Category Archives: Intentional Communities

As we near the end of a turbulent redistricting process, a major takeaway is that many diverse, underrepresented communities were let down by the commission. And once again, the consequences are especially dire for UC San Diego students.

The final district lines cut the UC San Diego campus in half; the campus west of the Interstate 5, where more than 10,000 undergraduate students live, has been severed from graduate housing and major student population centers to the east. The commission by a 6-3 vote deliberately chose to force these undergraduate students to share representation with La Jolla with residents who live in homes valued from $1 million to $20 million despite calls to move the campus to a different district.

Meanwhile, students are still struggling to afford rising rents.

The housing crisis has forced many students to take drastic measures. A friend of mine lives in a repurposed living room and pays almost $1,000 a month in rent. The chair of the San Diego Housing Commission recently testified that the agency is receiving requests from local universities to assist with providing additional safe overnight parking lots due to the skyrocketing number of students living in cars.

This crisis did not occur overnight, nor does it just affect students. Decades of intentional policies actively excluded students and other low-income communities from wealthy, coastal, single-family home neighborhoods. La Jolla explicitly prohibited racial groups it labeled undesirables from living in the community for many decades.

When housing discrimination became illegal in 1968, La Jolla used local zoning and land-use laws to accomplish the same objectives disguised as concerns for community character or the environment. Just last year, a La Jolla group led a lawsuit against UC San Diegos Innovation Center, which included 2,000 new student housing units, despite the site being located in University City and falling outside of La Jollas planning boundaries. The same group became highly visible in the redistricting process, insisting that UC San Diego and all its surrounding neighborhoods belonged to City Council District 1.

Out of desperation, UC San Diego students organized around a simple idea: We must be drawn into a council district with similar communities who are willing to work with us to pursue housing and transportation solutions. To our great encouragement, the communities of District 6 welcomed us with open arms, in sharp contrast to La Jolla. Together, we organized more than 40 community-based organizations to create and support the San Diego Communities Collaboration map. This was the only map that did justice for San Diegos diverse communities by creating five districts where people of color are the majority.

Instead of a new persons of color majority district consisting of Clairemont, Linda Vista, and Serra Mesa, the commission voted to maintain the status quo by giving the coastal region two districts. By splitting our campus, they diluted student voting power and reduced the likelihood of our needs being taken seriously. Their adopted map also lowered Asian American and Pacific Islander percentages in District 6 and Latino/a percentages in District 9, relative to the collaboration map they rejected.

These outcomes are not surprising if you consider who the commissioners are and how we got here. Five out of nine of the commissioners are White men over 50, all of whom voted against students. The two commissioners from coastal districts are both republicans, even though the Republican Party makes up less than 25 percent of each district. The Chairman, Tom Hebrank, is also a Republican who formerly served on the Board of the Lincoln Club. He is from District 9, which is only 13 percent Republican.

These commissioners simply do not reflect the diversity of San Diego, nor the experiences of most residents, and repeatedly proved themselves incapable of putting aside their own biases for the good of the city. No wonder the Commission has been incapable of handling the complex racial dynamics at the center of redistricting.

We cannot allow this to happen again in 10 years. Therefore, students intend to partner with other marginalized communities to pursue reforms to the redistricting process through a city charter amendment in 2022. Here are some reform ideas:

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The Redistricting Process Favored the Status Quo, Again. That Needs to Change. Voice of San Diego - Voice of San Diego

Mall of America just hired their first black Santa

Mall of America has hired their first black Santa!

Time

Every year at Christmastime, were greeted by the same image: a lily-white, bearded man in a red suit. But the Santa at my house looks a bit different.

Our family hosts the annual Christmas party for our local Sri Lankan American community. My mom spends a week cooking. I spend hours a day writing Christmas cards. And then, when the day comes, we fish a bright red Santa suit out of storage and hand it to an uncle, who transforms into our Sri Lankan Santa before the kids scramble to the tree.

In a world where white is always the default, our Santa defies this status quo and gives the children in our community a rare opportunity to see a Santa that looks like them. Seeing their joy as they run up to a Santa who is part of their community, who sings our Sri Lankan songs and eats our food at our Christmas table, is always the best part of the holidays.

My name is Christine Fernando, and I'm a News Now reporter at USA TODAY, where I report breaking and trending news, as well as stories focusing on race and communities of color. Id like to welcome you to this weeks "This Is America," a newsletter about race, identity and how they shape our lives.

Important stories of the past week, from USA TODAY and other news sources.

More than 75% of Santas are white, according to the 2021 version of an annual "Red Suit Survey" byNational Santaand researchers from the University of Tennessee, Northern Illinois University and Oregon State University. Out of 376 Santas, four were Hispanic or Latino, four were Native American, two were Black and none were Asian. Almost 19% of Santas surveyed did not provide their race.

While most Americans see white Santas in malls, white angels on their trees, and white nativity scenes propped up at church, others have been doing the work to give Santa a long overdue makeover and to help move toward a future where even our mythical characters can reflect the diversity of our communities.

When he worked as a photographer for a Santa at a local mall, Stafford Braxton, CEO and head elf at Santas Just Like Me, would always get questions about when they would get a Black Santa. The malls management didnt seem interested in making that a reality.

"I realized this was something I may have to just do on my own, he said.

For Braxton, it was glaringly obvious that Black families were absent in portrayals of Christmas in the media. Instead, many representatives of Black communities are based on negative stereotypes, he said.

And our children grew up seeing that, Braxton said. So we have to be intentional in putting positive images in front of that child to show them the reality. I wanted to show Black Santa as a positive image in the Black community.

By connecting families with Santas of color, Braxton said he hopes to boost childrens self-image and expand the diversity we see around Christmas.

Jihan Woods, founder of the app Find Black Santa, created it in 2018 because she couldnt find a Black Santa for her sons.

I searched everywhere to find a Black Santa for my boys and had no luck, she said.

Now, she said her mission is to provide families with access to positive cultural imagery, diversify the meaning of Christmas and spread joy each holiday season.

Having a Black Santa creates an opportunity for parents and caregivers to resist the status quo, she added.

Despite a dearth in representation in the past, Woods is seeing progress. Over the years, shes seen more Black Santas in malls or featured in merchandise, gift wrapping and commercials than ever before.

But with progress comes backlash.

In 2013, former Fox News host Megyn Kelly sparked a heated debate after she declared Santa just is white.The same week, a New Mexico high school teacher faced disciplinary action for telling a Black student who dressed up as Santa, Dont you know Santa Claus is white?

Years later, in 2016, a Black Santa came to Minnesotas Mall of America for the first time ever. And unsurprisingly, racists freaked out and spewed hate online. More recently, a Black family in Arkansas received an angry, anonymous note last year demanding they take down their Black Santa display, though their neighbors responded by putting up their own Black Santas.

