The U.S. Census Bureau projects America will become a majority-minority nation as early as 2043¹ —in other words, about one generation from today. With the rise in interracial unions, multiracial births,² and possible changes to immigration policies,³ our new demographic status might arrive even sooner.

Increasing numbers will not automatically translate into increased political power. Americans holding the reins until now have mobilized to “Take Our Country Back” to a time they feel was safe and secure. If we are not careful, this country will indeed go back.

So, how do we ensure that never happens? How do we embrace and advance change? How do we choose to operate not out of fear, but out of power, love, and a sound mind as our Creator intended?⁴

This nation needs leadership resolute on bringing people together. No minority has the luxury of self-reliance in achieving the change so desperately required. America needs transformational coalition-building that takes the media by storm to enlist more members and amass political power.

The Reality: Our Fates Are Linked Whether We Know It or Like It

Foundational to effective coalition-building among people of color and White allies is understanding that our fates are linked. The Institute for Social Policy & Understanding (ISPU), a nonpartisan think tank and trusted resource on American Muslims, released a report this November summarizing a state legislative effort to systematically disenfranchise historically marginalized groups.⁵ The ISPU examined bills in all 50 U.S. state legislatures between 2011 and 2013 across six issue areas:

1. Restrictions on women’s reproductive rights and access
2. Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and other bans on LGBT unions
3. Right-to-Work legislation
4. Anti-immigration proposals
5. Voter Identification requirements
6. Anti-Sharia/Anti-Foreign Law bills⁶

The ISPU found that a very small subset of legislators (480⁷ out of 7383⁸) were responsible for sponsoring or co-sponsoring anti-Sharia/anti-foreign law bills. But, of those legislators who did, 80% either sponsored or co-sponsored a restrictive law in the remaining five areas. Of note, the greatest amount of sponsorship overlap occurred between bills targeting Muslim communities and bills calling for strict Voter ID requirements and Right-to-Work legislation⁹—both having disproportionate, adverse impacts on the African American community.^10,11

For those previously limited to anecdotal evidence from their experience in the House and Senate chambers that such a broad legislative strategy was being orchestrated, ISPU’s report is deeply reaffirming and lends scientific credence to what might have been otherwise dismissed as a conspiracy theory.

And yet, in the last few years, there have been rare glimpses of candor revealing the attitudes underlying these grand designs. For example, in Texas, where population growth between 2000 and 2010 yielded the state four new congressional seats, the legislature managed to redraw the lines to favor Republicans in three of the four seats even though 89% of Texas’s 4.3 million new residents were people of color (65% being Hispanic).¹² Responding to the Department of Justice’s claims that Texas was attempting to dilute the Hispanic vote, then-Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott (now Governor-elect) defended the maps, stating “It is perfectly constitutional for a Republican-controlled legislature to make partisan districting decisions, even if there are incidental effects on minority voters who support Democratic candidates.”¹³

In a second example, the Interim CEO for DeKalb County, Georgia announced DeKalb would allow early voting on an October Sunday and added a voting location in a shopping mall frequented by African Americans. This prompted State Senator Fran Miller to write a letter to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that read: 

…Now we are to have Sunday voting at South DeKalb Mall just prior to the election…this location is dominated by African American shoppers and it is near several large African American mega churches such as New Birth Missionary Baptist…Is it possible church buses will be used to transport people directly to the mall since the poll will open when the mall opens? If this happens, so much for the accepted principle of separation of church and state…we are investigating if there is any way to stop this action. This may be another reason to eliminate the CEO position.¹⁴

Without realizing it, minorities have been in the same boat paddling against the same crushing tide. Rather than function as a team to row in sync toward calmer waters, people have paddled chaotically away from one another in a misguided attempt to distance themselves from such associations. 

It is essential that we collectively confront bigotry whenever and wherever it occurs. We have a moral imperative not just to speak out when our own group is attacked, but to speak up when other marginalized communities are placed in the crosshairs. Worse than silence, however, is when minorities take part in the scapegoating of another minority group. When these temptations arise, we must resist them and help each other stay focused—keeping our eyes on the prize.

