The Rural Development Institute (RDI), an international non-profit working to secure land rights for the world’s rural poor, has received a $6.7 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to expand its “micro-land ownership” program in India to help landless women and their families achieve food security and escape poverty through access to agricultural services on land as small as 1/10th of an acre.

“Women comprise a significant majority of India’s agricultural labor force, yet they rarely have rights to land and are often among the most vulnerable groups in India,” said Tim Hanstad, president and CEO of the Seattle-based NGO which has been working in India since the late-1990s. Since then, RDI has worked closely with national, state and local governments to secure land rights for India’s rural poor by demonstrating that a little bit of land can yield enormous benefits in terms of food security, shelter, income and status.

“With this investment from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, RDI will be able to deepen its ‘micro-land ownership’ work,” Hanstad said. “Our work has demonstrated that you don’t need large family farms to provide meaningful access to land for the poorest. Even small plots of land provide enormous benefits to India’s poorest citizens, particularly women and girls as millions of female workers make their living as agricultural laborers.”

In India, poverty and hunger are primarily concentrated in rural areas where families rely on agriculture for their nutrition, income and status. With at least 15 million landless rural households in India, the majority of which are agricultural laborers earning less than $1 per day, the need for a program that demonstrates a practical solution that is both politically and financially feasible is paramount.

“Agricultural productivity has a significant impact on the livelihoods of the world’s poorest people,” said Rajiv Shah, director of the Agricultural Development program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “Women provide the majority of agricultural labor but are underrepresented at every level of agricultural development. Helping these smallholder farmers get more from their land can increase their status, income, health, and ultimately empower them to lift themselves and their families out of poverty.”

The grant will allow RDI to focus specifically on helping women in the Indian states of Orissa and West Bengal to obtain ownership of small plots, and maximize the nutritional and income-producing potential of their land.

Hanstad said micro-land ownership in India has proven to be both politically and financially feasible for governments. “It was exciting for RDI, after three years of intensive research and assistance to state and national policy-makers, to see the national government embrace key RDI-proposed reforms through its 11th Five-Year Plan,” he said. “The current Five-Year Plan calls for expanding micro-land ownership across the country, giving it the potential to help five million people – or 1 million families – secure land over the next five years.”

But while the political will is there, RDI has determined that the state government programs are unlikely to reach that potential without external, private assistance to address several limitations. This grant will allow RDI to assist local or state governments to obtain and analyze data needed to effectively plan and implement the programs; to monitor and evaluate the program processes or impacts; to train local officials charged with implementation; to help beneficiaries make the most effective use of their plots through high quality agricultural inputs and extension services, and to link beneficiaries with other government programs that could make the plots more productive.

The Rural Development Institute is an international non-profit working to secure land rights for the world’s poor. Over the past 40 years, RDI has worked in more than 40 countries, helping more than 400 million people attain secure land rights. A global pioneer in using law to create land ownership opportunities, RDI’s collaborations with government partners create leveraged, sustainable and generational poverty alleviation. For every dollar contributed, on average, RDI has helped secure land rights for six families. For more information, visit www.rdiland.org.

Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.

USDA reported today that 36.2 million Americans, including 12.4 million children, are food insecure. The Study paints a stark picture of the pervasiveness of hunger in our nation. But Feeding America, the nation’s leading hunger-relief organization, warns that the actual number of Americans forced to skip meals and survive without adequate nutrition is even greater today, prompting a national appeal for help in feeding hungry men, women and children.“It is important to note that the USDA numbers released today are 2007 figures and do not take into account the unprecedented economic crisis that our country is currently facing,” said Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of Feeding America. “While the numbers reported are tragic, our network typically experiences trends as direct service providers before they are officially reported. We believe that this is just the beginning of a downward trend and we expect things to get worse before they get better.”

“We serve more than 200 food banks that provide food to the vast majority of food pantries, soup kitchens, and emergency feeding centers across the country - more than 63,000 in total,” added Escarra. “These are faith-based organizations, community centers, mobile food pantries set up in parking lots, where more than four million people stand in line every week for just a few bags of groceries to help feed themselves and their families. While emergency food assistance is vital to helping people who have to make tough choices between food and other basic necessities, it’s often times barely enough to make ends meet. We see increases in the number of people in need at the end of the month when our clients have run out of food stamp benefit and spent their meager income on paying necessary bills.”