Despite these reactions, St. Nicholas, who was born around 280 A.D. in what is now Turkey, wasnt the white-skinned, Eurocentric depiction many of us may assume he was.

Still, as children of color are inundated with one representation of what Santa looks like, their reaction to a non-white Santa may reflect the whiteness around them.

There have been years when Ill introduce a child in our community to our brown Santa, and theyll tell me Thats not Santa because he doesnt look like the Santa they are used to seeing.Even with our best efforts, its easy for children to reject the notion that Santa can look like them because thats what theyve been taught.

Braxton, from Santas Just Like Me, said hes had similar conversations with children.

We get kids who straight-up tell us that Santa's not Black, he said. Then we explain to them that Santa has the ability to become all things to all people.

Patrick Moss, akaSanta Pat at the Santa Experience in Mall of America, said he too sees children who doubt hes the real thing.

I simply smile then tug at my natural beard with a wink, he said.

The magic of Santas of color isnt just for the children. Its also for the adults who never had a Santa who looked like them.

Growing up, the only Santas I ever saw were white until we started our Sri Lankan Santa tradition about a decade ago. A childhood without a non-white Santa made it even more special to me to help bring a Santa of color to children in my community.

Braxton tells the story of a grandmother who saw her grandchilds photos with a Black Santa in 2019. The next day, she showed up to the venue with tears in her eyes. At 73 years old, she had never seen a Black Santa. Braxton took her picture with Santa for free.

I knew that at this moment right now, this is where I'm supposed to be in front of this woman who is in tears experiencing something she had never had the opportunity to ever in her life,he said.

Thats the power of Santa if were conscious of who we portray him to be.

There's room enough in the heart of Christmas for all cultures, all communities, Braxton said. Everyone deserves a Santa they can identify with.

Contact News Now Reporter Christine Fernando at cfernando@usatoday.com or follow her on Twitter at @christinetfern.

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This is America is a weekly take on current events from a rotating panel of USA TODAY Network journalists with diverse backgrounds and viewpoints. If you're seeing this newsletter online or someone forwarded it to you,you can subscribehere.If you have feedback for us, we'd love for you todrop it here.

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This is America: Santas of color are the most magical part of my Christmas experience. We need more of them. - USA TODAY

CN+R STAFF REPORTS

Just over a year ago, 90-year-old Margaret Keenan rolled up her sleeve at a British hospital and made history: she became the first person, outside a clinical trial, to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.

Eight billion doses later, the vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca Plc, Johnson & Johnson and others have significantly reduced hospitalizations and deaths in countries where theyve been rolled out widely. Although more than 5 million have died during the pandemic, vaccines are credited with saving lives and reducing the severity of illness from the vaccinated whove experienced breakthrough cases.

To mark the approaching one-year anniversary of the administering of the first vaccines in Chatham County, the News + Record spoke with Mike Zelek, the director of the Chatham County Public Health Department. The goal: to look back on the past year, to assess efforts to reduce COVID in Chatham County, and in the age of Omicron cast a cautious look ahead.

Adaptability. No public health department in the last century has dealt with something of the magnitude and longevity of COVID-19, including an unprecedented vaccination campaign that is now a year in. From the earliest days of mass vaccination clinics and priority groups to the current focus on booster shots and vaccines for younger children, we have had to evolve many times throughout the last 12 months. I think back to the first months of the vaccine being available and how hectic that was, and Im thankful for how far weve come. These safe and effective vaccines are now available at many locations across the county with three different vaccine options to choose from. Were not in the same place we were a year ago.

Most of the Chatham community is now vaccinated against COVID-19, and that is a remarkable achievement. Im so thankful for all our staff, healthcare workers, community partners, and Chatham residents for their dedication and support. I am also grateful to public health professionals around the world for the work theyve done. We will never know exactly how many lives were saved because of these vaccines, but all that challenging work was worth it because of each of those lives. Chatham residents are alive today because of COVID-19 vaccines.

While we administered our first COVID-19 vaccines in late December, our first mass vaccination clinic was on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, January 18th. To many, this is a day of community service, and the service of our staff, along with dozens of volunteers, to begin vaccinating a community against a pandemic on a holiday is something I will always remember. While we couldnt see at that point where things would be a year later, this was clearly a pivotal moment in our pandemic response.

I cant say enough about our staff. Weve got so many highly skilled public health professionals from different disciplines and backgrounds, and theyve come through time and time again to keep the Chatham community safe and healthy.

From our clinic team who administered shots and entered data, to environmental health and administration staff who planned the clinics and built an online appointment system on the heels of a cyberattack, to health promotion and policy staff who coordinated call centers and promoted the clinics, it really was a full team effort. I like to say public health is a team sport, and it takes and entire community to respond to a pandemic. Every one of these clinics required so many people to pull them off, including partners like the Ag Center, Emergency Management, the Chatham Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), N.C. National Guard, county staff, medical volunteers, and the Sheriffs Office, just to name a few.

In the months since those first clinics, we have conducted many outreach clinics at churches and sites across the Chatham community, working closely with partners like Hispanic Liaison and the Council on Aging, set up regularly scheduled events at our clinic in Siler City, and worked with other providers like pharmacies and doctors offices, as well as state-contracted entities like StarMed and Optum, to expand vaccination and testing options around Chatham. As a public health department, we have administered over 8,100 vaccinations. This is a tremendous accomplishment.

Dr. Jesus Ruiz recieves Chatham County's first coronavirus vaccine on Dec. 16, 2020, from Sharon Buchanon, a nurse at Chatham Hospital. / Staff photo by Peyton Sickles

Most public health professionals will tell you they would like to see a higher vaccination rate in their community, and we are no different here in Chatham. That said, were pleased that more than 42,000 Chatham County residents have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and that nearly 40,000 are fully vaccinated. Theyre a critical portion of the more than six million people in North Carolina who have rolled up their sleeves. Thats something we can celebrate. But we cant be complacent. Theres still work to be done, especially with booster shots now recommended.

From the beginning, you spoke about the importance of equity in vaccinations. It was something you as a department highlighted in a press release in early 2020 about how COVID-19 was disproportionately affecting marginalized communities, particularly the Hispanic population. How have you approached equity in vaccinations, and how do you evaluate that part of the work one year in?

Equity is core to public health and has been central to COVID-19 response and vaccination efforts. Focusing on equity requires us to look at the underlying factors, like structural racism, that make some more likely to have access to resources like healthcare than others, and to make intentional efforts working with community partners and community members to address these issues and the resulting disparities. For example, we saw early in the pandemic that Hispanic/Latinx residents were more likely to get COVID-19 and knew an equity-centered approach was key during the vaccination campaign.

