Daily Archives: February 15, 2022

I recently came back to Catholic higher education, after working for a Catholic nonprofit, to serve as the vice president for mission, values and inclusion at a Dominican Catholic college. This past weekend, I had the opportunity to meet several education leaders at the annual Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities conference entitled "Called Together."

Many of the conversations and some of the panel discussions reinforced an opinion I've had for some time, mainly that Catholic higher education continues to be ill-prepared at best, oblivious at worst, to the overwhelming demographic shift of the 21st century: the ongoing growth of the Hispanic/Latinx population in the United States.

By the midpoint of this century, two-thirds of the U.S. Catholic population will self-identify as Hispanic. Currently, the majority of Catholics ages 16 to 29 are Hispanic. And outside of the Catholic population, one in every four high school graduates is Hispanic, reaching closer to 30% of high school graduates by 2036. A new report from Pew Research on race and ethnicity saw a 50% increase of Hispanic population in 517 counties (out of 1,685), from 2010 to 2020, with the majority of counties located in states that have not been traditionally Hispanic population centers.

In addition, Hispanic/Latinx are intersectional identities, with Afro-Latinos, Asian-Latinos, Indigenous-Latinos, etc., in our communities. As of 2019, 80% of Latinos are U.S. citizens, including third, fourth and fifth generations present in all 50 states. Catholic higher education cannot afford not to respond to this growing reality across the country.

This new landscape of student populations is fostering a new higher education identity. The number of Hispanic Serving Institutions, or HSI, continues to rise across the United States, including within Catholic colleges and universities. To be classified as HSI, a college or university must enroll at least 25% Hispanic students, and half must be eligible for a federal Pell grant, which is for students with exceptional financial need.

An institution is identified as anemergingHSI if they enroll 15% to 24% Hispanic students. As of Fall 2020, out of226 Catholic colleges and universities, 32 are HSI, and 36 are emerging HSI. These demographic shifts will continue to shape the student population enrolled in Catholic colleges and universities for decades to come, but the question remains will we respond and be intentional about welcoming, integrating and celebrating our growing Hispanic student population?

Responding to the ongoing transformation of current and emerging Hispanic/Latino populations by Catholic colleges and universities must be rooted in our Catholic identity and mission. One of the issues that arises, however, is the lack of theological and pastoral reflection on Catholic higher education identity outside of Ex Corde Ecclesiae, and the Land O'Lakes statement. Much of the public discourse on Catholic identity fails to include a multicultural, multiracial, panethnic people of God.

One recent publication by Gina Garcia, John DeCostanza and Jaqueline Romo may have provided the next seminal work on Catholic higher education identity. "Theorizing a Catholic Hispanic-Serving Institution (C-HSI) Identity through Latinx Theological Lenses of Lo Cotidiano and Traditioning" provides a new framework through which to discuss Catholic identity, centering the lives of our Hispanic students and ongoing theological tradition, rooted in the everyday lives of our students.

This is the level of theological, educational and pastoral reflection needed to respond to this moment, especially given an anti-Hispanic sentiment in this country, which reached a traumatic moment withla matanza, the August 2019 shooting in El Paso, Texas. Many community members and victims' families are still processing and carrying the pain of that day.

We see this anti-Hispanic sentiment not only in politics, but media, and the lack of representation in education among faculty and staff. Outside of a handful of priests and religious sisters, as far as I could tell, I was the only lay Latino mission officer holding a vice president position in mission and ministry in many of the conversations I had this past weekend. Responding to a diverse, multicultural, Hispanic student population will require a culturally responsive ministry and representation within the classroom and within the mission office at Catholic colleges and universities.

Most Catholic colleges and universities in this country were originally founded to serve the poor, the immigrant, the marginalized communities. This is part of the identity and the historical institutional charism of our schools. The question now remains, will we continue to passively allow the demographic shifts to shape higher education, or, will we meet this moment intentionally?

I hope to do my part to help my institution recall their founding and realign our mission and identity to serve a diverse student population, paying close attention to our growing Hispanic community in southern Wisconsin.

Continued here:

El futuro is now: Is Catholic higher ed ready for the growing Hispanic community? - National Catholic Reporter

IDAHO FALLS STATE OF THE FOREST by Suze Woolf, is part of the traveling museum exhibition, ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT II. Special arrangements were made to bring STATE OF THE FOREST to The Art Museum of Eastern Idaho (TAM) by David J. Wagner, Ph.D., exhibition Curator/Tour Director. The exhibit will be in Idaho Falls through April 2, 2022.

The artwork was made especially for the exhibition which premiered at The James Art Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida in 2019. The artwork is an installation consisting of 30 three-panel sets depicting and documenting individual trees charred in different forest fires in the Pacific Northwest. The art medium is watercolor on paper transferred onto polyester and silk organza panels. Each art panel is overlaid by another panel containing text by Lorena Williams documenting the respective fire. Each panel set is 52" high; widths vary from 8" to 36"" high with a contiguous floor footprint of 30'x 30.

Suze Woolf's work is about human relationships to nature. A painter, she explores a range of media from watercolor to paper-casting, from artist books to pyrography and installationsometimes all together. Her background ranges from fine art to computer graphics and interface design. Her installation State of the Forest, based on 14 years of painting individual burned trees, is currently part of the Environmental Impact II tour from 20192023.

She has exhibited throughout Washington State but also in Utah, British Columbia, Maryland, California, Colorado, Oklahoma, Arizona, and Washington DC. Her work is in regional public collections as well as many private ones. She has received awards from arts organizations, universities and colleges, residencies in Zion, Glacier, Capitol Reef and North Cascades National Parks, the Grand Canyon Trust; and art colonies such as the Banff Centre, the Vermont Studio Center, Willowtail Springs, Jentel, Playa and Centrum.

