since she was nine years old when her family moved to Long Island. Her parents left Queens because "the neighborhood was changing." In high school I wondered what it would be like to be in a school with black and Latino students; that was not an option.

It wasn't until I left Long Island to go to college that I was able to form meaningful relationships with peers of other races and ethnicities. My new friends had vastly distinct viewpoints that were shaped by their racial and cultural backgrounds and their experiences. My friends were racially diverse and some went to boarding school, some were home schooled and others graduated from the nation's poorest public schools. I learned more in the four years that I spent with these individuals than I learned in 22 years of sitting in the classroom.   Their experiences helped to enrich my world view, my understanding of history, my politics, my appreciation for new knowledge, my notion of what's right and wrong and, most importantly, they allowed me to challenge the assumptions and stereotypes that I learned from living on Long Island in a racially homogeneous community.

I returned to Long Island last year and regrettably, Long Island's schools are still racially segregated. I'm glad to be working at ERASE Racism where our Education Equity Campaign is working to introduce polices that provide all students access to a rigorous course of study in racially integrated schools. Plus the Student Leadership Forum creates a much needed cross-cultural learning environment today for students.

The workshop evaluations are evidence that participants in the program see the benefit of diversity once they are exposed to it. One participant said, "I had a blast interacting in activities and meeting new people, and I think ERASE Racism is such a great program because it makes our generation know what is going on. So I thank you, yet again for giving me an experience that I will remember forever."

The next Student Leadership Forum will take place on Saturday, November 5th. To find out more and to register please visit our Student Page or call me at 516 921-4863.

On October 16, 2011 President Obama was joined by a host of civil rights leaders and tens of thousands of individuals to recognize the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial and to pay tribute to the incredible life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King. The 30-foot granite monument to Dr. King is the first memorial on the national mall that recognizes the contributions of an African American. In President Obama's speech he reminded us of the possibility to create change and the urgency for equality and justice.   We hope the following remarks from President Obama will inspire others to take action and to not give up on the dream for equity.

• "First and foremost, let us remember that change has never been quick.  Change has never been simple, or without controversy.  Change depends on persistence.  Change requires determination."  

• "We can't be discouraged by what is.  We've got to keep pushing for what ought to be, the America we ought to leave to our children, ...and that if we maintain our faith, in ourselves and in the possibilities of this nation, there is no challenge we cannot surmount."

• Speaking of what he would hope his daughters would take away from the monument, President Obama spoke about "...a faith in what they can accomplish when they are determined and working for a righteous cause."  That Dr. King "...would want them to know that he had setbacks, because they will have setbacks.  He would want them to know that he had doubts, because they will have doubts.  He would want them to know that he was flawed, because all of us have flaws."

• "As tough as times may be, I know we will overcome.  I know there are better days ahead."

Nikki Lindberg,  Graduate Student

Nikki Lindberg, a graduate student in the Applied Social Research and Public Policy program at Hofstra University, joins ERASE Racism this semester to work on the Education Equity Campaign. Nikki is originally from Minnesota and recently moved to Long Island to attend the program. For the past month she has done research on Long Island's educational system, more specifically looking into ways to measure educational disparities between school districts.

Nikki says that so far her experience on the Island has been a good one. "I have met a lot of really nice people. I have also discovered that New York really does have the best pizza!" She admits, however, that she still hasn't gotten used to the traffic.

When she graduates from Hofstra in May, Nikki hopes to find a job doing research in the social justice field.

ERASE Racism welcomes Nikki to the team and thanks her for her efforts to strengthen our Education Equity Campaign.

If you are interested in applying for an internship with ERASE Racism, please visit our Student Page.