When we look at the vaccination rates, thanks to the hard work of so many, we do not now see disparities where we often see them, namely among African-American and Hispanic/Latinx residents. This has been a team effort and follows the lead of the N.C. Dept. of Health and Human Services, who invested in an equity-focused vaccination campaign. Local partners, like The Hispanic Liaison, and many churches have played pivotal roles as well, and we wouldnt be where we are without them.

It takes a village, especially when it comes to health equity. Weve accomplished a lot, but we have more work to do in all areas, particularly in communications and community engagement. This is an ongoing focus of our work, COVID-19 and beyond.

COVID-19 has kept us on our toes for nearly two years, and this remains the case today. Vaccinations continue to be the main focus of our efforts, especially the younger children who recently became eligible and getting more folks a booster shot.

A COVID-19 vaccine is the best tool we have for preventing severe illness and death from this virus, and its been very good at preventing infections as well. Getting vaccinated and getting a booster shot is especially important as we move through winter. We are seeing an uptick in cases and are now back and high community transmission. We are also beginning to see an increase in hospitalizations due to COVID-19.

While there is much we are still learning about Omicron, it reinforces the importance of the strategies we have been talking about for a long time. Omicron does appear to spread more easily than previous variants, including among those who have already had COVID-19 and those who have received two doses of vaccine.

We expect it will show up in Chatham in the near future and will likely account for more and more cases around the state and country. That said, boosters appear to continue to work well, and we expect the vaccine will continue to offer a good amount of protection against severe illness and death. This is ultimately what matters most and what vaccines are designed to do.

For those who are at least six months out from their second dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or two months out from their J&J shot, go ahead and get your booster shot if you have not yet done so. This will boost protection and can bring you some piece of mind as we move through the colder months. While we are eager to get more data on Omicron, we can find some reassurance knowing that we have tools that can help to protect us.

Note: Zelek will be a guest on an upcoming edition of The Chatcast, the new podcast from the News + Record. It will be released on the CN+Rs social media platforms in the coming week.

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ONE YEAR LATER: A reflection on the anniversary of the first COVID vaccines with CCPHD's Mike Zelek - The Chatham News + Record

December 14th, 2021 at 03:58 pm

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) A state Senate redistricting plan is in limbo amid a standoff over Native American priorities for achieving fair representation and efforts by lawmakers to avoid competitive pairing of incumbents in the next election.

The Senate canceled a floor session Monday amid discussions between legislators and Indigenous tribal leaders.

States must redraw their congressional and legislative districts every 10 years to reflect new population numbers, and New Mexico lawmakers are in the midst of a special legislative session on redistricting.

A broad coalition of Native American communities is backing a plan to shore up voting-age, Native American majorities in three state Senate districts in northwestern New Mexico and reinforce robust minority-Indigenous voting blocs in two additional districts.

Left intact, the proposal from Indigenous groups would leave Republican state Sen. Joseph Sanchez of Bosque outside the boundaries of his current district, potentially to compete in a neighboring district against GOP Senate minority leader Greg Baca of Belen.

Leading state legislators including Democratic Senate President Mimi Stewart are backing amendments that diverge from the consensus Native American proposal in an effort to avoid several incumbent pairings.

We tried very hard to maintain the majority of the Native consensus map but deal with issues of pairing and deal with issues of drastic changes to our seats, Stewart told a Senate panel.

Native American leaders emerged Monday from an hours-long meeting with several senators to say the tribes remain steadfast in their recommendations.

The easiest solution is to support the tribal consensus plan, said Casey Douma, a Laguna Pueblo tribal member and co-leader of a redistricting alliance of 19 Indigenous pueblos and the Jicarilla Apache Tribe. To undo that in a very short time negates months of work.

Indigenous leaders say their recommendations emerged from several months of painstaking conversations aimed at preserving communities of common interest and ensuring minority voters have a fair shot at electing candidates of their choice.

Those conversations did not give weight to incumbent politicians and whether they are paired in future elections, noted Acoma Pueblo Gov. Brian Vallo.

State Sen. Harold Pope of Albuquerque urged colleagues Sunday not to tamper with the Native American blueprint for redistricting.

This was a herculean task for our Native American communities to develop this consensus, he said. They worked with us, lets honor it.

The amendments that stray from the Native American recommendations were endorsed on a 7-2 committee vote Sunday with bipartisan support, over emphatic objections by representatives of tribal governments.

New Mexico is home to 23 federally recognized Native American communities. Tribal leaders are seeking to bolster Native American influence in the political process amid dissatisfaction with public education, access to basic household infrastructure and economic opportunities.

Regis Pecos, a former governor at Cochiti Pueblo and advocate for Indigenous educational initiatives, urged legislators to honor tribal recommendations on redistricting, noting New Mexicos leading example in enshrining requirements for tribal consultation into state statute as well as past laws and policies that harmed Native Americans.

I just simply want to reflect on the long history of intentional enactment of laws that have prohibited the speaking of our languages in our schools, the prohibition of the free exercise of religion, the laws and policy disconnecting us from our homelands, Pecos said. You have provided consultation as part of the statutory framework.

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State Redistricting Stalls Amid Standoff Over Tribal Priorities - The Paper

SEATTLE As a child, Allison W. Pride was always fascinated with space. Not the space in a galaxy far, far away but in architecture and design.

It was this fascination that led Pride, lead architect with Seattle Districts design branch, to receive the 2022 Black Engineer of the Year Award (BEYA) in the Modern-Day Technology Leader category a category that recognizes commitment to the future of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) by developing cutting-edge technology or doing research for leading industries.

Founded in 1986, the BEYA is a globally recognized event that celebrates the achievements of people who are underrepresented in STEM fields. Pride and other 2022 awardees will be honored at BEYAs annual awards event in February 2022.

This particular award recognized Prides involvement with several organizations the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Seattle, Women in Design, Seattle Architectural Foundation, National Organization of Minority Architecture Students (NOMAS) and the AIA Diversity RoundTable that support youth and community engagement in STEM or healthcare.

Volunteering began early in her career and continued while overseas with the Japan Engineering District from 2014 to 2018. Upon returning to the U.S., Pride chose a hands-on approach, focusing on professional groups and mentoring girls in minority demographics, to improve representation in the career field.

Architecture has been such a white, male-dominated field, Pride explained. I faced it in school and early in my career. I am encouraged by how many more women are now in this field but know there is much work to be done when it comes to minority representation.

Hands-on volunteering has empowered Pride to host family outreach programs to introduce younger kids and their parents to architecture and design; to give parents resources to support their kids interested in the career or a program; to develop pipeline activities that build connections with colleges and local communities to ensure minority students get support; to meet University of Washingtons College of the Built Environment students and give feedback on their presentations and designs, and to hold minority female panel discussions on diversity and inclusion with local architecture and design firms and private practitioners.