Now That We’ve Sung “Kumbaya,” Our Work Begins

Undoubtedly, some hate or strongly dislike other groups, and that problem merits a serious response. What is far more often the case is that the majority of Americans consciously believe in an egalitarian society and see themselves as living up to those dear egalitarian values. Tragically, it is not the conscious ideals, values, or beliefs that predict behavior; it is unconscious biases that do. Automatic associations—whether negative, neutral, or ostensibly positive made between groups and their traits, competency, capabilities, and character—happen without consciously thinking about them because they are so ingrained in media, society, and upbringing. These automatic associations, which lead to biases, generally feel very natural and logical, because they are constantly reinforced.¹⁵

Unconscious or implicit biases are particularly dangerous for policymaking, because it is possible for people to be genuine when they earnestly claim they are not racist or prejudiced while advocating for policies that are destructive to groups who do not look like them.

New scientific research demonstrates that negative associations can be replaced with positive or neutral ones, and empathy can increase for other groups by taking deliberate measures.¹⁶

The Perception Institute is a consortium that uses mind sciences research to develop strategies that reduce racial bias and anxiety, and influence cultural conversations nationally. Perception Institute advises that our coalition’s messaging must consist of narratives that lead to empathy and linked fate. 

How do we do that?

Step One: Build Transformational Coalitions

Dr. Manuel Pastor is a demographer at the University of Southern California who has researched America’s demographic shifts and their implications. In a 2011 report he co-authored, “Transactions, Transformations, Translations: Metrics that Matter for Building, Scaling, and Funding Social Movements,” he makes clear that effective, multi-racial, sustained coalitions are indispensible to an equitable allocation of public resources and political power as America transitions.¹⁷

Dr. Pastor and his colleagues created a framework of “transactions and transformations” for measuring the success of social movements. They describe transactions as involving quantifiable markers, such as the number of doors knocked, number of dues-paying members, or the number of demands met. Transactional Coalition-Building involves those with mutual interests convening on particular issues. Success might be measured by the diversity of coalition, the scale of reach, and shared commitments.¹⁸

Transformation, on the other hand, shows how people, organizations, or movements have changed based on collective efforts, or how societal views have been impacted by movement-building. Thus, transformational coalition-building occurs when groups actually feel what each other feels and show up to defend one another as a matter of practice—and more importantly, even in each others’ absence. It results due to the trust built from collaborative work and can only come from seeing each others’ stakes and fates as one.¹⁹ 

Both transactions and transformations are needed and inform the other: the more transactions, the more transformations, and vice versa. The report shares key recommendations for those who want to engage in this difficult work:

1. Groups should align themselves based on values, which allows for deeper, longer-lasting collaboration versus interests. Interests can be fleeting and are more subject to divisiveness. 
2. Leadership development must be a priority, because successful transfers of power to the younger generation are necessary in order for overall movements to sustain impact.
3. Recognize that conflict and collaboration can co-exist. Groups can commit to working through conflict rather than giving up.²⁰

Step Two: Claim the Media Narrative

After building coalitions that are aligned based on values, coalition members must be visible and proactively claim the narrative, rather than being on the defensive. Knowing each other’s stories and having developed empathy for one another as a result, will reduce instances of distancing from other stigmatized minorities whilst they are under attack. People of color and White allies must be disciplined in not reinforcing problematic messaging or framing. Instead, coalition members should use inclusive language and reframe the issue in a way that defines it properly and reflects their values.

Step Three: Increase Political Power

America needs more people of color in office. Despite the fact that people of color constitute nearly 37% of the U.S. population²¹ and 29% of the eligible voting population,²² people of color hold 10% of the nation’s 42,000 elected seats, and women of color comprise only 4% of elected officials.²³

We all should encourage people of color to run for office and help them win. But, minorities should make a concerted effort to assist those of another race or ethnicity. This is especially true for African Americans who are currently the best positioned of any minority group in the U.S. in terms of political representation. Every other group is significantly more under-represented in office, and among communities of color, African Americans hold more seats than all other minorities combined.²⁴ Rather than serve as a source of pride, this fact should signal a call of duty to help bring others to the fore.