18 years have passed since Lorena Williams forced her feet into the stiff leather of new fire boots for the first time. That pair of boots is hardly recognizable now, cracked and worn beyond salvaging. This transformation is not unlike her changed perceptions of life as a firefighter and also of wildfire itself. Her early beliefs that all fire was bad and all fire crews good were too rigidstiff like new leather. The political, cultural, social, and environmental complexities once invisible to her as a rookie were revealed as she studied fire ecology, was exposed to land management politics and policies, and witnessed communities and fellow firefighters burn.

Beyond the complexities of firefighting, Lorenas writing considers those of wildfire itself. This beautiful, mysterious, and deadly element is vilified by some and celebrated by others. If we look past what is often oversimplified as destruction, we might see themes of rebirth, vitality, beauty, lovesomething more complex than just flames and char. We might find truths about ourselves and our relationships with this earth. For those who overstate the positives of wildfire with the all fire is good! mentality, perhaps a reminder is in order about mega fires, soil sterilization, debris flows, and death. It is within this range of human emotion that Lorenas story trees exist. One story explores the life-giving properties of fire and another delves into tragedy.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT II is a traveling museum exhibition produced by David J. Wagner, L.L.C., the purpose of which is 1.) to recognize, document, and share the work of leading contemporary artists who chose to focus their work on global as well as local environmental issues; 2.) to heighten public awareness and concern about the intentional or unintentional consequences of human action or inaction, through the power of this art.

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State of the Forest Visits TAM | idahofallsmagazine.com - Idaho Falls Magazine

One year after a newly inaugurated President Biden committed to activating every bough of the government to address the climate crisis and a legacy of racial and environmental injustice in Executive Order 14008 elements of that elegant order are materializing.

Where there wasnt one before, a brand new White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council is up and running, with 26 members advising the administration on centering equity as it tackles disaster response, climate change and the energy transition. A handful of federal programs are at work channeling 40 percent of the benefits of federal investments to disadvantaged communities, though officials have yet to define just what that means. Environmental justice groups are demanding more action still, such as rapid progress on the now-overdue revamp of a climate and environmental justice mapping application, which will help ensure that this investment maximizes equity and social progress by identifying frontline and fenceline communities that have borne the brunt of pollution and climate risks.

But one existing environmental justice tool, which officials have let lie largely dormant across administrations, has particular potential to bring some form of justice to communities that have experienced environmental racism for generations.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prevents any program that receives federal funding from discriminating on the basis of race, color or national origin, whether by denying benefits to or excluding certain groups from participation in public process. As the Department of Justice has emblazoned on its website, ahead of the passage of the landmark statute, President John F. Kennedy noted: Simple justice requires that public funds, to which all taxpayers of all races contribute, not be spent in any fashion which encourages, entrenches, subsidizes or results in racial discrimination.

The law empowers communities alleging theyve been discriminated against by a group receiving federal funding with environmental cases, typically state or local regulators that issue permits to industrial developers to file complaints with whichever agency has provided the funds, or to bring a lawsuit in federal court against that entity. It also instructs federal agencies delivering funds, such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to stop funding programs found to have acted discriminatorily, or to refer the matter to the Department of Justice.

Nearly six decades later, whole bodies of research reveal that government agencies, often through inaction, have contributed to the formation of sacrifice zones communities where residents die of illnesses more often and earlier than others due to the superfluous siting of polluting operations nearby. In 2021, for instance, ProPublica published the most detailed map to date revealing that census tracts where the majority of residents are people of color are exposed to 40 percent more cancer-causing air pollutants when compared with census tracts that are mostly white.

Industries rely on having these sinks these sacrifice zones for polluting. That political calculus has kept in place a regulatory system that allows for the continued concentration of industry, Ana Baptista, an environmental policy professor at The New School, told ProPublica, in reference to the organizations investigation. We sacrifice these low-income, African American, Indigenous communities for the economic benefit of the region or state or country.

As numerous legal scholars told Truthout, Title VI provides remedy that could begin to address this flagrant legacy by steering agencies toward serving the communities theyre charged with protecting with equal rigor.

Its a very powerful tool at least on paper for addressing environmental justice issues, Oren Sellstrom, the litigation director for Lawyers for Civil Rights told Truthout.

Its also a tool thats profoundly needed, but has yet to be fully embraced, advocates say. In addition to data made available by scholarly and journalistic efforts, the federal governments own maps reveal enormous health and pollution disparities. But in spite of this documentation, and having received hundreds of complaints alleging discrimination, the EPAs External Civil Rights Compliance Office (ECRCO) has only four times ever in its history issued a formal finding of discrimination.

The first case sat for nearly 25 years until in 2017, ECRCO determined a finding of discriminatory treatment of African Americans by Michigans leading environmental agency in considering and approving a 1994 permit for a wood-burning incinerator and power plant located in Flint, known as the Genesee Power Station. The findings included that the agency gave special accommodations to a white doctor wanting to testify early, but denied accommodations to two Black residents seeking the same option; and that the agency used armed guards which it hadnt done at hearings held further away in predominantly white areas to intimidate Black residents. The siting of the facility was also noted.

This area is predominantly black, low-income, with a disproportionate number of female-headed households, C.S. Mott Community College professor Janice ONeal said in 1995, according to reporting by the Detroit Free Press. These people are at greater risk for all kinds of environmental exposures already. This ought to be taken into consideration in the siting process. If its not, the process is racist.