Being nominated and receiving the award was doubly humbling to Pride.

I do my best to work hard every day serving the groups, agencies, and communities we partner withThis award is a reminder to me that the little things I am doing every day DO matter. The challenges will be there but there is always an opportunity to take care in what I do, to be intentional, and to make a positive impact.

Fellow Design Branch architect and colleague Gregory Gobat said he wasnt surprised Pride received the award.

There is no doubt in my mind that Allison has earned every reward she has ever achieved, this one included, Gobat said. She is a natural leader not just for projects she is a part of, but also an emerging leader for our section, our branch and our district. Allison is a proponent of new technologies in the workplace as they relate to producing better quality, better efficiency, and better service overall to our customers, and is receptive to ideas from anyone in any position.

A native of Bellevue, Washington, Pride has been with the district for three and a half years and attributes travelling to sparking her interest in architecture and design.

I felt the difference when I walked into a building with large volumes versus a building that felt tighter and more enclosed, Pride said. I was sensitive to trying to understand why. I was able to travel to Europe as a teen and the first building I walked into was La Catedral de Barcelona. The moment I walked in, I felt its presence, and the intricacy of its detailing was extraordinary. I really felt the experience that the built environment and architecture can bring to people and the communities around it. I loved the idea that I could somehow be a part of that.

A School of Architecture (College of Fine and Applied Arts) at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign graduate, Pride has worked on various projects like the Veterans Affairs Program, a multi-phase partnership program with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and its local medical centers. Pride said this project was especially rewarding to her because she got to bring diverse areas of technical expertise together to design and deliver the program.

She is currently the technical design lead for the Information Systems Facility project at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Tacoma, Washington, a project that aims to consolidate important operations under the Network Enterprise Center (NEC). The project is in the construction phase, the phase Pride admits she enjoys the most, because people can witness the creation of a structure from the ground up.

Gobat said Prides leadership skills empower others to bring their A-Game to the table while honing their specific areas of expertise.

One thing I really appreciate as a project development team member under Allisons leadership is that she gets the ball rolling with conversations, and then empowers colleagues to use their skills and expertise to fill in the gaps. This is a sign of a true team player she knows she has a team with her and doesnt try to do it all on her own, said Gobat.

Rebutting common misconceptions that architects are too serious and inflexible, Pride said, I think we have a lot of fun. She explains, This is a profession where we get to work with many different people and get creative in designing buildings that foster and support spaces where people eat, interact, work, spend time with their families and friends, where they receive care, enjoy recreation, seek entertainment, etc. How cool is that?

Its not all work and no play for Pride, who plays the violin and piano, is fluent in Spanish, is an avid skier and is learning to snowboard. Beyond the architectural community, she supports the districts special emphasis groups (as the African American special emphasis lead), the BEYA conference and the upcoming Women of Color conference, to offer additional support for minorities, strengthen professional and student engagement, and advocate more opportunities for a diverse workforce in the district.

Award aside, Pride said she will continue striving toward excellence in the quality of her work, leadership capabilities, customer service and collaborations with stakeholders and team members.

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Army Corps architect creates space for minority youth; earns Black Engineer of the Year Award - United States Army

As we approach the end of December, its a natural time to look back at the year that was. In 2021, UCLA welcomed students, faculty, staff, alumni and visitors back to our home in Westwood, though of course it wasnt exactly the way things had been.

Different from pre-pandemic times: Masks remain present. Better (much better): UCLA officially opened the Black Bruin Resource Center.

Even with all the changes, UCLA persisted as a force for public good, guided by our mission of teaching, research and service. In the past year,professors continued helping us better understand our world with their research, students kept excelling in ways that make us proud and UCLA showed how it helpsmake Los Angeles a world-class city.

Here we present a look back at some of the most memorable UCLA moments and stories from 2021.

Reed Hutchinson/UCLA

UCLA Chancellor Gene Block welcomed students, faculty and staff back to campus for in-person classes after nearly a year and a half of remote learning with both a hopeful message and a surprise on Bruin Plaza. UCLA also opened two new residence halls, coming closer to fulfilling its promise of providing four years of housing to any first-year student who wants it or two years to any transfer student.

Christina House/Los Angeles Times. Photo use with permission.

UCLA Health oversees the largest adult ECMO program on the West Coast, treating up to 160 people per year. With the only ECMO ambulance in the region, UCLAs mobile team regularly stabilizes and transports patients from every hospital in Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino and Ventura counties.

Blanca is a miracle of medicine, said Dr. Peyman Benharash, the surgical director who led the mobile ECMO team that sped a gravely ill Lopez from Glendale to UCLA in mid-August. After so much sorrow and loss, tonight was something we really needed to see.

Reed Hutchinson/UCLA

Seeing how many people showed up today to a two-hour program gives me so much excitement and hope for what the center is going to be like, said Amanda Finzi-Smith, interim program director of the center, or BBRC. I hope this is the trend: Were happy, excited, we love each other, come into the center and hang out. Thats what I hope is going to happen the rest of the week. If this is just the first one, I can only imagine what the rest of the weeks events are going to be like.

The opening of the Black Bruin Resource Center was the most public of the many ways UCLA furthered its progress toward fulfilling its previously announced commitment to making improving the campus environment for Black Bruins, which were detailed in its Rising to the Challenge announcement in 2020. Also, this yearstaff and faculty in the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies collaborated across campus to build an infrastructure that willsupport faculty hiring, seed grants, graduate student fellowships andpostdoctoral scholarships for scholars whose research serves the study of Black life.

Abraham Ramirez/UCLA

Ivy Reynolds

In 2021, Monti and colleagues reported that two more patients with severe brain injuries both had been in what scientists call a long-term minimally conscious state had made impressive progress thanks to the same technique.

I consider this new result much more significant because these chronic patients were much less likely to recover spontaneously than the acute patient we treated in 2016 and any recovery typically occurs slowly over several months and more typically years, not over days and weeks, as we show, said Monti, a professor of psychology and neurosurgery. Its very unlikely that our findings are simply due to spontaneous recovery.

Les Dunseith/UCLA

Over the next seven years, UCLA will provide 15 new faculty lines balanced across north and south campus for individuals whose teaching, scholarship and/or mentoring has ties to Latinx experiences. Deans of schools and divisions may match these appointments for a total of up to 30 new scholars. In addition, UCLA will support 20 two-year postdoctoral fellowships over the next five years, again balanced across north and south campus, for work related to Latinx issues. We will also establish a new funding pool of $250,000 per year over five years for seed research grants for basic and applied scholarship on Latinx populations.

The Chicano Studies Research Center, led by director Veronica Terriquez, will administer the hiring of faculty and fellows and will manage the seed research grants in collaboration with the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Creative Activities.