We should also encourage more people of color to run campaigns, serve as legislative staff, and become lobbyists. They should also form PACs and donor committees that enable them to educate candidates and elected officials, and to hold those officials accountable. Finally, a representative democracy demands fair districting, and people of color must press for greater involvement and decision-making ahead of the census and afterward as political boundaries are redrawn.

Conclusion

A commitment to inclusion is a matter of urgency not only for predominantly White organizations, but for all organizations. As the most visible minority wielding the most political power, there is a special responsibility for Black Americans to lead the way. Black leaders and organizations can and ought to become educated on the challenges of other minorities, push for disaggregated data collection to allow for informed interventions, help create opportunities for advancement, provide platforms to increase their visibility in the public sphere, and make room at the table to share power.

NBCSL Examples of Inclusiveness and Collaboration NBCSL has intensified efforts to become more inclusive, to collaborate strategically to grow the organization, and to engage in transformational coalition-building that will help us better achieve our mission. Below are a few examples. Inclusion At the 37th Annual Legislative Caucus in Memphis, TN, NBCSL held a policy session, “Forging the Black Agenda on Immigration,” which convened a panel to discuss how Black state lawmakers could lead on state-level policies affecting Black and non-Black immigrants and refugees. In addition to Memphis Mayor A.C. Wharton sharing his efforts to welcome and integrate immigrants, three legislators shared their perspectives: Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos (WA), Chair of the National Asian Pacific American Caucus of State Legislators; Sen. Jeff Hayden (MN) who discussed his enacted legislation allowing undocumented children access to in-state tuition and scholarships; and Sen. Geraldine Thompson (FL) who shared her adopted legislation to reunify Haitian families following the earthquake. Growth In 2013, NBCSL began a partnership with the State Government Affairs Council (SGAC), an association of corporations and industry groups with state government affairs operations in multiple states. SGAC enjoys a long history with NCSL and CSG. SGAC’s commitment to exposing its membership to more diverse legislators, and our commitment to growing NBCSL’s capacity and reach led to partnership. This year, that partnership culminated in SGAC’s sponsorship of NBCSL on the Hill, featuring a joint reception introducing more corporations to NBCSL and a successful social media training in which both of our members took part. Both organizations look forward to continued collaboration. Mission Fulfillment This year, NBCSL concluded a three-year grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to study the structural barriers of institutional racism keeping children and their families in poverty, in which members from the Native American, Asian, Hispanic, and Black state legislative caucuses traveled to nine cities. Legislators examined policies related to health, education, juvenile justice, and economic security and held site visits in the community to see both problems and solutions in context. Legislators learned about challenges unique to the various racial and ethnic groups, so they could become more effective advocates. And, they learned about common barriers to devise joint strategies. A joint policy priority document will be released early 2015. Legislators cultivated a national network of colleagues engaged in the same work while also developing friendships. NBCSL envisioned engagement that would be transformative in the work each legislator now does individually and in the work the caucuses will do collectively moving forward.