“Our food banks are calling us every day, telling us that demand for emergency food is higher than it has ever been in our history. They are serving a significant number of new clients - people who were once their donors, middle class workers who can no longer make ends meet, many of the half-million people who have lost their jobs in just the past two months as unemployment has climbed to 6.5 percent,” Escarra said.

Last spring, Feeding America conducted a research study to determine increased need. Across the board, food banks were witnessing an average increased need of nearly 20 percent. In many areas, the percentages were doubled over the previous timeframe in 2007.

“If the data we are reviewing today reflected food insecurity data from the last 12 months, it would be even more shocking,” said Escarra. “Unemployment rates and healthcare costs continue to soar, and there is not an end expected in near sight. The number of middle class working families seeking food is where we are seeing the most growth. We don’t expect the lines to get any shorter at local food pantries anytime soon, and we won’t know how bad it really is until the future USDA numbers is released next year.”
“Hungry Americans and food banks are desperately in need of relief from Congress in an economic recovery package. Food stamp benefits must be increased to enable low-income Americans to purchase adequate food which is a direct economic benefit to the economy. Additionally, food banks inventories are unable to keep pace with the skyrocketing demands for emergency food assistance. We urge Congress to allocate additional dollars for the purchase, storage and transportation of USDA commodities to ensure that our Network is able to continue feeding the millions of additional people in need right now as a result of a weakening economy.”

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) wants to remind parents not to let their guard down or be distracted while traveling or attending public celebrations during this 2008 holiday season. NCMEC today issued child safety tips for parents to keep children safer while shopping and traveling.

Parents need to talk with children about safety before heading out to a busy shopping mall or boarding a plane, train, or bus this holiday season. Crowds are greater this time of year and children may easily become separated from their parents, causing confusion and fear. If that should happen, parents need a plan and children should know what to do.

“Unfortunately many adults and children don’t know what to do if they lose each other in a public place or are faced with other unsafe situations,” said NCMEC President and CEO Ernie Allen. “That’s why the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is offering advice on how to remain safe and avoid panic and potential dangers.”

Allen said that NCMEC urges parents to do the following:

ALWAYS:

• Keep children with you at all times while shopping.
• Accompany and supervise children in public facilities, including restrooms.
• Have a plan in case you become separated, including a pre-designated spot to meet.
• Teach children to look for people who can help, such as a uniformed security officer, salesperson or mother with children.
• Remind children to remain in the area where they become separated.
• Turn shopping trips into opportunities to practice safe shopping skills.

NEVER:

• Dress children in clothing that displays their first or last names, prompting unwelcome attention from people looking for an opportunity to start a conversation with your child.
• Leave children in toy stores or public facilities expecting supervision from store personnel.
• Go shopping or attend a public event with a child if you feel you’re going to be distracted. Make other arrangements for child care ahead of time.
• Allow younger children to shop on their own to purchase surprise gifts for friends or family members.
• Drop off older children at a mall or public place without agreeing on a clear plan for picking them up, including: where, what time, and what to do in case of a change in plans.

If your child is flying or riding a train or bus alone this holiday season, NCMEC urges parents to remember the following travel safety tips:

• When you make reservations for your child, specify that the child will be traveling alone.
• Whenever possible, book a non-stop flight or direct route. Avoid booking the last flight of the day.
• Plan to visit the airport, train or bus terminal prior to departure. Let your child know what to expect, so the experience will not be so intimidating.
• In case of delay or cancellation, remain at the station or gate until the train, plane or bus departs.
• Make sure children travel with proper identification and parents or guardian contact information.
• Always have a back-up plan for the person or people meeting the plane at the destination, in case they are delayed.
• Encourage children not to become too friendly with other passengers or to reveal any personal information.

More than 50,000 people across North America will celebrate the 22nd anniversary of National Philanthropy Day throughout November as a way of reminding the public about the importance of giving and volunteering, especially during difficult economic times.

National Philanthropy Day (officially recognized on Nov. 15) is coordinated by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and pays tribute to the extraordinary contributions that charitable giving and volunteerism have made to society.