As the complaint originally filed in 1992 collected dust, babies grew into adults and had their own children, all while the incinerator was allowed to pump pollutants like lead into the atmosphere and the lungs of its primarily Black neighbors. The Flint water crisis was allowed to occur. In 2015, an official from the same Michigan agency later found to have violated the Civil Rights Act said that anyone worried about Flints drinking water should relax.

Although it did find noncompliance with Title VI in 2017, EPA officials did not call on what Sellstrom refers to as its ultimate lever: the authority to pull funding from a group found to be discriminating. Nor have they ever.

One barrier is that U.S. Supreme Court decisions have found that Title VI requires evidence of intentional discrimination, which is logistically difficult, according to Albert Huang of the American Bar Association.

Yet the more troubling truth is that officials have chosen to prioritize certain laws, such as the Endangered Species Act, over Title VI. The [EPA] has over decades internalized the idea that the Civil Rights Act is not worth enforcing, Patrice Simms, vice president of litigation for healthy communities with Earthjustice and visiting professor of law at Harvard University, told Truthout. Simms points out that if other agencies were found not to be enforcing the laws they are specifically charged with overseeing, it would be absolutely unacceptable. Simms has himself worked for the EPA and the Department of Justice in a variety of posts.

Of 209 complaints alleging discrimination filed since 2014, 133 were rejected. Dozens of other complaints remained on a backlog for years, according to a September 2020 report by the Office of the Inspector General.

ECRCOs ability to do its job is severely limited by a lack of resources, says Andrew Bashi, an attorney with the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center. ECRCO has a mere 12 staff members tackling complaints. By comparison, the equivalent office at the Department of Education has 500 people dedicated to enforcing the Civil Rights Act.

The simultaneous unwillingness to fund the efforts of an office like ECRCO, work that could be so central to addressing some of the structural inequities impacting the very communities our system continues to imprison disproportionately, exposes the great paradox of Americas racial progress, Bashi said.

The Title VI complaints alleging discrimination 90 percent of which, up until 2013, were rejected or dismissed are expansive: predominantly Latinx residents who say the state failed to protect their groundwater source when issuing a discharge permit to a facility in Eunice, New Mexico; a Black neighborhood in Beaumont, Texas, that was exposed to chemicals spewing from an ExxonMobil sour crude refinery for 17 years until the EPA settled its Title VI complaint, during which time the company dumped over 400 million pounds of pollution into the air; a rural community in Orange County, North Carolina, that waited over a decade after filing a Title VI complaint for the county to extend sewer and water services.

I dont feel anybody should fight as long as weve been fighting to get something thats God-given, Orange County resident David Caldwell Jr. told The New Yorker of his neighborhoods sustained effort to get water and sewer services akin to others in the county.

Taylor Gillespie, strategic communications coordinator for the EPA, said over email that ECRCOs consistent underfunding has limited the office to operating on a reactive rather than a proactive basis in response to allegations of discrimination. But the tides are turning within the agency, she noted, describing EPA Administrator Michael Regan as committed to using EPAs full authority under the federal civil rights laws. In January, the EPA introduced an annual compliance review process to ensure recipients of its funding are not in violation of the Civil Rights Act. The administration has also outlined its commitment to strengthening civil rights enforcement as part of the EPAs strategic plan for 2022-2026, which is set to be finalized later this month.

Advocates including Bashi and Simms remain hopeful. In the first few months of fiscal year 2022, U.S. residents filed nearly as many Title VI complaints as in all of 2020. The rise in volume of complaints is actually good news, says Bashi. For the first time in a while, communities are optimistic that the environmental injustices facing them might be honestly examined and lead to the substantive changes they have been denied for generations, he said. As of this writing, ECRCO has caught up with its backlog of complaints, according to Gillespie. Two of the four total Title VI violations have been issued by the Biden administrations EPA.

But that number is still miniscule and an insult, advocates say. For communities in which the EPAs historically weak approach to enforcing civil rights law has meant ongoing exposure to pollution while they wait for answers and losing loved ones along the way immediate action is the only adequate intervention, according to Tamara Toles OLaughlin, a longtime climate strategist, and CEO and president of the Environmental Grantmakers Association.

This would look like speedy settlements and reparations for failure to respond previously; fines, sanctions and an aggressive clawing back [of] funds from predatory polluters who have built their whole businesses targeting Black, Indigenous and [other] people of color, OLaughlin said.

Sellstrom, of Lawyers for Civil Rights, said the withholding of financial assistance from groups found to have violated Title VI which would be a first if and when it occurs would also send a strong message that a culture shift is afoot within the EPA, and that addressing systemic racism in the agency may be, at long last, a serious priority. That would change the mindset and the way people act across the board, Sellstrom said.

Link:

Heres How the Biden Administration Can Prevent Needless Deaths From Pollution - Truthout

The cornerstone of our constitutional democratic republic is protecting citizens right to full and public notice when their elected officials are discussing or making decisions that could affect taxpayers daily lives.

As a nonpartisan government watchdog and taxpayer-research institute that focuses on promoting government accountability and transparency, Florida TaxWatch supports the use of public notices in local newspapers of record by government entities to notify all of their citizens of meetings and votes. Unfortunately, current proposed legislation would allow local government websites to be the only required source for public notice posting.

Overall, the changes put forth in the proposed legislation mean that local newspapers would in most cases no longer be required to house and circulate public notices, thus causing Floridians to be less informed about current government issues.

