Greenlining Institute

The Greenlining Institute is a public policy, research, and advocacy non-profit organization based in Berkeley, California. The Greenlining Institute's mission is to empower communities of color and other disadvantaged groups through multi-ethnic economic and leadership development, civil rights, and anti-redlining activities.

History

The Greenlining Institute was established by African American, Asian American, and Latino American community leaders in 1993 to fight injustice, increase the participation of people of color in policymaking, and encourage successful investment by corporate America into these communities. Rather than just fighting redlining, the illegal practice of denying services to certain communities, greenlining is the proactive effort of bringing profitable investments and services to communities that have been left behind.

The Greenlining Institute was founded on the principle of wealth creation, with a strong belief that diversity makes business sense and leads to greater effectiveness.

Today, the Greenlining Institute is a national research, advocacy, and leadership development organization building racial and ethnic justice for a stronger and more sustainable America. We work to ensure that diverse communities are participating in all major policy debates and discussions, to ensure these communities are "at" rather than just "on" the tables of policy making.

Policy Issues

Community Reinvestment

Greenlining's Community Reinvestment program works with banks and other financial institutions to equitably execute the Community Reinvestment Act.

Democratizing Philanthropy

In 2005, Greenlining began researching the philanthropic giving patterns of California's largest foundations and found very low investment in non-profit organizations led by people of color.[1]

According to the US Census, California's communities of color comprise over 50% of the state's population—making it a majority-minority state.[2] Greenlining found that philanthropic giving did not reflect California's population.[3]

Greenlining's advocacy efforts have included the introduction of AB 624 which was a piece of “sunshine” legislation that would require large foundations operating in California to gather and disclose pertinent diversity data. While, the bill was ultimately withdrawn, AB 624 would not have required foundations to invest in minority communities, and it would not have created racial quotas for grant-making and employment. This legislation was an attempt to get foundations to disclose data related to diversity on an annual basis.[4]

Consumer Protection & Legal Advocacy

Greenlining's legal advocacy is policy-focused and strives to protect and promote the interests of California 's vulnerable communities. Greenlining consumer protection program has created projects in such areas as: microbusiness development, increasing diversity in the legal profession, small business technical assistance, alternative energy, restructuring the intervenor compensation program, environmental justice, technology access and educational pipeline programs.

Specific advocacy areas include:

Bridges to Health

Greenlining's Health Team's stated mission is to promote policies that empower communities of color and other disadvantaged groups in the benefits of good health and healthy environments through multi-ethnic leadership development and advocating on behalf of these underserved populations. Specifically Greenlining works on Increasing Diversity in the Health Workforce and Increasing Access to Care

Green Assets

Greenlining's Green Asset Program seeks to ensure that communities of color are at the forefront of the green economy as active stakeholders in our nation's efforts to “go green”. With the advent of green technology and green business opportunities, Greenlining will work to ensure that low-income and minority communities benefit from philanthropy, jobs, business contracts, and other green opportunities that are created in our efforts to fight global warming. Greenlining will be strong advocate for “green solutions” to reduce our dependence on oil and other unsustainable energy practices that disproportionately harm low-income communities.

Overall, Greenlining will convene traditional environmental proponents, health advocates, and asset building stakeholders to create a new paradigm that says going “Green” can let people live physically and economically healthier lives.

Art Gallery

Greenlining's community art gallery is housed in its Berkeley office.[5]

Leadership Academy

Greenlining has nationally recognized leadership Academy trains diverse high-school, college and graduate level students who aspire to be leaders in their respective fields. They train over 100 young people a year using a "hands-on" approach to learning and teaching. Academy participants are assigned to major public policy issues and are directly involved in Greenlining's research and advocacy efforts. In addition, Academy participants receive training in leadership skills including public speaking, critical thinking, policy writing, networking, and research methods.

The Greenlining Coalition

The Greenlining Coalition was originally founded in the 1970s and has since grown to include a diverse group of civil rights, faith-based, health, and business organizations in California and the Western United States.

External links

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, August 18, 2014. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.