“Given the current economic environment, National Philanthropy Day is more important than ever before,” said Paulette Maehara, CFRE, CAE, president and CEO of AFP. “The need for charitable programs rises dramatically when profits fall, costs skyrocket, and families struggle to make ends meet. But people don’t realize that the large majority of charitable programs in this country - and there are more than 1 million charities in the U.S. - is made possible through contributions by everyday citizens, not big corporation or foundation grants.”

Maehara noted that 75 percent of all charitable giving–which totals more than $300 billion annually according to the Giving USA Foundation–comes from individual gifts. Corporations and foundations tend to cut back on their grant making in a recession, making giving by individuals even more critical.

“During natural disasters, recessions and other catastrophic or tumultuous events, charities are able to provide services through the generosity of millions of donors,” said Maehara. “People see the growing needs in their communities and dig even deeper into their wallets to help those less fortunate. I encourage everyone this year to give what they can to charities in their communities and around the world.”

AFP celebrates National Philanthropy Day through more than 100 events across North America where local donors, volunteers, foundations, businesses, young people and others are honored for their charitable work.

First celebrated in 1986, National Philanthropy Day began with a presidential proclamation from Ronald Reagan. Celebrities such as Bob Hope have served as National Philanthropy Day spokespersons. Songwriter Marvin Hamlisch wrote an official theme song for the day: “Now More Than Ever.”

“Service to the community is the foundation of our society, and philanthropy has been responsible for so many incredible achievements–feeding the hungry, finding cures for diseases, building homes and teaching children, to name just a few,” said Maehara. “It’s critical that we take a moment to remember what philanthropy and charitable organizations have accomplished.”

Despite concerns among some nonprofits that the economic downturn may cause foundation funding priorities to shift, a new Foundation Center research advisory, “Do Foundation Giving Priorities Change in Times of Economic Distress?” suggests that grantmaking priorities in most areas, such as health, the arts, and international affairs, do not shift suddenly in the face of reduced resources and are remarkably consistent over the long term.

“There is no guarantee that patterns seen during the early 2000s economic downturn will predict how the current reality will unfold,” says Steven Lawrence, the Center’s senior director of research and the author of the advisory. “But nonprofits should feel reassured that dramatic changes in overall foundation giving priorities are unlikely.”

The advisory notes that foundations do respond to pressing demands outside of their core focus areas during times of exceptional need. For instance, the Foundation Center documented almost $700 million in giving by U.S. foundations in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks and close to $500 million in funding through mid-2007 for relief, recovery, and rebuilding efforts following the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes. However, foundations may use discretionary or emergency funds or even tap their endowments to provide this support.

This is the latest in a series of Foundation Center research advisories that explore the potential impact of the current economic downturn on the nonprofit sector. The first, “Past Economic Downturns and the Outlook for Foundation Giving,” was issued in October.

The advisories are available at the Center’s regularly updated online feature, “Focus on the Economic Crisis,” which offers a variety of resources to help nonprofits and foundations deal with the challenges of an unstable economy, including maps of community foundations and the Center’s nationwide network of funding information centers; news, articles, and commentary from our Philanthropy News Digest and other sources; podcasts of interviews with philanthropic leaders; and information about fundraising training.

Established in 1956 and today supported by more than 600 foundations, the Foundation Center is the nation’s leading authority on philanthropy, connecting nonprofits and the grantmakers supporting them to tools they can use and information they can trust. The Center maintains the most comprehensive database on U.S. grantmakers and their grants — a robust, accessible knowledge bank for the sector. It also operates research, education, and training programs designed to advance philanthropy at every level. The Center’s web site receives more than 57,000 visits each day, and thousands of people gain access to free resources in its five regional library/learning centers and its network of close to 400 Cooperating Collections throughout the U.S. and beyond

McDonald’s is proud to introduce the new All American Achievers program which encourages 7th and 8th grade students of Greater Philadelphia to stay in the books and be active in their communities.Teachers in Greater Philadelphia are invited to submit student essays celebrating academic achievement and community leadership to the McDonald’s All American Achievers program from now through December 8, 2008.