Get more from the Citrus County Chronicle

Since newspapers and their websites possess a larger audience due to a wealth of information across a breadth of issues, the fact that these media outlets would no longer be required to house public notices results in less written information provided to the people. An independent poll by Mason Dixon shows that Florida citizens overwhelmingly want wider access to the public notice information, as 78 percent of respondents want local governments to carry public notices in newspapers, and 61 percent said they would not seek out information on government websites.

In addition, the proposed legislation shifts delivering public-notice information from an active to a passive stance. Newspapers reach out to their audience through intentional delivery, also offering accessibility to those without the means to an internet connection. A notice strictly available on government-run websites would eliminate the critical neutrality and independence of a newspaper or other third party. It would be possible, likely even, for government entities to miss notification deadlines, leave out critical information or make changes electronically to items on their websites without public knowledge. When something runs in the newspaper, it is permanently printed and distributed for all to reference and reexamine anytime.

Here at Florida TaxWatch, we regard transparency and accountability as being of paramount importance when it comes to the state and local governments interactions with their citizens.

In order for residents to trust and hold their government accountable, taxpayers should be entitled to an unabridged and open flow of information concerning public notices in their communities. They should not be beholden by government websites to provide residents with critically important and timely information. This is why Florida TaxWatch promoted policies that expanded the use and access to public notice information through newspapers, their websites, and even email to residents who requested updated notices.

With the newspapers providing third-party verification, Florida taxpayers are ensured greater access to public-notice information, allowing them to stay in the know about their communities and just how their hard-earned dollars are being utilized.

Dominic M. Calabro has been president and CEO of Florida TaxWatch for over four decades. Former U.S. Sen. George LeMieux is chairman of Florida TaxWatch and chairman of the Gunster Firm.

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Other Voices l Fighting to keep an eye on elected officials - Citrus County Chronicle

Rogers and other residents have spent the last two years protesting National Grids 7-mile pipeline, which zigzags through predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods, bypassing Whiter, wealthier parts of Brooklyn. Formally known as the Metropolitan Reliability Project, the pipeline is often referred to as the north Brooklyn pipeline. They have blocked the pipelines construction at demonstrations and some have stopped paying part of their utility bills, in an effort to divert funding from the project.

Last summer, they went a step further filing a complaint against the utility and state that argues the pipeline has resulted in racial discrimination, violating Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. (Title VI prohibits federally-funded entities from discriminating on the basis of race, gender, and other protected identities).

Historically, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been slow to act on these types of complaints, rarely finding evidence of discrimination. But under the Biden administration, the agency has committed to change this. How the EPA responds to this challenge in which Black, Indigenous, and brown-led community groups say a fracked gas pipeline represents a violation of their civil rights will be a test of the agencys ability to execute on that promise.

Not long after the complaint was filed, two federal investigations were launched into New York state agencies. The lawyers behind the complaint hope that it will result in a full environmental review of the pipeline and connected facility for storing and refining the methane gas, which awaits an air permit. Ultimately, they hope that the gas in the pipeline which began operating in 2020 is permanently shut off.

It would be a real mistake if the state doesnt listen to the communities that it is designed to protect that already have a history of dealing with environmental harm and pollution, says Britney Wilson, a co-counsel to the complaint and an associate law professor and director of the Civil Rights and Disability Justice Clinic at New York Law School.

In October, the agency released a strategic plan draft that aims to revamp its civil rights enforcement program. The plan states the EPA will vigorously enforce federal civil rights law to address the legacy of pollution in overburdened communities that results from discriminatory actions, whether direct or indirect, intentional, or unintentional. This reflects a sharp departure from both the Obama and Trump administrations strategic plans, which didnt mention civil rights let alone make it a central objective.

This could possibly be a turning point with how the EPA approaches environmental racism, said Anjana Malhotra, a senior attorney at the National Center for Law and Economic Justice and a co-counsel to the complaint. Its a landmark acknowledgement of how [the EPA] hasnt addressed environmental injustice.

In 2017, the agency reached the conclusion that the permitting process for a power plant in Flint, Michigan, was effectively discriminating against African American residents. But it took the EPA more than 20 years to reach that point; the complaint against the Genesee Power Station was first submitted in 1992.

The Center for Public Integrity found that the EPA rejected or dismissed over 90% of the civil rights abuse allegations, from 1996 to 2013, while only 5% of complaints were resolved with voluntary or informal agreements. To date, the agency has not once restricted federal funding for a civil rights violation.

But under the Biden administration, there have been signs that the EPA wants to put environmental justice at the forefront of its policies.

The pipeline cuts through the designated environmental justice areas of Brownsville, Ocean-Hill, Bushwick and East Williamsburg, neighborhoods long overburdened with toxic hazards from a history of racist policies. Large swaths of these neighborhoods were historically redlined, ineligible for federally backed loans. All neighborhoods have some of the highest rates of adult and child asthma in New York City, a legacy of its history of polluting industries and lack of public benefits. The pipeline has a terminal in Greenpoint, where one the largest oil spills in the country is still being remediated.

National Grid treated Brownsville like a backyard, but theres a whole community back here, said Rogers. Folks have been supporting each other. Folks have been making it happen.

Responding to a request for comment, a National Grid spokesperson maintains that the utility company complied with all laws.The EPA was established just over 50 years ago. In that time, the agency has only made one final finding of discrimination.

After community groups filed their complaint against the north Brooklyn pipeline, the EPA launched an investigation into New Yorks department of environmental conservation, while the department of transportation began investigating New Yorks public service commission. Those investigations are currently paused while the federal agencies meet with the state to seek an informal resolution.