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U.S. Census Bureau. (12 December 2012). Press Release. “U.S. Census Bureau Projections Show a Slower Growing, Older, More Diverse Nation a Half Century from Now.” Retrieved from U.S. Census Bureau website: https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/population/cb12-243.html  Passel, J., Livingston, G., & Cohn, D. (17 May 2012). “Explaining Why Minority Births Now Outnumber White Births.” Pew Research Social and Demographic Trends. Retrieved from Pew Research Center website: http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2012/05/17/explaining-why-minority-births-now-outnumber-white-births/#  Associated Press. (12 December 2012). “Whites No Longer a Majority in the U.S. by 2043.” Retrieved from CBSNews website: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/census-whites-no-longer-a-majority-in-us-by-2043/  2 Tim. 1:7 New King James Version. Khan, S. et al. (2014, November). Manufacturing Bigotry: A State-by-State Legislative Effort to Push Back Against 2050 by Targeting Muslims and Other Minorities. Retrieved from the Institute for Social Policy & Understanding website: http://www.ispu.org/files/PDFs/ISPU%20Manufacturing%20Bigotry[4].pdf Ibid. Ibid. “Number of Legislators and Length of Terms in Years.” Webpage. (11 March 2013.) Retrieved from National Conference of State Legislatures website: http://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/number-of-legislators-and-length-of-terms.aspx  Khan, S. et al. U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2014, September). Elections: Issues Related to State Voter Identification Laws. Report to Congressional Requesters retrieved from GAO website: http://www.gao.gov/assets/670/665966.pdf  Mishel, L. (29 August 2012). Issue Brief #342: Unions, Inequality, and Faltering Middle Class Wages. Retrieved from the Economic Policy Institute website: http://s2.epi.org/files/2012/ib342-unions-inequality-middle-class-wages.pdf  Beckett, L. & Lee, S. (27 February 2013). “Five Ways Courts Say Texas Discriminated Against Black and Latino Voters.” Retrieved from the ProPublica website: http://www.propublica.org/article/five-ways-courts-say-texas-discriminated-against-black-and-latino-voters  Defendants’ Response to Plaintiffs and the United States Regarding Section 3C of the Voting Rights Act.”  Perez v. Texas, (W.D. Tex. 5:11-cv-00360). Retrieved online: http://sblog.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Texas-reply-on-Sec.-3-of-VRA-8-5-13.pdf  Millar, F. (9 September 2014) Op-ed filed under “An angry state Sen. Fran Millar R-Dunwoody is promising to end Sunday voting in DeKalb County when lawmakers assemble in the Capitol next January.” Retrieved from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution website: http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2014/09/09/david-perdue-is-back-on-the-air-jean-jacketed-but-baby-less/   Godsil, R., Tropp, L., Goff, P., powell, j. (2014, September). The Science of Equality: Volume 1 – Addressing Implicit Bias, Racial Anxiety, and Stereotype Threat in Education and Healthcare. Retrieved from the University of California Berkeley website: http://diversity.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/ScienceofEquality_web.pdf  Ibid. Pastor, M., Ito, J, & Rosner, R. (2011, October). Transactions, Transformations, Translations: The Metrics that Matter for Building, Scaling, and Funding Social Movements. Retrieved from the University of Southern California Program for Environmental and Regional Equity website: http://dornsife.usc.edu/assets/sites/242/docs/transactions_transformations_translations_web.pdf  Ibid. Ibid. Ibid. U.S. Census Bureau. (2011, September). “The White Population: 2010.” 2010 Census Brief retrieved from the U.S. Census Bureau website: http://www.census.gov/library/publications/2011/dec/c2010br-05.html U.S. Census Bureau. (Thom File: 2013, May). “The Diversifying Electorate—Voting Rates by Race and Hispanic Origin in 2012 (and Other Recent Elections).” Current Population Survey, Population Characteristics retrieved from U.S. Census Bureau website: http://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/p20-568.pdf  Reflective Democracy Campaign of the Women Donors Network. Retrieved from the Who Leads Us website:  http://wholeads.us/ Lien, P., Pinderhughes, D., Hardy-Fanta, C., & Sierra, C. (2007, July). “The Voting Rights Act and the Election of Nonwhite Officials.”

Similar to the approach America has taken with our healthcare system--that is, emergency-room driven vs. preventive--America often employs a piecemeal and ineffective approach towards our education system that is both expensive and reactive.

Much of our public policy attention goes toward closing achievement gaps and addressing disastrous learning outcomes. However, achievement gaps should not be closed, they should be prevented. And, to be prevented, these issues must be addressed before children enter school.