Teachers of 7th and 8th grade students at select schools in the Greater Philadelphia region will receive the All American Achievers packet in October. The packet includes a mini-magazine written by education experts for 7th and 8th graders.

The magazine includes program entry materials and will enable teachers to guide their students in writing an essay about their academic accomplishments, extracurricular activities and leadership in their communities. Schools that do not receive the packet can download the entry forms at 365Black.com.

“This is an excellent opportunity for McDonald’s to continue its longstanding commitment to education and to celebrate the academic achievements of Greater Philadelphia’s young people. Our hope is that one of our own local students will be acknowledged nationally as a McDonald’s All American Achiever,” said Barry Person, President, Philadelphia Black McDonald’s Owner/Operator Association.

A panel of judges, including educators, will select the Grand Prize winners from the highest scoring essays submitted. Essays will be judged by scores submitted by teachers and who will judge essays and assign points for demonstrating McDonald’s All American Achiever characteristics, such as abiding by school rules and having perfect attendance as of the date of entry.

The McDonald’s All American Achievers winners, one 7th and one 8th grade student, will be notified on or about January 30, 2009. Each Grand Prize winner will receive a $500 gift card and a new laptop computer. Ninety-eight finalists also will receive a prize. Teachers who submit the Grand Prize winning essays will each receive a $500 gift card to purchase supplies for their classroom. The Grand Prize winners’ schools each will receive a $2,000 check. More information, entry forms and official rules, can be found at www.365black.com                                   

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Microsoft Corp., internationally acclaimed actress Angelina Jolie, and more than 25 law firms and corporate law departments announced today the formation of Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), a new national children’s advocacy initiative with the mission of providing pro bono legal counsel to unaccompanied immigrant children in the United States so that they are treated fairly and compassionately in our immigration system.Each year approximately 8,000 children who are separated from their families go through U.S. immigration proceedings. Today half of these children do so without legal representation. KIND aims to fill this gap by ensuring that all unaccompanied children get access to legal counsel in the immigration process.

“KIND is creating an innovative pro bono model, bringing together lawyers from companies and law firms in partnership with non-governmental organizations to meet the legal needs of an entire group of vulnerable children,” said Brad Smith, Microsoft’s General Counsel, who introduced the organization to a gathering in Washington, D.C. of more than 150 representatives from the legal community. “Through our support of KIND, we hope to inspire the participation of many more representatives of our legal community to offer these children the fundamental protection they need. Every lawyer has a professional responsibility to provide pro bono legal services to those unable to pay.”

“These children often have nothing; no money, no support and no family, yet they come to America seeking its promises of a better life,” states Angelina Jolie. “But many end up becoming lost, traumatized, and ultimately forgotten. KIND provides each of them with the ability to have their legal rights protected and their voices heard.”

U.S. law provides no appointed counsel for unaccompanied children in immigration court proceedings. Without benefit of pro bono counsel, these children face difficulties in understanding the legal proceedings and legal options that may be available to them. This also creates added challenges for government attorneys and immigration judges who must evaluate these cases. Immigrant children who receive pro bono legal assistance, however, are more likely to experience favorable consideration from the court for asylum in the U.S.

“I applaud all those involved in the KIND initiative to help unaccompanied and undocumented children receive the legal representation they need to understand and exercise their basic legal rights while navigating our nation’s complex and intimidating immigration system,” Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) said. Rep. Roybal-Allard is the author of the Immigration Oversight and Fairness Act (HR 7255), which would establish legally enforceable immigration detention standards to ensure that all detainees, including children, are treated fairly and humanely while in custody.

As part of its professional commitment to pro bono work, Microsoft responded to this problem in Washington State five years ago by helping to establish Volunteer Advocates for Immigrant Justice (VAIJ). The effort brings together lawyers in companies and law firms with other civic groups in the Seattle area to provide pro bono legal assistance. In 2006 VAIJ was recognized by the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service as integral in connecting with qualified pro bono attorneys to represent unaccompanied children in immigration court.

KIND’s immediate goal is to work closely with private law firms, corporate legal departments and their attorneys to recruit, train, and mentor attorneys to represent children in locations where KIND is located, including New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Seattle, and Houston. By 2010, the organization’s goal is to represent more than 2,100 children annually: every unaccompanied child in KIND’s locations who would not otherwise have an attorney.