In a recent development, Malhotra and Wilson were invited to meet with federal agencies in January. There, the co-counsels presented a letter reiterating why it is unequivocally clear the environmental conservation department violated the law and to push for greater inclusion of their clients in the informal resolution. Typically, the process doesnt include the complainants, but the EPA and transportation department are developing a new model to better include the impacted communities, according to Malhotra and Wilson.

Its an important development, given that Brooklyn residents claim they never had the opportunity to consent to the pipeline a frequent complaint shared by environmental justice communities.

[National Grid] never reached out to me, never reached out to my fellow neighbors, none of us, said Rogers, a member of Brownsville Green Justice, one of the groups behind the complaint.

If no agreement can be reached, the investigations will resume with a timeline of 180 days in total to potentially arrive at preliminary findings of discrimination.

A DPS spokesperson claims the agencys decision to approve the pipeline was based on a robust factual record, while a environmental conservation department spokesperson similarly claims that the agency subjects every application to rigorous review of all applicable federal and state standards.

With regard to the EPAs record on environmental justice, there are some promising changes. Marianne Engelman-Lado, a lawyer who has previously described the agency as spectacularly unsuccessful at ensuring that recipients of EPA funding comply with the non-discrimination provisions of Title VI, was appointed to the agency last year.

The EPA has also issued two letters with preliminary findings of civil rights violations in 2021, for separate complaints in California and Missouri. And in September, the agency responded to an audit from the office of inspector general with measures and deadlines for improving civil rights oversight from more guidance for permitting decisions to initiating investigations even before a complaint is lodged.

These moves could mean good news for organizers like the ones challenging the north Brooklyn pipeline.

Our neighborhoods in Brooklyn have always been dumping zones, said Pati Rodriguez, a community organizer with Mi Casa Resiste, a Bushwick-based group resisting gentrification and displacement, and one of the complainants. [But] these are our neighborhoods that weve stewarded.

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'A Slap in the Face': Pipeline Violates Civil Rights, say New Yorkers - Earth Island Journal

Dirty Dogs Car Wash Expands With $35 Million Investment

ATLANTA (PRWEB) February 09, 2022

Dirty Dogs Car Wash (Dirty Dogs) announced a strategic growth equity investment from Salt Lake City-based The Cynosure Group (Cynosure) to fund the companys growth and expansion into key markets with an aim to open an additional 25 locations nationwide over the next 36 months. In addition to Cynosures investment, Dirty Dogs also arranged a new credit facility with Synovus Bank to further facilitate this rapid expansion.

This strategic partnership not only provides Dirty Dogs with the necessary capital to rapidly expand, but it also provides us with additional resources, mentorship and leadership from a group that has a demonstrated track record of partnering with, and collaboratively growing, founder and management-owned businesses, said Martin Emmett, owner and founder of Dirty Dogs. At this time, we are also excited to be partnering with Synovus Bank who has supported our growth since inception, added Emmett.

Started in 2018, Dirty Dogs currently has locations in Georgia and Alabama. While COVID-19 shuttered countless industries, contact-free car washes experienced growth for several reasons, including being socially distanced and attainably priced. In addition, the contact-free model requires less staff and creates greater time efficiency. To that end, Dirty Dogs experienced strong growth during COVID, and with that comes plans to expand. Plans include expanding into the Florida market, with locations in Melbourne, Tampa, North Ft. Lauderdale, Port Richey, Daytona, Ocala, Royal Palm Beach, Brooksville, Miami, Ft. Myers, Cape Coral and West Palm Beach all opening in the near-future.

Dirty Dogs has established itself as a leader in a competitive yet growing market, said Andrew Braithwaite, Managing Director at Cynosure. We are proud to recognize the companys unbridled growth and relentless focus on its customer and community. We are excited to form this new partnership and look forward to being a part of their rapid scaling and expansion.

When Emmett stepped away from a career in law to invest in a contact-free car wash model, he applied innovations such as an enhanced customer experience, elevated branding and quality design. It was this front-end investment that paid off. "We wanted to launch a business model that focused on quality user experience at every step, said Emmett. So, we created a car wash that is modern, clean, affordable and functional for everyone, with all the bells and whistles.

As part of this strategy, they enlisted a branding firm known for building brands for professional sports teams, to create a playful, intentional, community-minded brand. Among its brand attributes, Dirty Dogs has always supported teachers, law enforcement and first responders through monthly events, discounts and their Helping Heroes program.

In 2021 alone, Dirty Dogs donated more than 10,000 car washes to clean squad cars in the local communities it serves.

Community investment is a major pillar of our business model, First in Service, First in Community, said Keisha Escoffery, COO, Dirty Dogs. From the start of our business, we made sure that our local frontline workers knew we were here to support them, which intensified during the pandemic.

By prioritizing a clean, modern, self-serve design, Dirty Dogs built customer loyalty, and their dedication to community has further instilled trust and loyalty.

We were offering cleanliness at a time when people needed it, said Emmett. Even in a down economy, we were determined to keep our prices affordable and to continue supporting our communities and, in turn, they have continued to support us.

About Dirty Dogs Car Wash

Founded in 2018, Dirty Dogs Car Washwanted to create a different kind of car wash experience, one fueled by our commitment to our customers, employees and the communities where we are located. We know anyone can wash a car, and we believe our values,First in Service, First in Community, are what set us apart in the industry.Dirty Dogs Car Wash provides fast, efficient and affordable car washes. https://www.linkedin.com/company/dirtydogscarwash/about/ https://www.facebook.com/DirtyDogsCarWash

For more information on theirservices and locations, visit dirtydogscarwash.com.

About The Cynosure Group

The Cynosure Group is an independent alternatives asset manager and advisor that makes long-term investments on behalf of families, foundations, and other like-minded institutions.