The third grade is widely understood as a critical benchmark in academic progress. Educators often quip that up until this point, students are “learning to read,” and from that point, they are then “reading to learn.”¹ Consequently, fourth grade is the point at which students must begin reading in order to master any subject matter in school, including math and science. The National Research Council wrote, “A person who is not at least a modestly skilled reader by the end of the third grade is quite unlikely to graduate from high school.”² Yet, of the fourth-graders who took the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading test in 2011 (which measures skills acquired by the end of the third grade), 80% of students from low-income families scored below proficiency³ whether in cities, suburbs, towns, or rural areas.⁴ Moderate- and high-income White students scored below proficiency a still-unacceptable, but markedly better, 49% of the time.⁵

The District of Columbia and fifteen states,⁶ intent on closing achievement gaps by the end of the third grade, have enacted legislation allowing students to be retained another year so they can meet standards.⁷ Thirty-two states have mandated a slew of interventions like assessments and Individual Education Plans—with some starting as early as Kindergarten.⁸ Although attacking the problem early on is laudable, engaging children in meaningful learning for the first time in Kindergarten means that we are already too late.⁹ Fortunately, some of those 32 states have recognized that a public policy agenda that does not seriously and systematically embrace children until Kindergarten misses the mark. Our states must begin to implement birth to preschool strategies that connect seamlessly into the K-12 and, ultimately, the higher education system. We need to make sure children have received the proper care and development to be ready to enter Kindergarten.¹⁰

Everyone can play a role in positioning our babies and toddlers for academic success—from parents and pediatricians¹¹ to educators and the community-at-large—but for the purposes of The Legislator’s audience, below is a short set of legislative policy examples that work together to help families and communities. In its policy framework, the Alliance for Early Success uses a three-pronged policy approach: health, family support, and learning. Under each prong is one example states can enact or strengthen within their legislative contexts.

HEALTH POLICIES

States can make health policy choices, such as universal access to health insurance, to ensure babies and toddlers get the care and nutrition needed for appropriate brain development. This includes prenatal and oral health care.¹² 

Example: Oral Care Access and Service Delivery (NBCSL Resolution HHS-10-04)
Poor oral health significantly impacts a child’s ability to learn. Tooth decay is the number one chronic infectious disease in children even though it is almost always preventable.¹³ Associated pain and infections can negatively impact concentration and self-esteem, lead to chronic school absence, and hamper academic performance.¹⁴ At worst, infection can spread to other parts of the body, and as in the 2007 case of 12 year-old Deamonte Driver, lead to death. States can and should invest in comprehensive programs to increase awareness about proper dental hygiene. States can also provide access to services in traditional and non-traditional settings. Finally, more states should follow Alaska, Minnesota, and California’s examples by passing laws allowing for mid-level dental providers, such as dental therapists and hygienists, with expanded scopes of practice to ensure under- and uninsured children can receive the education, preventive care, and treatments they need.¹⁵

FAMILY SUPPORT POLICIES

Public policy levers can be moved to educate parents and caregivers on how to nurture their children’s cognitive and socio-emotional growth. In their capacity to provide nutrition, shelter, and safe environments to play and learn, families should be supported with job training and quality child care assistance, parenting classes, and mental health services. All of these serve to help manage family stress and reduce likelihood of abuse and neglect.¹⁶

Example: Maternal Infant Early Childhood Wellness Home Visitation (NBCSL Resolution HHS-13-40)
States should invest in voluntary programs for expectant parents to receive home visits from qualified health professionals to learn about proper child care. Through the Affordable Care Act, $1.5 billion was made available to states for home visitation programs through 2014, which has since been extended through March of 2015. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, over 20 states have passed legislation leveraging federal funds, supporting the most evidence-based approaches, and allowing better coordination of state and federal program dollars.¹⁷ Ideally, the programs should be widely available, but at the very least, they should target high-risk mothers. Across the country, the returns on investment have been substantial. Pew Center on the States estimated for every $1 spent, states have received at least $2 in savings due to lower abuse and neglect rates, reductions in low birth weight incidences, increases in school readiness and achievement, as well as improvements in family economic and self-sufficiency.¹⁸

EARLY LEARNING POLICIES

Development of language, motor, motivational, and regulatory skills (such as self-control) along with social-emotional and cognitive skills (like following directions) show explosive growth in the first four years of life. Failure to properly develop can have permanent effects on children’s capacity to learn.¹⁹ As such, states should provide continuous and integrated learning opportunities from infancy through early elementary school. Further, they should maintain progress through provision of out-of-school and summer learning opportunities.²⁰  

