We know that where you live on Long Island determines which public school you can attend.  And where you go to school determines whether you are offered a high, fair or poor quality education.  We also know that, to a large extent, Long Island's schools are racially segregated and unequal and that blacks and Latinos comprise 76% of the schools that the New York State Department of Education has designated as "high-need". We adults are failing our black and Latino students.

Housing discrimination and segregated unequal schools are not new problems.  In large part, we know what needs to be done to desegregate housing and education and make opportunities more equal.  Why is change so hard? 

Are people ignorant and fearful or are they intentionally discriminatory? 

I believe that some people of good will find it much easier to support civil rights laws when the focus is so obviously public. Even though we still have modern day instances of restaurants not serving African Americans (Denny's is a recent example), the public accommodations fight has been won in the hearts and minds of the American populous.

I don't think segregation in housing and education, on the other hand, has ever really been rejected in the North. 

In 2012 we will be exploring these issues more fully and I'd like to hear from you.

I want to thank so many of you for taking the time to read our newsletter, visit our website and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.  Thank you for your contributions of time and money.  Thank you for participating in the work that we do and for trying to advance racial equity wherever you can.

My grateful and warm wishes for a Happy Holiday and for the New Year.

V. Elaine Gross

President

ERASE Racism's work has showed that Long Island schools are both racially segregated and unequal. In 2004 the organization designed a conference (and published a companion monograph) entitled Brown V. Board of Education: The Unfinished Agenda, which challenged the widely accepted narrative that schools, including Long Island's, were no longer racially segregated and unequal. In 2009, we premiered our documentary, A TALE OF TWO SCHOOLS: Race and Education on Long Island, which shows how educational success is strongly dependent on where students attend school, rather than on individual aptitude.  

"With the support of the new LICF grant we will be able to advance the second stage of our Education Equity Campaign, which will focus on identifying intervention strategies, organizing work groups and developing an action plan for creating structural changes to Long Island's public school system," explains ERASE Racism's President Elaine Gross, further adding, "We are thrilled to be supported by a local foundation. This grant from the LICF means that one of the region's most prominent grant makers believe that achieving education equity is a priority for the region and that ERASE Racism can significantly contribute to advancing this goal."

To learn more about the Education Equity Campaign click here. 

For the past ten years, ERASE Racism has documented the continuing problem of housing discrimination, which directly affects where African Americans on Long Island will most likely reside. We have reported that only 9% of Long Island's black students have access to high performing schools as compared to 30% of white students. To better understand the role of preferences in patterns of residential segregation we contracted The Stony Brook University Center for Survey Research to conduct a survey of black Long Islanders. Our questions included perceptions of their current neighborhood and thoughts about their ideal neighborhood. We also asked about personal experiences with housing discrimination and their desire to stay in or move away from Long Island. Here are some of the facts that we learned from the study:

•  A majority of African Americans on Long Island want to live in racially mixed neighborhoods with 50% white and 50% black residents.

• A majority (80%) of African Americans on Long Island, think that housing discrimination is somewhat or very likely to affect them.

• Many African Americans on Long Island are not living in neighborhoods that reflect their most important values-low crime rate, landlords/homeowners who take care of their property, high quality public schools and good local services.

• Fifty-two percent of black Long Islanders say they are somewhat or very likely to leave Long Island in the next five years. Forty percent say that the reason was unhappiness with their current neighborhood.

The full report will be available on our website in the coming weeks. 

On Thursday, December 8, 2011 Governor Cuomo announced that Long Island has been awarded $101.6 million to grow the economy and create jobs. A five-member panel appointed by the Governor reviewed submissions from 10 regions of the State and selected the four best strategic plans. ERASE Racism's President Elaine Gross, who was one of the 22 members of the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council, says:

"This process offered an opportunity for broad-based collaboration on matters of the utmost importance to Long Island's future. There is certainly cause for celebration, but our work is far from done. I will continue to be a voice for equity on the Regional Council and I look to the broader community to hold the Council's feet to the fire as these projects are implemented."

The funds will go towards a total of 66 regional projects that related to education initiatives or business expansion. To read the full strategic plan click here.

While the impact we are having is encouraging and signifies progress, we know that there is so much more to be done--unless we keep the pressure on, the practices and policies will stay the same, and Long Island will remain separate and unequal. So, please consider a year-end, tax deductible gift in support of ERASE Racism. Your donation will enable us to continue improving the quality of life for all Long Islanders.