Cynosures direct investments target partnerships with founders and management-owners of profitable small to mid-sized companies who will remain meaningful owners of their business.

For more information, visit http://www.cynosuregroup.com.

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Dirty Dog's Car Wash Receives $35 Million Growth Equity Investment From The Cynosure Group to Fund New Store And Market Expansion - PR Web

Earlier this month, The Carnegie Classifications of Institutions of Higher Education completed a public review and published the resulting classification list. Originated in 1970, the classification is the foremost framework for acknowledging institutional excellence, particularly in the areas of research and doctoral degrees.

The most sought-after designation is the Doctoral Universities: Very High Research Activity classification, known as R1. Since its inception over a half century ago, university administrators have sought to achieve or maintain R1 status.

Currently, there are 146 R1 institutions, a critical classification to institutions, as it is often connected to grant funding and serves as the basis for ranking systems such as U.S. News & World Report.

Leslie Neely, associate professor of Educational Psychology at UTSA told The PIE News, Achieving this designation gives UTSA the national and international recognition it deserves.

I think this will help UTSA continue to attract strong students and provide even greater support for our students.

I think this will help UTSA continue to attract strong students and provide even greater support for our students

UTSA is also one of only 20 institutions classified as both Hispanic Serving Institutions and R1s.

She added that the community has invested in UTSA and this designation is testament not only to the hard work of our faculty, but the phenomenal support of our community.

Community Engagement is a newer Carnegie category, with the first cohort of recipients identified in 2006. Its purpose is to recognise institutions contributing knowledge and resources to their local communities.

As a PhD student, this honour and rare classification demonstrate to me the university acknowledges the greater good that the research on our campus does for others,The University of Tennessee, Knoxvilledoctoral studentSteve Syoen said.UTKfirst received this designation in 2015.

There is not infinite time and resources and thus, community partnerships are both helpful and necessary. Its a great feeling to be a scholar at an institution that emphasises these partnerships.

CCIHE is moving next month from Indiana University to the American Council on Education in Washington DC, with the two organisations recently issued a joint statement about a new criterion that recognises social and economic mobility. The aim is toacknowledge the diversity of institutions andto create incentives to rectify gaps in equity.

US secretary of Education Miguel Cardona welcomed this change, asserting the need for institutions to rethink acceptance protocols to favour inclusivity and opportunity over exclusivity and ranking.

Frederick Engram Jr., assistant professor of Instruction at R1 classified University of Texas at Arlington offered similar sentiments to The PIE News, stating, As we begin to reimagine many aspects of how we approach higher education as a hub for learning amid a global pandemic, a lot must change.

The great resignation is largely affecting faculty and staff of colour as well as vulnerable populations because institutions are refusing to be equitably minded and centred and folks are tired.

Although pleased more students will be considered based upon merit and not socioeconomic status, Engram expressed concern about the way neutrality policies are implemented, stressing they almost always leans toward disenfranchising the already historically marginalised, and imploring institutions to be more intentional and creative in rethinking their admissions processes.

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US institutions hope for boost with Carnegie classification - The PIE News

For some, adding the hashtags #BLM, #StopAsianHate or #SaveThePlanet to social media bios has become a form of activism. The digital markers are used to advertise a morality, which is sometimes not fully their own. Performative activists make little to no effort to understand the movement they pretend to support, and the lie comes to light from behind the scenes of social media. The problem is known as hashtag activism, and it varies from friends to celebrities, companies and politicians. On an individual level, bandwagoning to support a social justice movement on social media mostly serves to benefit your perceived character. However, when celebrities, companies and politicians exploit a movement to inflate their image, they benefit financially. Performative activism takes away from the efforts of actual activists and is especially damaging when those with influence do it. While social media has certainly contributed to a speedy rise in the phenomenon, performative activism doesnt only take on the form of spiritless hashtag usage. Reading and reposting words of activists and educators is essential to spreading the message of a movement. From the influencers reposting about activism, many are motivated to repost in order to appear socially conscious to their followers. When people dont research a subject beyond a pastel-colored, 10- slide social media post, they lack a very basic understanding of the issue or movement. By not checking other sources, nor looking into the authors background in the subject, they are capable of spreading false information. Some overly ambitious influencers will try to take the reins from real activists and give their two cents on an issue they have no experience with. Influencers can encourage a middle ground and downplay the harms of the oppressors. Performative activism comes easily to people who are not suffering and are observers of injustice, but it is insulting to the efforts of those facing injustices and the work of those fighting against them.

Big companies are less likely to resort to rushed reposting because they have a marketing team behind them. Rather, their method deceives a percent of their audience who are looking for a statement in the moment but will forget about any promises in a year or so. In June 2020, at the height of the George Floyd protests against police brutality, Anthropologie showed up with a promise on their social media to stand behind Black and Brown communities and to involve more people of color in their workforce.

A quick look at Urban Outfitters Inc., Anthropologies head company, senior leadership and board of directors list shows an overwhelmingly white leadership team. Not only that, the company has a history of stealing designs from minority-operated businesses. While I recognize that Urban Outfitters Inc. has donated thousands of dollars in support of Black Lives Matter, money can only do so much when those in positions of power stop being complicit in diminishing the voices of marginalized communities.

