The results for ERASE Racism's Public Opinion Survey are in!
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 info@eraseracismny.org
Phone: (516)-921-4863
Fax: (516)-921-4866
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President's Message
What do our constituents think about the challenges posed by racial discrimination and segregation in housing and in public school education? How are they currently involved in advocacy, service or activism in their communities? What actions are they willing to take to advance racial integration in housing and education? How can ERASE Racism engage our constituents and especially the members of our Partnership for Racial Equity, in working together toward a more equitable future? These are some of the questions we are asking this fall season. In the fight to end an all too pervasive and stubbornly resilient racialized segregation, the work cannot be done alone.
To gain some answers, ERASE Racism recently conducted a Public Opinion Survey. Please read below to see some of the key findings from the survey and to access the full results.
If you are a Partner for Racial Equity who would like to get more involved or not yet a Partner, Nuzhat Quaderi, our Long Island Organizer, wants to get your attention. Please read what she has to say to you. Some of the most successful racial justice campaigns have been fueled by religious-based institutions and ordinary people who identify their personal religious beliefs as a source for their activism. Given that history, we are pleased to have Daniel Camacho, a new Project Intern, who is focusing on religious outreach for our Partnership for Racial Equity. Please read about Daniel below.
A design course at Harvard University selected ERASE Racism to be a resource as they explore issues of equitable and sustainable design on Long Island. Our meetings with the professor, Daniel D'Oca, and his students, including our trip to Long Beach, are described in the article below. On the topic of housing, I was pleased to join Suffolk County residents and other community organizations to witness County Executive Steve Bellone's signing of HR 1620, which expands the protections against housing discrimination, including the addition of "source of income" as a protected class.
As we get closer to the November elections, there are many reminders that we have witnessed the erosion of voting rights, including erosions due to the recent Supreme Court decision. A new study from the Brennan Center for Justice shows that African Americans and Latinos face longer lines at the polls. In this election season, we need to remember the importance of civic engagement and the serious threat that racialized barriers pose to our democracy. Read more here.
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Results of our Public Opinion Survey
 3.3% of the respondents to our poll believed that developing racially integrated communities would be "totally welcomed" by residents. Yet, when asked if they would consider "participating in a group in your community or town with people who believe that racial integration is valuable," 92.6% answered "yes." This is one of the key findings that our recent Public Opinion Survey revealed. Our survey asked respondents to answer questions related to housing, education, civic engagement, and Sandy-related relief. This survey was not designed as a scientific, random poll from which hard inferences could be made about all Long Islanders. However, it was interesting to see how 92 people, representing 49 zip codes on Long Island and 1 from Queens and Mt. Vernon, anonymously responded to these questions.
It is also interesting to note that on the topic of constructing affordable housing in one's community, 24.1% selected "it would be welcomed" while 54.4% selected "my neighbors would be staunchly against it." Nevertheless, many respondents communicated a strong desire to advance equitable housing and education. 82.9% of respondents "strongly agreed" that they "would like to create supportive environments to talk about race and to promote racial diversity in education." 78.3% "strongly agreed" that they "would like to advocate for education policies that would create more racially integrated schools on Long Island."
Our Sandy-related relief questions revealed that only 18.6% of respondents believed that information about federal/state resources was easily available to people in affected areas. Long Beach and Freeport were considered, according to respondents, to be the neighborhoods most overlooked or inadequately served by relief aid.
Besides learning about resident opinions concerning housing and Sandy-related relief, we also learned more about our respondents' civic engagement. Of those that listed participation in a community group, religious groups and social activism had the highest participation level.
To see the full results of our Public Opinion Survey, click here.
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A Call to Partners
 The Partnership for Racial Equity is a diverse alliance of New Yorkers who support ERASE Racism's mission to create a region that is not divided by race. As the new Long Island Organizer here at ERASE Racism I am excited to help grow and engage this Partnership and am particularly eager to get to know you, the Partners!
Members of the Partnership can participate in a variety of ways, from helping to identify overlooked forms of racial discrimination to advocating for new policies by attending town hall meetings. To further identify means for effective change, it is important for us to know how our Partners wish to collaborate with us and to further their understanding of how we can work with specific communities to expose forms of racial discrimination and advocate for policies that can help eliminate racial disparities.