Example: Provision of high-quality early child care and education (NBCSL Resolutions EDU-10-36, EDU 12-01)
We know that infants and toddlers exposed to high-quality early care and education show superior development in every aspect versus children who are not exposed. This is especially pronounced for economically disadvantaged children. States should institute universal pre-school programs, but at a minimum offer targeted, voluntary access to high-quality early learning centers. Colorado is a great example.²¹ Part of this strategy includes embracing models such as Promise Zones, which align evidence-based early childhood learning practices with K-12 and postsecondary education, pursue sustainable and coordinated revenue streams, and integrate services to care for the whole child. Lastly, expansion necessitates increased professional development and education to bolster the numbers of qualified early childhood education professionals.²²

Conclusion

Not only is the African proverb true that it takes a village to raise a child, scientific evidence tells us in no uncertain terms that we have not a moment to lose in nurturing that child. Public investment in our nation’s babies is where moral clarity and fiscal conservatism meet. The longer we wait to educate our children, the less likely we will be able to do so.

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Rich, M. (2014, Aug.). “A Summer of Extra Reading and Hope for Fourth Grade: Literacy Laws Challenge Third Graders and Schools.” New York Times. Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/05/us/a-summer-of-extra-reading-and-hope-for-fourth-grade.html Eds. Snow, C. E., Burns, M. S., and Griffin, P. (1998). Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children. Committee on the Prevention of Reading Difficulties in Young Children, Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, National Academy of Sciences National Research Council. National Academy Press, Washington, D.C. Retrieved from: http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED416465.pdf   Fiester, L. (2013). Early Warning Confirmed: A Research Update on Third-Grade Reading. Retrieved from the Annie E. Casey Foundation website: http://www.aecf.org/m/resourcedoc/AECF-EarlyWarningConfirmed-2013.pdf Fiester, L. (2010). Early Warning! Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters. A KIDS COUNT Special Report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Retrieved from: http://www.aecf.org/m/resourcedoc/AECF-Early_Warning_Full_Report-2010.pdf “Early Reading Proficiency in the United States.” (2014, Jan.). Retrieved from Annie E. Casey Foundation website: http://www.aecf.org/m/resourcedoc/aecf-EarlyReadingProficiency-2014.pdf Lu, A. (2013, Nov.). “States Insist on Third Grade Reading Proficiency.” Stateline. Retrieved from the Pew Charitable Trusts website: http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2013/11/15/states-insist-on-third-grade-reading-proficiency Rose, S. (2012, Aug.). “Third Grade Reading Policies.” Retrieved from the Education Commission of the States website: http://www.ecs.org/clearinghouse/01/03/47/10347.pdf Ibid. “Third Grade Reading Success Matters.” (2014). Retrieved from The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading website: http://gradelevelreading.net/our-work/school-readiness Tout, K. (2013). The Research Base for a Birth Through Eight Policy Framework. Retrieved from The Alliance for Early Success website: http://earlysuccess.org/sites/default/files/website_files/files/B8%20Policy%20Framework%20Research.pdf   Motoko, R. (2014, June). “Pediatrics Group to Recommend Reading Aloud to Children from Birth.” The New York Times. Retrieved from:http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/24/us/pediatrics-group-to-recommend-reading-aloud-to-children-from-birth.html Tout, K. (2013). The Research Base for a Birth Through Eight Policy Framework. Retrieved from The Alliance for Early Success website: http://earlysuccess.org/sites/default/files/website_files/files/B8%20Policy%20Framework%20Research.pdf “Children’s Oral Health Overview.” (2013, Sept.). Retrieved from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Oral Health website: http://www.cdc.gov/OralHealth/children_adults/child.htm “Preventing Cavities, Gum Disease, Tooth Loss, and Oral Cancers At A Glance 2011.” (2011, July). Retrieved from the Centers for Disease Control website: http://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/publications/aag/doh.htm#aag “Dental Care in America: Mid-Level Providers in Action.” (2014, June). Retrieved from the Pew Charitable Trusts website: http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/projects/childrens-dental-policy Tout, K. (2013). The Research Base for a Birth Through Eight Policy Framework. Retrieved from The Alliance for Early Success website: http://earlysuccess.org/sites/default/files/website_files/files/B8%20Policy%20Framework%20Research.pdf “Home Visiting Enacted Legislation in States: Enacted Legislation 2008-2014.” (2014, May). Retrieved from the National Conference of State Legislatures website: http://www.ncsl.org/research/human-services/home-visiting-enacted-legislation-in-states.aspx “The Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program.” (2014, Feb.). Retrieved from the Pew Charitable Trusts website: http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/q-and-a/2014/02/21/the-maternal-infant-and-early-childhood-home-visiting-program Fiester, L. (2010). Early Warning! Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters. A KIDS COUNT Special Report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Retrieved from: http://www.aecf.org/m/resourcedoc/AECF-Early_Warning_Full_Report-2010.pdf Tout, K. (2013). The Research Base for a Birth Through Eight Policy Framework. Retrieved from The Alliance for Early Success website: http://earlysuccess.org/sites/default/files/website_files/files/B8%20Policy%20Framework%20Research.pdf Jaeger, B. (2014, June). “Colorado Early Childhood Advocates Celebrate After Successful Legislative Session.” Retrieved from The Alliance for Early Success website: http://earlysuccess.org/blog/colorado-early-childhood-advocates-celebrate-after-successful-legislative-session Tout, K. (2013). The Research Base for a Birth Through Eight Policy Framework. Retrieved from The Alliance for Early Success website: http://earlysuccess.org/sites/default/files/website_files/files/B8%20Policy%20Framework%20Research.pdf