By partnering with Ms. Jolie, KIND will build on her extensive history of accomplishments as a Goodwill Ambassador for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, and on her long-standing commitment to providing free legal aid to unaccompanied children as young as toddlers who lack any legal representation.

The new organization is seeking a variety of program volunteers, in addition to sources of funding and other support. Currently, KIND has received over $2 million in cash donations, and over 25 law firms and corporate law departments have committed to contributing more than 13,000 pro bono hours during KIND’s first year of operation. Law firms include Arnold & Porter LLP; Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersol LLP; Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP; Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP; Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP; Covington & Burling LLP; Crowell & Moring LLP; Davis Wright Tremaine LLP; Holland & Knight LLP; Howrey; K&L Gates; Latham & Watkins; Lowenstein Sandler PC; Morrison & Foerster LLC; Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads LLP; Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP; Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP; Perkins Coie LLP; Shook Hardy & Bacon LLP; Sidley Austin; Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP; Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom; Steptoe & Johnson; Sullivan & Cromwell LLP; Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP; White & Case LLP. In addition to Microsoft, the corporate legal departments of Merck & Co. and News Corporation are supporting KIND.

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 (Press Release)– Oct 09, 2008 – NEW YORK, N.Y. - BLACK GIRLS ROCK! Inc. founder and world renowned celebrity DJ Beverly Bond partners with VH1 Soul to honor exceptional women of color for their outstanding achievements and distinguishing career marks at The 2008 3rd Annual BLACK GIRLS ROCK! Awards. The event will take place Sunday, November 2, 2008 at The Allen Room at JAZZ at Lincoln Center in New York City.The star-studded award show hosted by Regina King and Taraji P. Henson will pay tribute to the industry’s most accomplished icons as well as lesser known women who are distinguished in their particular fields. U.S. Paralympian and world’s fastest amputee April Holmes, who is also the world record holder in the 100, 200 and 400 meter races, will receive the BGR! Become Legendary Award. British R&B and pop sensation Estelle will take home the BGR! Who Got Next?’ Award. Bethann Hardison who shook up the fashion world by speaking out against the lack of diversity in the industry will be walking away with the BGR! Shot Caller Award’. This year’s BGR! Living Legend’ Award goes to actress and icon Pam Grier, Emmy and Golden Globe nominee who set the tone of “independence” for Black actresses as the queen of 1970s Black filmography. It is important that we take time to honor these extraordinary individuals and hold them up as shining examples of the great women that we are so that future generations of girls can see other examples of who they can become, said BGR! Founder Beverly Bond.

Additional honorees include supermodel IMAN, global ambassador of ‘Keep A Child Alive and founder of IMAN Cosmetics who will receive the BGR! Social Humanitarian Award, GRAMMY Award-nominated soul singer Erykah Badu will win the BGR! Rock Star’ Award, Rachel Lloyd, founder of G.E.M.S., an organization that works to rescue sexually exploited children, will receive the BGR! Community Service Award and Nicole Paultre-Bell and Valerie Bell will receive the BGR! Monument Award, which recognizes individuals that have endured crises and withstood tremendous emotional, physical, and/or psychological events. Former Editorial Director of Essence Magazine Susan L. Taylor will be the evenings keynote speaker.
The growing list of stellar presenters and performers include 2007 BGR! Award recipients Tracy Reese and Sylvia Rhone, Floetry’s Marsha Ambrosius, Universal Motown’s Ashanti and Ryan Leslie, Star Trak recording artist Teyana Taylor and many more.

For tickets and more information on THE BLACK GIRLS ROCK! Awards visit www.blackgirlsrockinc.com/awards.

About BLACK GIRLS ROCK! Inc.
BLACK GIRLS ROCK! Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, youth empowerment mentoring organization established for young women of color. Proceeds from ticket sales will benefit BLACK GIRLS ROCK! INC mission to empower young woman of color via the arts. All contributions are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

By Michele Donohue
Poverty in Haiti, fumbling rescue efforts during Hurricane Katrina, medical racism against prisoners are topics that are barely thought about by teenagers.But Brooklyn teens thought that these sensitive, complex issues needed exposure – and create games to do just that.

