Encouraging people of color to apply for Netroots Nation scholarship

The third annual gathering of the Netroots (formerly known as the YearlyKos Convention) will be held July 17–20 at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas.

Netroots Nation 2008 will include panels led by national and international experts; identity, issue and regional caucuses; prominent political, issue and policy-oriented speakers; a progressive film screening series; and the most concentrated gathering of progressive bloggers to date.

To help everyone get there, Netroots Nation is partnering with Democracy for America to offer scholarships to bring some of those activists to Austin to network with fellow progressives just like them.

The scholarship program will cover the cost of registration and lodging for at least nine activists.

Click here to apply for your scholarship now.

The scholarship program is a way to ensure that activists of every age, background, and economic bracket, representing numerous points of view and all 50 states, are able to attend Netroots Nation. Because the more diverse the audience, the richer our experience in Austin will be.

Whether you're an activist organizing locally to support a campaign or a blogger mobilizing communities for a common cause, this is your chance to show off what you've done to move the progressive agenda forward.

Barbara Rodgers to Leave CBS 5

Barbara Rodgers estimates that she's done at least 8,000 interviews during her 36 years in broadcasting. Most of those for CBS 5 (KPIX-TV), the station that has been her home away from home since 1979. Now Rodgers has decided to take a break.

"After almost 29 years at CBS 5, I had been thinking about when I might hang up my reporter's notebook and microphone. So I decided that the right time is now, while I still have the enthusiasm to pursue some of my other interests," said Rodgers.

Rodgers' last day on the air will be Friday, May 30. She will still be seen after that in a few Jefferson Award stories and “Bay Sunday” shows that she taped earlier.

(Turns out that EJS president Eva Paterson and film director Eric Fournier, both spearheading the documentary Presidential Race, will be among the last of Barbara's guests on her Bay Sunday show. See the show segment here.)

“Barbara has been a dedicated professional and pioneer at CBS 5. During her 29 years at KPIX, she has inspired and mentored countless scores of young journalists. Her energy and enthusiasm for the job are without peer. Just a few weeks ago, her anchoring three hours of uninterrupted Olympic Torch coverage was a text book example of her formidable skills and a reminder of how she made the most difficult tasks seem easy. She leaves us at the top of her game,” said Ron Longinotti, President and General Manager, CBS 5/The CW 44 Cable 12.

"It has been my great privilege to work with Barbara for the past eight years. She is an exceptional broadcast journalist -- a terrific reporter and a wonderful news anchor who remains clear and cool even under pressure of major breaking news. We will miss her skills, her insight, her empathy and her wonderful laugh in our newsroom," said Dan Rosenheim, Vice President and News Director of CBS 5

“Besides being a cherished friend, Barbara's unstoppable curiosity, deep empathy, sharp writing, and good cheer make her the kind of reporter you love to work with. Somehow the world seems a little less confusing when Barbara is covering the news,” said Craig Franklin Senior Producer, News Special Projects.

“As an accomplished journalist, Barbara Rodgers brings unbridled passion and professionalism to her job. The numerous awards she’s received over the years speak volumes about the high quality of her work. As my friend, Barbara is priceless” said “Bay Sunday” producer and Executive Producer of “Eye on the Bay” Lena Sullivan.

Barbara Rodgers has been with CBS 5 Eyewitness News since 1979. She co-anchors CBS 5 Eyewitness News at Noon with Juliette Goodrich--her second time around on the Noon News. Prior to this, Rodgers anchored the weekend newscasts from 1987 to 2000.

In 2001, Rodgers returned as the host of “Bay Sunday,” CBS 5's weekly public affairs program. She helped create the show in 1989 and was its host for seven years before taking a hiatus. “Bay Sunday” is an eclectic mix of news, arts and community information all tossed up in lively conversation. Prior to this, she anchored CBS 5 Eyewitness News at Noon from 1984 to 1987.

In 1985, Rodgers was awarded the prestigious William Benton Fellowship in Broadcast Journalism at the University of Chicago. During her six-month leave of absence to participate in the fellowship program, she took courses in such diverse subjects as international relations, poetry writing and Meso-American pre-history. "It was," says Rodgers, "one of the most exciting and intellectually stimulating experiences of my life."

Rodgers has received numerous honors for her work and community service, including the Frederick D. Patterson Outstanding Individual Award from the United Negro College Fund, seven Emmy Awards from the Northern California Chapter of the National Association of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS), five Excellence in Journalism Awards from the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) and awards for reporting from the Associated Press, United Press International and the (San Francisco) Peninsula Press Club.

In 2004, she received the "Pioneer Award" from the National Coalition of 100 Black Women and the Governor's Award from NATAS, the highest local award a journalist can receive. That year, she was also inducted into the Golden Key International Honor Society. In 1992, the San Francisco Chapter of the League of Women Voters chose her as one of its "Women Who Could Be President." She has also been honored by the California Legislature, the National Council of Negro Women, CityFlight Magazine and the Golden Gate Chapter of American Women in Radio and Television, receiving AWRT's Kudo Award for Best On-Air Anchor in 2003.

Also in 2003, she was given the national Unity Award from the Radio and Television News Directors Association for reporting in the series "Muslims in America," which examined cultural, civil rights and religious issues involving American Muslims in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In 1993, she was chosen by the Freedom Forum and the National Association of Black Journalists as one of five journalists to participate in the South Africa Journalists Exchange Program. She spent a month in that country reporting on the changes taking place since the end of Apartheid.