UCLA

For the 202021 fiscal year, UCLA received more than 75,000 gifts, nearly 95% of which were less than $10,000. Donors made 34,680 online gifts, and 24,353 alumni gave back to their alma mater. The campus also received 84 gifts of $1 million or more.

From meeting immediate needs to seeding recovery and rejuvenation, UCLAs diversity of donors and their passions and gifts are sustaining and advancing our invaluable work, said Rhea Turteltaub, UCLAs vice chancellor for external affairs. Thanks to their generous support, students, faculty and the campus stand ready to help society reemerge from the pandemic stronger than ever.

Meiko Arquillos

UCLA is also leading the rest of the University of California system in the number of employers registered at its virtual events. While other career centers have seen a decline in events and job offerings, the UCLA Career Center is thriving, scheduling multiple career fairs in various industries from business consulting and management to engineering and technology and registering almost double the number of employers at its events compared to the other UCs.

Leroy Hamilton

Archiving the Age of Mass Incarceration is being funded in part by a three-year, $3.65 million grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and it will bring together expertise from the UCLA Institute of American Cultures four ethnic studies centers and their established connections to local advocacy groups.

The project builds off of the work of the award-winning UCLA-based Million Dollar Hoods research project, a community-driven initiative that began in 2016 to map the fiscal and human cost of mass incarceration in Los Angeles.

Ryan Young

But this is not only a story about health disparities between whites and racial and ethnic minorities in the United States. A deeper look at the data reveals that NHPIs are suffering disproportionately compared not only to white people but also compared to other Asians. In fact, the infection and mortality rates for Pacific Islanders are alarmingly singular.

There are 1.4 million Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders living in the United States. In 11 of the 16 states that track their death rates separately from other Asians, NHPIs are dying at the highest rates of any racial or ethnic group. For doctors, public health experts and, most importantly, the people in those communities, the questions are why, and what can be done?

At UCLA, a groundbreaking study on the tragic impact of COVID-19 on Pacific Islander communities may help researchers and clinicians better understand the viruss effects on this population and provide more focused treatment as the battle against the disease enters a decisive phase.

Photo courtesy of Catharyn Hayne

iStock.com/golero

The initiative is being backed by an initial three-year, $10 million commitment. One of the first manifestations of that investment will be a campuswide organizational structure called DataX Homeworld.

Through DataX Homeworld, UCLA will hire 18 new faculty members whose appointments will be shared with existing academic departments and will create six interdisciplinary DataX cluster courses on topics of societal or scientific importance that will be accessible to students without extensive technical backgrounds. The campus also will support 18 new interdisciplinary postdoctoral fellowships, as well as graduate student researchers and research working groups.

They seek to shine a light on the brutality and inhumanity experienced by Native people at Californias missions during Spanish colonization and beyond. To tell truths about trauma, enslavement, genocide and abuse. The truth around centuries of intentional obfuscations. Truth about the ongoing impact of settler colonialism.

Also:For a bellwether of progress in LGBTQ rights, look to UCLAs Williams Institute

Brett Affrunti

Changes are afoot that could maybe just maybe enable the village to evolve into a lively, college-friendly, 21st-century neighborhood. They range from the pandemic-induced loosening of city restrictions on outdoor dining to the Metro Purple Line stop coming to the intersection of Westwood and Wilshire boulevards. The Hammer Museum at UCLA is remodeling to become more inviting. UCLA is transforming the historic Crest Westwood Theatre south of Wilshire into the Nimoy Theater for live performances. And the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games are coming in 2028.

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The indignities and humiliations Black men even those who have made it regularly endure have long been seen as part and parcel of life in the United States among the Black community, a sort of Black tax that takes a heavy toll on physical and mental health.

A UCLA-led study reveals these hidden costs of being Black in America. Researchers who analyzed a national sample of the views of Black men and white men found that Black men of all income levels reported experiencing higher levels of discrimination than their white counterparts.

Black men face constant experiences of discrimination and disappointment when they try to contribute. They are treated like criminals in a society where they often are not allowed to achieve their full potential, said the studys co-senior author, Vickie Mays, a professor of psychology in the UCLA College and of health policy and management at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.

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The study found that the number of COVID-19 cases doubled and the number of deaths attributable to the disease increased fivefold in the four-month period after eviction moratoriums expired.

Those figures suggest that during the summer of 2020, there were 433,700 more COVID-19 cases and 10,700 more deaths in the U.S. than there would have been had moratoriums continued.

UCLA

The new department brings together the existing departments of Germanic languages, French and Francophone studies, Italian and Scandinavian, but aims to offer a wider and more holistic course of study, focusing on the breadth of languages and cultures across Europe.

The term transcultural emphasizes shared European roots and an expanded focus on the perspectives of filmmakers, writers and theorists from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Central and South America, and elsewhere. This approach allows for a more pointed, rigorous and comprehensive understanding of history and a more accurate contextualization of the European experience and legacy in the world.

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We build machines based on the materials we have, and steel and rubber have actually worked very well, says Qibing Pei, professor of materials science and engineering. However, were also limited by our materials, and certain jobs are impossible for robots [that exist] right now. So people like me are looking at developing soft materials and devices.

Todays innovators envision soft robots capable of performing tasks that benefit human health and well-being and that advance the discovery of the unknown. Pei and his colleagues are beginning to figure out what those soft robots will be made of, and how they will move.

NASA

Rong Fu, a UCLA professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences and the studys corresponding author, said the trend is likely to worsen in the years ahead. I am afraid that the record fire seasons in recent years are only the beginning of what will come, due to climate change, and our society is not prepared for the rapid increase of weather contributing to wildfires in the American West.

The dramatic increase in destruction caused by wildfires is borne out by U.S. Geological Survey data. In the 17 years from 1984 to 2000, the average burned area in 11 western states was 1.69 million acres per year. For the next 17 years, through 2018, the average burned area was approximately 3.35 million acres per year. And in 2020, according to a National Interagency Coordination Center report, the amount of land burned by wildfires in the West reached 8.8 million acres an area larger than the state of Maryland.

UCLA Athletics

As we honor distinguished African Americans during Black History Month, the UCLA Division of Physical Sciences and the UCLA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry have established a fund to support the departments efforts to advance equity, diversity and inclusion, especially through supporting students from underrepresented backgrounds. To recognize his embodiment of true Bruin spirit, they have named it the James. E. LuValle Fund for Excellence in Chemistry. The division and the department will each match donations to the fund.

Jon Stich

In the beginning, things were working pretty well in terms of outreach, but retention became a big concern, says Charles Alexander, AAP director and associate vice provost for student diversity. At that time, students were getting in, but they werent staying. You can recruit people, but if theyre not prepared to do the work or theyre not able to do the work, then you have to provide some support.