Over everything, I think performative activism is most damaging when politicians abuse the trending injustices. While its easy to go after politicians who are deliberately trying to argue against progress, its just as easy to overlook reformative actions that serve as band-aids to keep the public happy and dont address systematic change. For instance, as many Black activists have pointed out, Juneteenth becoming a national holiday looks superficial when you consider how many schools are exempt from teaching the history, when lynching isnt considered a federal hate-crime and when Black Americans still face violence at the hands of police who continue to face insufficient consequences. Members of marginalized communities are absolutely welcome to celebrate these victories because it can indicate a step in the right direction, but no one should stop questioning the extent of the justice that superficial policies allow.

Authentic allyship is likened to saying sorry. Apologizing is usually enough to express a regretful position, but making moves against the action you regret is the truest marker of your sorrow. It is one thing to express solidarity by using hashtags #BLM, #Feminist, #StopAsianHate, etc. in your TikTok bio, but it is more intentional to physically support these movements. The most accessible action is educating yourself and educating others by taking in and sharing the words of those suffering from injustice. This isnt a call for you to rapidly repost @IMPACT or @CHNGE posts. Rather, correct a racist friend if youre in the position to. Question promises made by companies at the height of a social media movement. Follow your politicians, and see if they fulfill the demands of activists. People love going after teen girls ending racism after adding BLM to their bios but are not as quick to hold those in positions of power to their word, nor looking to see how they themselves are undoing the efforts of activists. Activism isnt just denouncing injustice but making the effort to behave, reflect and change in the ways activists ask you to.

In order to protect the authors privacy, only her first name is used.

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OPINION: Performative activism is worst when it's from people in power - The Appalachian Online

EAST BOSTON East Boston Neighborhood Health Center (EBNHC) announced its Board of Directors has appointed as president & chief executive officer (CEO), effective immediately.

Wilmot has served as the health centers interim president & chief executive officer since November 2021.

EBNHC is Massachusetts largest community health center and among the nations largest Federally Qualified Health Centers. Through multiple service sites, its 24/7 emergency department, and its 1,500 dedicated staff, EBNHC serves approximately 120,000 patients from Boston, Chelsea, Revere, Winthrop, Everett, and surrounding communities.

Greg assumed leadership of the health center seamlessly in his interim role and has expertly guided our organization through a very challenging time that has included a major COVID surge. He has lead our Executive Team in managing our complicated day to day operations and has represented himself well as a leader with all staff. His work has made a lasting impact on our patients and our community. Furthermore, Greg has earned our trust and confidence in his ability to lead this organization and continue the health centers mission in the months and years to come, said Rita Sorrento, chair of the Board of Directors at EBNHC.

As a leader in the field of community-based health care, Wilmot has a well-established history at EBNHC and played a pivotal role in designing and executing EBNHCs COVID-19 community vaccination strategy and addressing vaccine and health equity in the local community.

EBNHC has played an outsized role in fighting this pandemic. Every day, I see the incredible, difficult and lifesaving work our staff perform for our patients and community, said Wilmot, president and CEO of EBNHC. The health center has been a cornerstone in our community for more than 50 years and I look forward to continuing to work alongside our Board of Directors, our communitys leaders, and the EBNHC team to serve our neighborhoods, our patients, and our amazing staff.

Prior to serving as interim president & CEO of the Health Center, Wilmot served as senior vice president, chief operating officer and executive director of Neighborhood PACE, part of the national Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly network.

As the former leader of the Health Centers Neighborhood PACE Program, Wilmot led the division to over 48 percent growth, and the Program now boasts a 95 percent satisfaction score among the highest in the nation. As Chief Operating Officer, Wilmots role in executing EBNHCs COVID-19 community vaccination strategy resulted in more than 150,000 doses administered in communities hit hardest by the pandemic.

Additionally, Wilmot shares the Board of Directors deep commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; in the wake of the national reckoning on racial injustice, Wilmot led EBNHCs Racial Equity Project, bringing an intentional and strategic focus to the health centers efforts to address Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion as a healthcare institution, business leader, and community partner.

Greg has made a considerable positive impact on staff and patients, serving the health center and our patients since 2017. He has done an exceptional job as interim president and CEO. He has a true commitment to advance the health and equity our patients and our health center. We know histransition to the president and CEO will be a smooth one as he continues to lead us during one ofthe most extraordinary times in EBNHCs history. I look forward to partnering with Greg to continually provide the best care to our patients said Dr. Jackie Fantes, MD, FAAFP, and Chief Medical Officer.

Prior to joining EBNHC in 2017, Wilmot worked at AllWays Health Partners, a member of Mass General Brigham, where he led the organizations MassHealth Accountable Care Organization strategy and operations. Additionally, Wilmot previously served as Boston Medical Centers director of business development, where he partnered with clinical and administrative leaders at the hospital and across key partners to create new opportunities for growth and expand clinical services and quality goals. Wilmot also worked for former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patricks Executive Office of Health and Human Services as senior advisor and director of strategy and performance management and held various operational and management roles at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts.

Wilmot holds a BA in Psychology from Boston College, and an MBA from Northeastern University.

Wilmot resides in Framingham, Massachusetts with his wife Romina and their two daughters.

TheEast BostonNeighborhood Health Center (EBNHC) has been a vital part of its community for the last 50 years, providing easily accessible, high-quality health care to all. EBNHCs service area includes East Bostonand the surrounding communities ofChelsea, Revere, Everett, Winthrop, and Bostons Roxbury and South End neighborhoods.EBNHC employs approximately 1,500 employees and handles over 500,000 visits per year more than any other ambulatory care center in New England.

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In full transparency, the press release & photo were submitted to SOURCE media for publication.

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Framingham Resident Wilmot New CEO of East Boston Neighborhood Health Center Framingham SOURCE - framinghamsource.com

PALMETTO, Fla. >> Fred Hodges can still remember the names and faces of neighbors who are long gone.

