Upcoming Events
Elaine will be on PBS for The Designing Healthy Communities Project's Town Hall
-May 25 at 1pm on channel Thirteen
-May 26 at 5pm on channel WLIW 21
-May 26 at 9pm on channel NJTV
Annual Benefit
June 5, 2013
More Details
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 info@eraseracismny.org
Phone: (516)-921-4863
Fax: (516)-921-4866
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President's Message
 On May 17, 1954 the United States Supreme Court issued its first Brown v. Board of Education ruling (Brown I), declaring segregation in public schools unconstitutional. Mr. Chief Justice Warren delivered the opinion of the Court and in it he stated: "Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal."
The pro-civil rights voices seem muted these days, especially on the Supreme Court.
One of the challenges facing those of us who continue the fight for civil rights is to more fully understand why the great African American civil rights movement is being turned back today as compared to the march forward during the 1950s and 60s. Clearly our agenda is not completed. The loud voices claiming that we now live in a post-racial society actually prevent our Nation from examining the deep and complex roots of current racial disparities, not personal animus and intentional discrimination-although that still exists-but the structural and institutional frameworks that continue to disadvantage people on the basis of their race.
I believe that dismantling structural and institutional racism in 2013 is fundamentally a different proposition than it was when the Brown decision was issued, as well as landmark civil rights legislation in the 1960s, such as the Civil Rights Act, Voting Rights Act and Fair Housing Act.
On April 9, 2013, I was honored by the invitation to deliver the Howard A. Glickstein Civil Rights and Public Policy Lecture at Touro Law Center. My remarks were entitled "Race Still Matters." I used this opportunity to share observations and analyses comparing the 1960s struggles for civil rights for African Americans and the 2012/13 LGBT fight for marriage equality. I explained how the politics of who is "deserving" and "undeserving" might be affecting how the public views current civil rights efforts. My objective was not to present a comprehensive analysis of the similarities and differences between these two admirable civil rights efforts, but rather to inspire informed collective action in the fight for racial equity. Click here to read the full transcript of the speech. The video of the lecture will be added to the website in the coming days.
V. Elaine Gross
President
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2013 Corporate Leadership Award Recipient
Jobco Incorporated
 At its 2013 fundraising Gala and Reception, to be held on June 5th from 5:30 to 9:00 at the Garden City Hotel, ERASE Racism will be presenting its Corporate Leadership Award to Jobco Incorporated, one of Long Island's most highly regarded real estate development, general construction and property management firms, for its commitment to increasing quality affordable housing on Long Island. Robert M. Pascucci, President and Chief Executive Officer of Jobco, will accept the award. Additionally, ERASE Racism will be presenting its Abraham Krasnoff Courage and Commitment Award to Kenneth I. Chenault, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the American Express Company, who will be honored for his life-long dedication to creating racial justice and promoting racial diversity.
Jobco Incorporated was founded by Michael S. Puntillo in 1950 and incorporated in the State of New York in 1954. A family-run business since its inception, Jobco has completed hundreds of construction projects and has produced over ten thousand units of new or rehabilitated housing.
Jobco is most proud of its long legacy of building government-assisted, low-income, and affordable housing communities that include senior and family rental and for-sale projects supported by federal and state agencies and local public housing authorities. Currently, Jobco manages and maintains a portfolio of affordable housing properties through its affiliate, JMI Management Company, Inc.
"We are very proud to recognize Jobco Incorporated, known as a premier developer, renovator and manager of affordable multi-family and senior homes on Long Island," said Elaine Gross.
For more information about the 2013 Annual Benefit and to buy tickets, click here.
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ERASE Racism Awards $500 to Essay Contest Winner, Margaret Liendo
For the second year ERASE Racism held its Annual Essay Contest, open to high school students who have participated in the organization's Student Leadership Forum. The contest asked students to reflect on the role that young people can take in changing public perceptions of race and racism
in ways that will help create more racial equity. In order to answer the question, participants were asked to reflect on their experience at ERASE Racism's Student Leadership Forum, a full day workshop that teaches students about the history of race and racism in the U.S.
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Margaret Liendo, winner of 2013 Essay Contest, with her parents
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This year's winner, Margaret Liendo, who is a junior at Brentwood High School, wrote about the need to actively reject assumptions and stereotypes about others and the role that multicultural programs can play in allowing people to be proud of their cultures while learning to value other people's differences.
Margaret and her parents will attend ERASE Racism's 2013 Annual Benefit on June 5th where she will receive a cash prize of $500.
To read Margaret's full essay, click here.
For tickets and more information about ERASE Racism's Annual Benefit, click here.
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Kenneth I. Chenault, CEO and Chairman of American Express, Will Speak With Youth From Long Island
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Kenneth I. Chenault, Chairman and CEO of American Express
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On June 5, 2013 a select group of Long Island high school students will gather at the Garden City Hotel for a rare opportunity to speak with Kenneth I. Chenault, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of American Express Company. Students at the event, hosted by ERASE Racism, will have the opportunity to ask Mr. Chenault about his career path and the advice that he has for aspiring business leaders. The group of approximately 40 participants includes students from Westbury High School, South Side High School, Hicksville High School, Hempstead High School, Friends Academy, Amityville High School, the Waldorf School of Garden City, and Brentwood High School. These school districts were chosen based on their involvement with ERASE Racism's Student Leadership Program, which is a series of workshops that teaches high-school students about the history of race and racism in the U.S. Students who participate in the Student Leadership Program also learn about ways to work in their own community to bring about more racial equity. A select group of students with demonstrated academic and athletic achievements were also invited from Long Island Lutheran High School, Half Hollow Hills West and Half Hollow Hills East.
For these Long Island students, who are already acquiring the skills to become the next generation of leaders, the opportunity to speak with Mr. Chenault, who is also from Long Island, promises to be an invaluable learning experience.
After the youth event Mr. Chenault will be honored at ERASE Racism's 2013 Annual Benefit, also held at the Garden City Hotel. The organization will honor Mr. Chenault for his life-time commitment to creating racial justice and promoting racial diversity. Tickets to the Benefit are still available and can be purchased by visiting the event page.
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New Campaign Brings Attention to Lesser Known Racial Disparities
RISE, a project designed to illuminate some of the ways in which racism operates in this country, has produced a series of unique infographics that bring attention to racial disparities in housing and education, as well as differential treatment that we might not expect, such as the tendencies for cigarette companies and fast food chains to target people of color. Beneath every infographic there is also an in-depth explanation with additional facts and graphics. Click here to visit the site.
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