As a result, AAP is an expansive program with a multifaceted mission. The program advocates and facilitates access for students who have been historically underrepresented in higher education through the Vice-Provosts Initiative for Pre-College Scholars program. A partnership between UCLA and Los Angeles County school districts, VIPS assists high school students in becoming competitively eligible for admission to UCLA and other top universities. In addition, AAPs Center for Community College Partnerships works with California community colleges to assist transfer students with academic preparation and competitiveness.

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Not a chance: Animals laugh too, researchers have observed. In an article published in the journal Bioacoustics, graduate student Sasha Winkler and Professor Greg Bryant take a closer look at the phenomenon of laughter across the animal kingdom.

They found such vocal play behavior documented in at least 65 species. That list includes a variety of primates, domestic cows and dogs, foxes, seals, and mongooses, as well as three bird species, including parakeets and Australian magpies.

Courtesy of Scripps Research Institute (Patapoutian), Andrew Brodhead (Imbens)

Alumnus Ardem Patapoutian (pictured at left), a professor of neuroscience at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, shared the prize in physiology or medicine with David Julius, a UC San Francisco professor of physiology, for their discoveries of receptors in the body that respond to temperature and touch.

Patapoutian, who was born in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1967, came to the United States in 1986 and earned his bachelors degree in molecular, cell and developmental biology at UCLA in 1990. His advisor was the late Judith Lengyel, herself a UCLA alumna, who was a professor at UCLA from 1976 to 2004. It was as a UCLA undergraduate that Patapoutian began working in a research laboratory.

Former UCLA faculty member Guido Imbens, right, shared half the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences with Joshua Angrist, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Now a Stanford University professor, Imbens taught at UCLA from 1997 to 2001.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences presented the award to Imbens and Angrist for their methodological contributions to the analysis of causal relationships. The other half of the prize went to David Card of UC Berkeley for his empirical contributions to labour economics.

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Paul Abramson, a UCLA professor of psychology who was hired as an expert by Caldwells legal team to assess the psychological harm Caldwell suffered, conducted 20 extensive interviews with Caldwell between 2015 and 2020, in addition to interviewing prison correctional officers and reviewing court hearings and decisions, depositions, psychological testing results and experts reports.

In a paper published in the peer-reviewed Wrongful Conviction Law Review, Abramson provides an overview of the case and a comprehensive psychological analysis detailing the devastating and ongoing effects of Caldwells wrongful conviction and imprisonment. He also examines the historically contentious relations between police and communities of color and asks why corrupt and abusive officers rarely face punishment for their actions.

Verlena Johnson

But outside of her day job, Johnson is a mixed-media visual artist who creates vivid acrylic and watercolor paintings filled with symbolism. She has a spiritual practice that incorporates Reiki and meditation, has published a childrens book starring her 11-year-old son, Kai, and has been active in promoting diversity on college campuses.

Johnsons paintings are often self-portraits, and many feature her son. She weaves in symbols that relate to her African ancestry, such as Adinkra symbols from Ghana, which are often printed onto fabrics or carved into pottery and carry proverbial meaning.

I remember being in sculpture school as an undergraduate and one of the students, or several of them, asked me why all my subjects were Black. And I looked at them and I said, Well, why are all your subjects white? To which of course they didnt even have a response or answer. But because most of my portraiture are self-portraits, of course theyre going to be Black, she said. Johnson says she recognizes the power of representation and loves celebrating Blackness and Black lives.

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2021 reflections: In an amazing year of achievements, nothing topped the return to campus - UCLA Newsroom

Many small businesses who sell at local farmers markets in Provo feel that social media is a major part of being a successful business.

Data from the Pew Research Center said about 84% of adults aged 18-29 use at least one social media site, which is why many businesses see social media marketing as a now essential part of their business strategy.

According to a 2019 study done by Buffer, it comes as no surprise to find that many businesses use social media as a marketing tool in this era of internet grown and increasing social media popularity.

The Buffer study was on 1,800 marketers from businesses of all sizes, across a range of industries. The data showed 89% of marketers see social media marketing as an important part of their overall strategy. Additionally, 73% of marketers in this study feel that social media marketing has been somewhat effective or very effective for their business.

During the rise of COVID-19, many businesses found that they had to move into online venues such as Instagram or shop sites to keep sales going. This push, along with the general shift towards online entrepreneurship, has created more digital commerce and businesses on social media than ever before, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.

Some small businesses were just getting started when the pandemic hit. Tayla Chapa, the owner of the Provo-based earring company Feminiscence, found that COVID-19 wasnt all bad for her business.

Starting out, social media was great. It helped me reach people that I wouldnt have reached during a pandemic, Chapa said. Simply put, I dont think my business would be what it is today without the pandemic.

Social media apps like TikTok and Instagram are Feminiscences biggest platforms, with one video in August gaining 12.4 million views on TikTok. The video format of these platforms allows Chapa to give updates to people interested in her products, while also allowing her to make connections and bring in people who want to be involved in her brand.

Ive shipped to Norway, the UK and Australia. My business reaches people throughout the world because of social media, Chapa said.

Chapas sudden spotlight provided many surprises along with monetary benefits. She described how she now gets thousands of people reaching out and wanting to not only support her business, but tell their story and talk about historical women and the issues that modern-day women face.

I knew that social media connects people, but Ive seen it firsthand in my life, Chapa said. Its so touching to see that social media has helped my brand to get out there to people and start conversations, because thats all Ive really ever wanted.

Asher Head, founder of the apparel story Finally At Peace, also found more of a community online than he was expecting. Originally, when starting his business, he was afraid people wouldnt see the point of his business or that he would face backlash but that never ended up happening. Instead, he was able to connect with other people who are in similar situations and are backing similar causes.

The biggest benefit (of social media) is being able to find a community I didnt think existed, Head said.

Hannah Brooks, Brigette Eagar and Rachel Gartz run an eclectic design-based booth together at the Provo Farmers Market called Collect Ave. They too, like Chapa and Head, have found support and community through their business social media, according to Brooks.

(Social media) keeps people aware of us, Brooks said. Weve had a really cool community rise up.

While all three partners have had experience working for social media before, the trio have had to learn how to balance in-person experiences with their online shop and keeping up with both customers and online algorithms, Brooks said.

Its definitely more of a process than we expected. We have to be really intentional about, like: OK we need to start promoting our market right now, Brooks said.

Provo business Terra Therapi sells decor and mental health resources and has been learning how to balance the necessary elements that come with an online presence. Terra Therapi was created by Hailey Nordwald and has been on Instagram since 2019. Since then, Nordwald said she has gained further understanding of the capabilities of social media.