It is my hope, in the coming months, to connect with members of the Partnership to learn more about their backgrounds, interests, and thoughts regarding effective collaboration. Although we intend to plan a number of events to meet our Partners across Long Island and New York, I would love to speak with members as soon as possible! Please e-mail me at nuzhat@eraseracismny.org if you are interested in speaking with me by phone, or call 516-921-4863 Ext #13.
If you are interested in becoming a Partner for Racial Equity, please click here.
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Religions for Erasing Racism
 Allow me to introduce myself: my name is Daniel Camacho and I've joined ERASE Racism as a full-time intern for the fall term of 2014 to assist with outreach to faith-based communities on Long Island. I'm currently a Masters of Divinity candidate and have been blessed to work in racially and religiously diverse settings in New York, Michigan, and North Carolina. Born and raised in Uniondale, I'm passionate about combining religious faith with social justice work and anti-racism efforts. To learn more about me, read my bio here.
Historically, religious leaders, ordained and lay, have confronted racial discrimination and segregation across the country, including in Nassau and Suffolk counties. People of faith often draw from rich traditions, sacred texts, and values to heal this world. Nevertheless, racial discrimination continues to tear at the fabric of our shared life. On Long Island, we have continuing, stark racial disparities in opportunities, resources and outcomes in areas like housing, community development, public education and health. Frequently, the source of these disparities is embedded in public policies and practices that may appear race-neutral initially. For these reasons, ERASE Racism is engaging community residents, including people from various religious traditions, to advance common action for erasing racism on Long Island.
If your religious affiliation plays an important role in your social activism, I would love to hear from you and talk about how we can work together to address these issues. Feel free to email me at daniel@eraseracismny.org or call me at 516-921-4863 Ext #15.
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Harvard Design Course Meets with ERASE Racism
Daniel D'Oca, an urban planner and designer who teaches at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design, selected ERASE Racism as a non-profit resource for a graduate course he is teaching during this current fall semester. Titled " The Storm, the Strife, and Everyday Life: Sea Change in the Suburbs," this course explores the changing demographic and ecological realities of the Long Island suburbs, especially focusing on Superstorm Sandy and the sustainability and equity concerns that it has raised.
One component of the graduate course involved students taking a field trip to Long Island to gain on-the-ground knowledge about the Storm's effect. Their trip involved connecting with non-profit groups and residents. Professor D'Oca and 15 of his students met with ERASE Racism staff for a briefing and discussion about Long Island's continuing racial segregation and implementation of federal disaster recovery programs in New York State. Presentation topics included fair housing, public health, gentrification, and cultural competence. In addition, ERASE Racism facilitated a site visit to Long Beach in which the Harvard Design class was able to learn from local residents about these issues in a community impacted directly by Superstorm Sandy.
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ERASE Racism President, Elaine Gross, Offers Remarks at Suffolk County Human Rights Law Signing
On Wednesday, September 24th, 2014, ERASE Racism joined Suffolk County residents and other community organizations to witness County Executive Steve Bellone's signing of HR 1620 into law. Elaine Gross, President of ERASE Racism called this "a win for fair housing."
Passed by a unanimous vote in the Suffolk County legislature earlier in September, the bill expands the County's Human Rights Law to provide residents meaningful protection from discrimination in areas including housing, employment, credit, and public accommodations.
Standing with County Executive Bellone and other community leaders at the signing ceremony in Hauppauge, Ms. Gross remarked: "this strengthened Human Rights Law is applauded by ERASE Racism. Among its many provisions, home-seekers in Suffolk County can no longer be denied housing because of their source of income, such as the Housing Choice Voucher Program (also known as Section 8)."
This bill will benefit many residents, including vulnerable veterans, immigrants, racial and ethnic minorities, single mothers with children, and seniors. It represents an important step forward for the promotion of residential integration and economic equality, which is at the heart of ERASE Racism's mission.
To read more about ERASE Racism's housing work, click here.
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Minorities Experience Longer Waits to Vote
A new study from the Brennan Center for Justice confirms that polling places for blacks and Latinos had longer wait lines for the 2012 presidential election. Analyzing precinct-level data from states with the longest voter lines, Florida, Maryland, and South Carolina, this study identified four unmistakable patterns:
1) Voters in precincts with more minorities experienced longer waits.
2) Voters in precincts with higher percentages of minority voters tended to have fewer voting machines.
3) Precincts with the longest lines had fewer voting machines, poll workers, or both.
4) There is widespread non-compliance with existing state requirements setting resource allocation.
To access the full study, click here.
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