There was Irving, who adopted his lifelong partner, Ron, so they could have some sort of legal recognition while same-sex marriage was still banned in Florida.

There was Emery, a doctor who advocated for the health of coal miners and AIDS patients and eventually was slain in what was rumored to be a hate crime.

And there was Jan, who died of lung cancer last year without any known relative. Hodges paid a private investigator in Indiana to find the beneficiary named in his 20-year-old will.

Its bad when you live by yourself and you dont have anybody, said Hodges, whose partner of nearly a half-century died in 2019. Which is why, here in the Palms, were a family.

The Palms of Manasota, nestled inside a sun-kissed side street in Palmetto, was touted 20-some years ago as Americas first retirement community for LGBTQ people.

Were still here, said Hodges, who is 71. But the number of LGBTQ residents is dwindling.

Thats straight, he said, gesturing toward a nearby home. Then he pointed to the next one: Thats straight.

He stopped by a For sale sign in Carols yard, which could lead to another straight person moving in.

A radical idea

Walking into the Palms of Manasota is like entering a postcard for Florida living.

Spanish moss adorns every oak tree, and manicured palms line the streets. A pool with a fountain, complete with a single turtle, tops it off.

In the mid-1990s a retired psychology professor named Bill Laing bought roughly 22 acres of land south of Tampa.

Inspired by a friend who had faced discrimination at his nursing home after disclosing his sexuality, Laing envisioned a place where members of the LGBTQ community could live out their later years in safety among their peers.

It was radical. Newspapers around the globe from The Wall Street Journal to The Economist reported on construction of the nations first alternative lifestyle retirement village.

Its going to have to be gays and lesbians or people who understand the lifestyle, Laing told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune in 1994. Were not going to turn anyone away.

Laing, who was gay, lived in the community until his death in 2000.

When Hodges and his partner, John, moved into the Palms in 2002, there were 21 single-family homes and six condominiums, The Economist reported, with plans to bring in another 250 people.

Subtlety was the word from the start. Early homeowner bylaws forbid residents from putting up flags of any kind, according to Hodges.

The original owners here came to escape the prejudices of being gay and lesbian, he said. Its not a gated community, so they did not want to advertise, Homosexuals live here. Beat us up!

Originally, Laing planned to build an assisted-living facility inside the Palms so residents could age in place.

But the developers who took over after Laings death filed for bankruptcy in 2010, halting construction on the property. The undeveloped land was sold to the bank, where it remained dormant until it was bought by Meridian General Contracting in 2020.

It was a dream

Many retirement communities designed for LGBTQ seniors that sprang up in the wake of the Palms have struggled financially.

But theres growing interest in and need for LGBTQ-specific housing, according to Sydney Kopp- Richardson, director of the National LGBTQ Elder Housing Initiative at SAGE.

An estimated 7 million LGBTQ people will be over the age of 50 by 2030.

These seniors particularly transgender elders and older adults of color are at heightened risk of experiencing violence, lack of familial support and economic instability, Kopp-Richardson said. Many LGBTQ elders report fearing theyll face discrimination and have to re-closet themselves upon entering a retirement community.

All of these factors magnify the isolation that is already huge for seniors, Kopp-Richardson said. So an affinity-based space with your peers, in your community, can really help with your social, mental and physical health.

Retirement communities designed for LGBTQ seniors face a delicate balance, however. Under the federal Fair Housing Act, a community cannot keep someone from moving in because of their sexual orientation.

You cant enforce that only LGBTQ people live there or give LGBTQ elders priority, said Kopp-Richardson. So if there isnt intentional marketing, outreach and sustained programming, theres no assurance that that space will stay LGBTQ-friendly or affirming.

Exactly when Palms properties stopped being advertised as part of an LGBTQ retirement hub is up for debate. Gay and lesbian residents say things changed gradually once the bank took over.

Whoever bought after that was straight, pretty much, said Mary Cumisky, 80, a homeowner since 2002 who identifies as lesbian. One after the other.

One thing is clear: The land that used to comprise The Palms of Manasota wont be advertised as an LGBTQ retirement community in the future.

That question never entered our minds, said Kelly Frye, president of Meridian General Contracting. We understand that the LGBTQ community is as equal as any other human on the face of the planet. We just market to human beings. If you want to live there, youre free and welcome to.

We care for each other

But a remnant of the old days remains.

Its Friday at 5 p.m., and six neighbors are meeting for weekly happy hour at Cumiskys house she has the lanai that overlooks the pond, after all.

Most of them are members of the LGBTQ community, but a straight neighbor who recently lost her husband also joins.

Sometimes it does turn into group therapy, Cumisky said.

Old people talking about their problems! Hodges said with a chuckle. Real exciting group.

No, no, I thought it was important because we all live by ourselves, and we dont get a chance to talk deeply about things, Cumisky said.

Its big because Im by myself, she said. Youre by yourself. Sandy has a family but theyre not around.

Hank is by himself, Ron is by himself, Paulines by herself, Hodges added.

An all-LGBTQ retirement community might be no more, but the concept of chosen family lives on in the Palms.

When I had to have my hip replaced last February, I didnt have anybody at all to help take care of me, Hodges said. And Mary was my nurse. She actually used to be a psychiatric nurse.

It was very appropriate, Cumisky said, laughing. We have a good life. We really do have a good life.

We care for each other, Hodges agreed.

Its whats left of the Palms, the original idea, added Cumisky. We still have the feeling for it and for each other.

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The retirement community in Florida was touted as being the first for LGBTQ people in the country - Honolulu Star-Advertiser