There really isnt any magic to it. Its just knowing all the details that all contribute to being successful with it, Nordwald said. Theres a lot to it.

The work pays off though, and Nordwald said she has been able to use the reception her business has to gauge customer interest and guide future business decisions.

While COVID-19 and the move to more online sales has provided success for some business owners, certain side effects have caused growing pains for other small businesses.

Lin Flores, the founder of lincpoetry, described how isolating and difficult running a small business in the midst of a pandemic can be.

I had to do everything alone. I had to figure out how to make products alone and it was difficult to learn that all by myself, Flores said. That was the hardest part.

While social media has benefited many small business owners, the learning curve for those trying to do it all themselves is a steep one. Flores described that if the pandemic had not struck when it did, she could have easily hired some help or met other entrepreneurs in a similar stage of starting their business.

I just relied on myself a lot, Flores said.

Flores emphasized the importance of in-person contact for businesses, and how that can diminish with the limited contact social media facilitates between entrepreneurs and customers.

I think when you meet someone, you can see what they have to offer. On social media, its just another pretty person with a cool shirt on, Flores said. (Social media) doesnt feel as authentic as when I meet someone in person and pitch them my product.

Authenticity and creating a connection between businesses and customers is a common balance that business owners have to learn how to strike, according to a 2014 study of 12,000 respondents by Cohn & Wolfe.

Christine Leaming, the owner of The Stimmy Store at the Provo Farmers Market, values authenticity so she said she doesnt use social media in the traditional way that other businesses might.

I dont know if (social media) brings in business so much as it gives people a way to communicate with me directly, Leaming said.

The in-person experience is important to Leaming, so much so, that The Stimmy Store does not have an online equivalent. She prefers to provide her products only in-person for the local Provo community, rather than prioritizing her online presence or business social media accounts.

I think thats why I dont really rely a lot on social media, because it doesnt feel authentic to me, Leaming said. You get what you see, and I dont want to do anything thats fake.

While these small business owners described their struggles with beating algorithms, making ads, staying authentic and figuring out the new and ever-growing world of business on social media, each entrepreneur emphasized the importance of the communities they found online and how community is what kept their small business thriving.

With social media, I think its really cool to see people come together, Head said. It really is a tool to build community and safe spaces for people.

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Social media and small businesses: The good, the bad and the authentic - The Daily Universe - Universe.byu.edu

Atlantas Historic Westside residents and business owners have long been denied place-based equity and economic mobility. With intentional action supported by resources from organizations like PNC, we are making a measurable impact on racial equity.

ATLANTA (PRWEB) December 14, 2021

The PNC Foundation announced a $750,000 grant to Westside Future Fund (WFF) to support the nonprofits mission of investing in affordable housing and Black entrepreneurs on Atlantas Historic Westside.

WFFs flagship program, Home on the Westside, is designed to drive equitable and inclusive community retention on the Historic Westside through access to safe, quality housing that is attainable for all residents, whether they rent or buy. The PNC Foundations three-year grant will help provide down payment assistance for homebuyers in the community and underwrite the cost to redevelop six multifamily properties owned by WFF. As part Home on the Westside efforts to provide more affordable housing options while fostering a renewed sense of community, WFF hopes to have the six renovated properties ready for residents within the next year.

One of the most significant barriers to housing affordability in Atlanta is the lack of tax abatements for longtime, lower-income homeowners who often face higher property taxes as investments pour into Westside neighborhoods. By working with WFF, PNC is providing a pipeline of much-needed capital to support housing affordability for current residents, eliminate displacement for future renters and homebuyers, and encourage small business development in impacted communities, said Eddie Meyers, PNC regional president for Greater Georgia.

PNC Foundations donation also will help Westsides Black business owners achieve success while remaining a vital part of the local economy. WFF will partner with both the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs and the Village Micro Fund to deliver low-cost/no-cost capital to Black-owned businesses and microbusinesses, with awards ranging from $25,000 to $75,000. The Program Related Investment (PRI) grant recipients will be announced in January 2022.

A series of ongoing employee volunteer opportunities will further enhance PNCs commitment to help create a better future for Atlantas Historic Westside. PNCs latest grant to WFF is part of a broader commitment of more than $1 billion PNC has made to help end systemic racism and support economic empowerment of African Americans and low- and moderate-income communities.

Atlantas Historic Westside residents and business owners have long been denied place-based equity and economic mobility, said John Ahmann, president and chief executive officer of the Westside Future Fund. However, with intentional action supported by resources from organizations like PNC, we are making a measurable impact on racial equity by delivering safe, quality, affordable housing and economic opportunities in a crucial area of our city where 52% of residents live below the poverty line.

About PNC FoundationThe PNC Foundation, which receives its principal funding from The PNC Financial Services Group, actively supports organizations that provide services for the benefit of communities in which it has a significant presence. The foundation focuses its philanthropic mission on early childhood education and community and economic development, which includes the arts and culture. Through Grow Up Great, its signature cause that began in 2004, PNC has created a bilingual $500 million, multi-year initiative to help prepare children from birth to age 5 for success in school and life.

About Westside Future FundWestside Future Fund (WFF) is a nonprofit formed by Atlantas public, private and philanthropic partners who believe in the future of Atlantas Westside and are committed to helping Historic Westside neighborhoods revitalize and develop into a community Dr. King would be proud to call home. WFF serves as a community quarterback organization for the holistic redevelopment of English Avenue, Vine City, Ashview Heights, Atlanta University Center, Just Us and the Booker T. Washington neighborhoods. In collaboration with residents, community leaders, and a wide variety of public and private partners, WFF is driving change by focusing on four impact areas: mixed-income communities; cradle-to-career education; community health and wellness; and safety and security. Grounded in a compassionate approach to revitalization aimed at community retention, the organization is focused on creating a diverse mixed-income community, improving quality of life, and elevating and celebrating the Historic Westsides unique history and culture. For information about WFF, visit http://www.westsidefuturefund.org.

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Suicide and intentional self-harm are complex and can have multiple contributing factors, yet with timely and appropriate interventions they may be preventable.

The AIHW recognises that each of the numbers reported here represents an individual. The AIHW acknowledges the devastating effects suicide and self-harm can have on people, their families, friends and communities.

This page discusses suicide and presents material that some people may find distressing. If this report raises any issues for you, these services can help:

Crisis support services can be reached 24 hours a day.

Mindframe is a national program supporting safe media coverage and communication about suicide, mental ill health, and alcohol and other drugs. Mindframe reminds media and communications professionals accessing this page to be responsible and accurate when communicating about suicide, as there is a potential risk to vulnerable audiences. Context is therefore important. Resources to support reporting and professional communication are available at: mindframe.org.au

See Improving suicide and intentional self-harm monitoring in Australia in Australias health 2020: data insightsfor information on how suicide data can be improved.

