- Social:
University of California, Los Angeles
Professor of education, law, political science and urban planning at UCLA and co-director of its Civil Rights Project
PROFILE
Gary Orfield
Guest
FROM Gary Orfield
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Supreme Court Upholds Affirmative Action In another case out of Texas, the Supreme Court today upheld affirmative action. The justices found that limited use of “race-conscious admission” does not violate the Equal Protection clause of the 14th Amendment. Here in California, not much will change. Voters banned affirmative action in California 20 years ago. It was the nation’s first ban on affirmative action at public universities. UCLA, however, has tried to find ways around that ban. What are they?
Which Way, L.A.?
Riots, Rebellion and Rethinking Watts August 12, 1965, was Day Two of the Watts Riots. KCRW's Saul Gonzalez has the background on how they began. Then we speak with two people who were on the scene to find out what has changed and what has stayed the same.
To the Point
Tackling the Resegregation of American Public Schools It’s been 60 years since the US Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. For many years desegregation was one of America’s most contentious political issues, producing conflicting local rules, state laws and many more judicial decisions. Now, the population has changed. For the first time, minority students outnumber whites in public schools, producing a new reality: schools are being resegregated.
Which Way, L.A.?
The State of the LAUSD, Taking Advantage of LA’s Public School System Next Tuesday is back to school day for LA Unified and, yesterday, Superintendent John Deasy gave his annual State of the District address at Garfield High School in East LA. He said new state money will help reverse years of recession-era cutbacks, while hundreds of new teachers, librarians and other staff are being hired. Fifteen hundred administrators were in the audience, and each seat featured a sealed envelope—with the name of a high school freshman at risk of dropping out. John Deasy joins us tonight.
To the Point
The March on Washington: Myths and Realities The March on Washington is remembered for Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech and what one historian calls "a sweetly patriotic glow." But it doesn't tell the whole story of what happened on that day in 1963 or what happened before and after. The press, the Kennedy White House -- even the NAACP -- feared that a crowd of mostly black Americans might turn violent and set back the civil rights cause. If it was a "defining moment" of the Civil Rights Movement, what is its legacy today? We put the event in the context of the times, when integrated, non-violent protest became big news. As we hear Dr. King's words, how much of his vision has been accomplished? How much has yet to be done?
Which Way, L.A.?
Martin Luther King Day, 'Yesterday's Dream Is Today's Reality' Los Angeles' 25th annual Kingdom Day Parade braved the rain today, complete with marching bands, floats and politicians. The theme was, “Yesterday's Dream is Today's Reality.” In a famous visit to LA in 1961, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called for segregation to end in seven to 10 years and for “a completely integrated society.”
To the Point
Racial Balance in Public Schools Thirty-nine years after the death of Dr. Martin Luther King , America is still arguing about how to achieve racial equality. In the 1950's, US Supreme Court decisions provided a legal rationale for the civil rights movement and Dr. King. Key among those was Brown versus the Board of Education , which outlawed school segregation on the grounds that separate schools were inherently unequal. Forced busing is a thing of the past, but racial preferences are still used in many places to accomplish ethnic diversity. The current US Supreme Court has been asked to outlaw voluntary affirmative-action plans in Seattle, Washington and Louisville, Kentucky . Does the Constitution require that government be "color blind" or does "equal opportunity" mandate that race be a factor in school admissions? We speak with journalists, educators, public policy experts, civil rights activists and others.
Recommended
To the Point
Trump's new look at civil rights and global warming President Trump is reportedly ready to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. We look at the possible consequences. On the second half of the program, we hear about cuts in Obama-Era civil rights programs called for by the Trump Administration's first budget plan.
To the Point
Ex-FBI Director Comey tells his side of the story Today, former FBI Director James Comey came close to calling the President who fired him a liar. The White House denied the claim and called it insulting, but Republican Senators did not challenge Comey’s truthfulness. Many questions remain: did the President try to obstruct a federal investigation? Later, we’ll go behind the “velvet rope” for a look at 5-Star health care for the richest Americans.
To the Point
Human Rights in the era of Donald Trump President Trump’s UN Ambassador, Nikki Haley, said today the US might pull out of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council. Serious violators of human rights are members of the Council itself–and a US resignation could make things worse. Later on today’s show, now that he’s into his second term, comedian turned US Senator Al Franken is telling jokes again.