Rodgers joined CBS 5 after seven years at WOKR-TV in Rochester, New York. Prior to entering a career in broadcasting, Rodgers headed the Business Skills Department and was an instructor of English and communications at theEducational Opportunity Center in Rochester. She also worked as an urban affairs researcher and a computer programmer for the Eastman Kodak Company in Rochester.

Rodgers holds a bachelor's degree in business from Knoxville College in Knoxville, Tennessee. She did additional studies at the State University of New York at Buffalo and the University of Chicago. She is a member and co-founder of the Bay Area Black Journalists Association and has served on the boards of various organizations, including the World Affairs Council of Northern California, the Society of Professional Journalists, Walden House, a non-profit health and human services program specializing in substance abuse treatment for people of all ages and Friends of Faith, which raises funds to help low income women diagnosed with breast cancer. She has volunteered her time to scores of other community groups.

Rodgers loves traveling and is off to somewhere every chance she gets. She has been to countries on five different continents.

When asked what she'll be doing now, Rodgers said she wasn't sure about the long term, but she has a definite short term goal. "I want to clear out all the clutter in my garage and spare room at home--stuff that has been piling up for all these years when I've spent more time at the office than I did at home. That could take six months or more! After that, I'll start to explore some of my other loves like travel, food and my new computer; and I'm excited about finally getting to spend more time visiting with family and friends both in and outside the Bay Area."

And what will she miss most about this job that has been a part of her life for so long? "Meeting a multitude of new and fascinating people. I am a person who still has so much curiosity about everything and this job let me indulge that and be as nosey as I wanted to be. I'll also miss being in the middle of the action when there's a big story and I'll especially miss getting to be a part of this year's Presidential election night when history might be made. But I'll be watching from home and doing a critique."

SOURCE: CBS5 Press Release

UN Expert on Racism Begins Fact-Finding Mission in US

Several national civil liberties and human rights groups today welcomed a fact-finding mission to the U.S. by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. The American Civil Liberties Union, Global Rights, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law, the U.S. Human Rights Network, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the Rights Working Group and the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty call on the U.S., both state and local governments, to fully cooperate with the Special Rapporteur.

“The visit of the Special Rapporteur is a critical opportunity to shed light on the pervasive and systemic problem of racism and discrimination in the United States,” said Jamil Dakwar, Director of the ACLU Human Rights Program. “In this election year, the eyes of the world will be turned toward America and its longstanding promise to end racial and ethnic inequalities.”

At the invitation of the U.S. government, Special Rapporteur Doudou Diène is visiting the U.S. from May 18 to June 6 to examine issues of racism and racial discrimination in this country. Diène will visit Washington, New York, Chicago, Omaha, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Miami and San Juan, Puerto Rico over the next three weeks where he will study incidents of contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and the governmental measures in place to address them.

Diène is scheduled to meet with federal and local government officials as well as members of diverse communities across the United States and representatives of several non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

“The Special Rapporteur’s visit presents a unique opportunity to give voice to those combating racism in the U.S. and will bring our concerns to the U.N. and its enforcement mechanisms,” said Aubrey McCutcheon, Director of Programs at Global Rights. “I am confident Mr. Diène’s visit will heighten our efforts towards eliminating racism and its vestiges.”

In March 2008, the separate U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) issued a strongly worded critique of the United States' record on racial discrimination and urged the government to make sweeping reforms to policies affecting racial and ethnic minorities, women, immigrants and indigenous populations in the U.S. Several civil liberties and human rights organizations have urged the Special Rapporteur to critically examine the continuation of racism and racial discrimination in various areas identified by CERD and well documented in extensive NGO reports, including criminal justice, education, housing, juvenile justice, immigration policy, police brutality, hate crimes and racial profiling.

The mandate of the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance was established in 1993 by the U.N. Commission on Human Rights and further extended by the U.N. Human Rights Council. The Special Rapporteur will submit a final report on the visit to the Human Rights Council in the spring of 2009.

More information about the Special Rapporteur’s visit is available online at: www.aclu.org/intlhumanrights/racialjustice/sronracism.html and www.ushrnetwork.org/special_rep

More information about the CERD recommendations to the U.S. is available at: www.aclu.org/intlhumanrights/racialjustice/cerd.htmland and www.ushrnetwork.org/projects/cerd

Barb Shelly: 'Good riddance to the anti-affirmative action drive in Missouri'

Kansas City Star editorial board member Barb Shelly posted this earlier today in response to the failed attempt by the Missouri campaign to erode equal opportunity in that state:

Nice to see the cynically named "Civil Rights Initiative" fall short of the petition signature requirements in Missouri.

This was, in my mind, the most offensive of several constitutional amendments being pushed by out-of-state groups. It would have barred schools and employers from giving preference to applicants based on race.

Schools and employers should have the right to determine whether it's in their interests to boost minority representation. If Missourians thought affirmative action was a problem here, proposals to curb it would have bubbled up from the General Assembly or from a grass-roots initiative.

But the petition drive that's been taking place was spearheaded and largely financed by California businessman Ward Connerly. And many of the signature-gatherers are not Missourians upset by affirmative action. They're employees of another creatively named company, National Ballot Access of Georgia.

Another petition drive, to recall the $500 loss limit for gamblers at Missouri casinos, is being coordinated by National Petition Management Inc., a Michigan firm.

A good story in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has more details about the business of signature gathering.

Some states have passed laws banning gatherers from being paid by the signature, on the theory that it promotes deceit about the petitions. Rep. Rachel Storch, a St. Louis Democrat, has proposed such a measure for Missouri.

I'm for it. It's good for a state to have a vigorous citizen initiative petition process. But the process is being manipulated in an unhealthy way by monied out-of-state groups and individuals. Some correction wouldn't be a bad thing.