Suicide is the act of deliberately killing oneself (WHO 2014), while intentional self-harm is deliberately causing physical harm to oneself but not necessarily with the intention of dying. The latest statistics on suicide and intentional self-harm are presented, including incidence, trends over time and variations by sex, age and state/territory of usual residence. The main source of data is the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) national Causes of Death data set which presents deaths statistics based on year of registration of death. In this data set deaths are classified as suicide if the available evidence indicates the death was from intentional self-harm and are compiled based on the state or territory of usual residence of the deceased, regardless of where in Australia the death occurred and was registered (ABS 2019). See Causes of death.

The ABS collects demographic and cause of death information on all registered deaths in Australia from the states and territories. For reportable deaths (including deaths by suicide), causes of death are coded using information (coronial findings, autopsy, toxicology and police reports) from the National Coronial Information System (NCIS) database. As coronial processes can be lengthy and often not closed at the time ABS cause of death processing is finalised, the ABS undertakes initial processing with subsequent revisions. This enables coroners cases that remain open to be coded (using the World Health Organization International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th revision, known as ICD-10) as intentional self-harm (X60X84, Y87.0) if evidence available on the NCIS indicates the death was from suicide. However, if insufficient information is available, less specific ICD-10 codes are assigned. These cases are then reviewed 12 and 24 months after initial processing so that any change in information regarding the deceaseds intention to die can be updated. For the 2019 ABS Causes of Death release, 2018 and 2017 data are considered preliminary, 2016 data are revised and 20092015 data are final. Although many of the statistics presented here are preliminary, the observed patterns of distribution (for example, age and sex) described in this article are consistent with those observed for finalised deaths by suicide from 2009 to 2015.

In 2018, 3,046 deaths by suicide were registered in Australiaan average of about 8 deaths per daymore than two and a half times that of the national road toll in the same year (1,135 road deaths) (BITRE 2019).

Suicide was the leading cause of death among people aged 1544 in 20162018. See Causes of death. To some extent, this is due to the sound physical health of people in these age groups, with chronic diseases only beginning to feature more prominently among people aged over 45 (AIHW 2019).

Nonetheless, deaths by suicide are statistically rare events, with an age-standardised suicide rate of 12.1 deaths per 100,000 population in 2018.

Suicide and self-inflicted injuries was the third leading cause of premature death from injury or disease in 2015 (Figure 1), accounting for an estimated 5.7% of the total fatal burden of disease in Australia. The total years of life lost (YLL) due to suicide and self-inflicted injuries was estimated to be 134,100 years, behind coronary heart disease (262,000) and lung cancer (154,400) (AIHW 2019). Males experienced almost 3 times the fatal burden from suicide and self-inflicted injuries that females did (100,300 versus 33,800 YLL) (AIHW 2019).

Fatal burden is a measure of the years of life lost in the population due to dying from injury or disease. The YLL associated with each death is based on 2 factors: the age at which death occurs and the life expectancy (according to an aspirational life table)which is the number of remaining years that a person would, on average, expect to live from that age. The YLL is calculated by adding the number of deaths at each age, multiplied by the remaining life expectancy for each age of death.

Injuries or diseases that usually cause deaths at younger ages (for example, suicide and self-inflicted injuries) have a much higher average YLL per death than those that tend to cause deaths at older ages (for example, stroke and chronic kidney disease). Therefore, similar amounts of fatal burden can result from a small number of deaths occurring at young ages and a large number of deaths occurring at older ages.

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More than 200 Maryland nonprofits have banded together to request at least $1 billion of a projected budget surplus be distributed to the states nonprofit community. At an early December press conference, representatives from several organizations presented their rationales. Arguments ranged from increased demand for services during the pandemic to enhanced strain on nonprofit workers to the idea that nonprofit work is still work and cannot be sustained by the volunteer model.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan recently announced the $2.5 billion surplus, which was effective as of the end of the states fiscal year on June 30, 2021. But the nonprofits are looking at an even larger number a projected $4.2 billion surplus expected as of June 30, 2022 due to revenue streams running ahead of estimates.

When the surplus was announced, Hogan offered a five-point plan for it. Uses included increasing the states Rainy Day Fund, offering tax relief to retirees, providing direct tax relief for all Marylanders, giving supplemental aid to struggling Marylanders and providing enhancements for state employees.

But leadership from among the states 32,000+ nonprofits believe the rainy day is now, and that the states surplus would be well invested in nonprofit activities. In an open letter to Hogan, Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford, Comptroller Peter Franchot, Treasurer Nancy N. Kopp, Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson and Maryland House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones, the nonprofit leaders requested:

According to a spokesperson from Maryland Nonprofits, the governors office has acknowledged receipt of the letter and has scheduled a meeting with nonprofit sector representatives later this month.

Nonprofit leaders largely abandoned the measured tones of the letter during the press conference. [There] are some real long-term impactful problems that are impacting people in a way we really have not yet seen, Nonprofit Prince Georges County Executive Director Tiffany Turner said. This isnt a charitable deed we are asking. This is done from a place of a righteous request. Our nonprofits are suffering. Our communities are hurting. Were not telling you what we can do. We have shown what we have done throughout the course of disease higher pandemic. This investment should be deliberate, intentional, transformative and sustainable.

We need more investment in communities like ours, to fill these gaps where we are so vulnerable, Baltimore-based Intersection of Change Executive Director Todd Marcus said. This is that rainy day, Marcus added in a nod to Governor Hogans previously announced plans for the surplus. We ask that these funds go into our communities of need to the nonprofits that are doing this critical work.

Baltimore-based Maryland Latinos Unidos Co-founder and Chair Veronica Cool led those gathered at the press event through an exercise, asking who would volunteer half an hour to do volunteer work. She then asked about volunteering a Saturday and then a string of 13 Saturdays.

Volunteer work is not sustainable, Cool said. Theres always a need to pay for the services. It should be written into legislation and every budget money for community outreach, and money for language assets, for the things that our community needs. This is how we stop generational poverty. Forget the pandemic, this is supposed to happen every day. But we keep asking our community to step up and give what they do not have.

Cool then broadened her remarks to address a number of parties that could potentially support the nonprofits ask.

Thats your future employees, Cool said. Thats your future customers. Thats whos buying your widget. Thats your future voters. You dont help me today. I dont have to help you tomorrow. And Ill remember that: my people are dying at double and triple the rate because I dont understand what a vaccine is.

Its not a beg, Cool continued. You have the money in the budget. Kindy allocate it so that we can continue doing the work that has been done as a favor. It is not sustainable. For almost two years, youve asked me and my people to do this for free. If theres money there, lets go.

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Nonprofits Want Share of the State Budget Surplus - The NonProfit Times