‘’We give them free reign to decide what topic they want to pick – and they inevitably pick the most difficult topics you could imagine,’’ said Barry Joseph, director of online the leadership program at Global Kids, a New York-based nonprofit that teaches urban youth how to develop and create online games that highlight social issues. The nonprofit’s Playing 4 Keeps after school program has kids meeting twice a week after school to talk about global topics and develop a social game. ‘’You have to figure out how to generalize [the issue], so it works in the game context, without trivializing it,’’ said Joseph.Students at South Shore High School developed Ayiti The Cost of Life with Gamelab, a New York City-based game development company, during the 2005-2006 school year that has been played more than 1.5 million times since its launch. During the 2006 -2007 school year the students at South Shore decided to create a game in Teen Second Life called CONSENT!, which breaks down six decades of medical racism geared toward African-American male prisoners into three sections.

‘’It helps them view themselves as having an important role in society and help them strategize what that role might look like, whether it’s something connected to international justice or human rights work, or just helping them to stay on the straight and narrow to go to college and get an education,’’ said Joseph, who pointed out that more than 90 percent of participating students graduate high school and go on to college.

Students at Canarsie High School worked with game developers Digital Creations during the 2007 – 2008 school year to develop the Web-based game Hurricane Katrina: Tempest in Crescent City, which was released at www.tempestincrescentcity.ning.com    

Global Kids recently received a grant from the AMD Foundation, the newly created charitable arm of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif. ‘’We have a tremendous opportunity to harness the passion that kids have for the gaming while teaching the skills they need to be successful in our 21st Century digital economy,’’ stated Dirk Meyer, AMD president and chief operating officer in a press release.

The AMD Changing the Game initiative grants will benefit nonprofits teaching children how to create social issue games. Global Kids, Girlstart in Austin, Texas, Institute for Urban Game Design in Washington, D.C., and The Kenneth Lafferty Hess Family Charitable Foundation’s Science Buddies program based in Carmel, Calif., were the nonprofits chosen for changing the Game’s first year.

African-American and Latino children in the United States are more than twelve times as likely as white children to live in “double jeopardy,” meaning they live in both low-income families and poor neighborhoods, a new study published in the journal Health Affairs finds.

The study, Toward a Policy-Relevant Analysis of Geographic and Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Child Health, found that nearly 17 percent of African-American children and 20.5 percent of Latino children in the United States live in double jeopardy, compared to 1.4 percent of white children. And while a typical poor white child lives in a neighborhood where the poverty rate is 13.6 percent, the typical poor African-American or Latino child lives in a neighborhood where the poverty level is nearly 30 percent and 26 percent, respectively.

According to the report, the type of neighborhood a child lives in plays a significant role in racial and ethnic health disparities. Segregated, disadvantaged neighborhoods limit economic advancement for minorities due to limited job and educational opportunities, as well as a poor return on housing investment; expose minorities to violent crime, environmental hazards, poor municipal services, and a lack of healthy food options; and lead to segregated and poorer quality healthcare settings.

The study examined neighborhood opportunity — based on poverty and unemployment rates, the number of households headed by single women, and the proportion of adults without high school diplomas — in one hundred metropolitan areas, and found that the difference between African-American and white children was most pronounced in Detroit, Memphis, New Orleans, Chicago, and Birmingham, Alabama, while disparities between white and Latino children was most pronounced in McAllen, El Paso, and San Antonio, Texas; and Los Angeles and Fresno, California.

“This research starkly points out that there are two different worlds for America’s children and that white children — even the poorest white children — are more likely to grow up in neighborhoods rich with opportunity,” said lead author Dolores Acevedo-Garcia, an associate professor at the Harvard School of Public Health. “The public health community must address this opportunity disparity and ensure that black and Latino children have an equal chance to grow up in neighborhoods with good schools, safe streets, and healthy environments.”

“Black, Latino Children More Than 12 Times as Likely as White Children to Both Be Poor, Live in Poor Neighborhoods, Which May Negatively Affect Their Health.” Health Affairs ”

Primary Subject: Children and Youth
Secondary Subject(s): Minorities