A veteran African-American lawmaker recently joked that he checked the obituaries every Sunday to make sure he wasn’t in there. Then he reflected on a pattern he had noticed over the years looking at the ages of Whites and Blacks at the time of their passing, noting that Whites seemed to well outlive Blacks.  The scientific research now confirms this but goes a bit deeper. In recent years, a mountain of evidence across the country has pointed to this devastating truth: it is actually our zip codes that are predictive of life expectancy.

Humans are remarkably sensitive to their environment. First, they are directly affected by environmental conditions such as pollution, mold, or isolation. Second, people who juggle the multiple, constant stressors of very difficult surroundings—such as prevalent crime and insufficient earnings to cover basic necessities—often experience a host of physiological reactions that lead to weakened immune systems, damaged organs, accelerated aging, chronic disease, and ultimately premature death. The final result of these difficult environments is that they often constrain behavior and lead to a very different set of choices than an individual might otherwise make.¹  Intuitively, this makes sense. People who live in industrial districts without sidewalks, for instance, tend to avoid recreational walking in ways they would not if they had access to safe and attractive walkways and parks.

In 2008, the Alameda County Public Health Department, located in California’s Bay Area, released a report of its groundbreaking study to examine the root causes of chronic illnesses plaguing its residents. In examining 400,000 death certificates over a 40-year period, the department found such a high correlation between zip code and life expectancy, that zip code could actually be used to predict life expectancy—in Alameda’s case, an 8-year gap between Blacks and Whites.²  Furthermore, filtering out violence and HIV/AIDS made virtually no difference, as those explained less than 6% of the difference.  Another startling find was that the difference, while non-existent between Blacks and Whites in the 1960s, had worsened over time and was at its greatest disparity at the time of the study.³  Similar studies have confirmed this predictive power of zip code, revealing that even within the same county, life expectancy can vary by as much as 30 years. These extreme examples in the areas of New Orleans, LA (18 years); South Delta, MS (20 years); Baltimore, MD (24 years); and Albuquerque, NM (30 years) showed life expectancies surpassed by several developing nations.⁴ 

A widely cited 1993 article, “Actual Causes of Death in the United States,” attributes 51% of health to lifestyle, 20% to biology/genetics, 19% to environment, and 10% to medical care.⁵  Within the 51% of health attributed to lifestyle, only 30-40% falls under behaviors, and those choices are more constrained for people living in poverty-stricken, dilapidated, dangerous, and geographically/socially isolated environments. Yet, most of our societal messaging around being healthy assumes that simply becoming educated about better choices and then changing behavior, is the key to improving health status. 

In fact, there are, what a growing global movement of health practitioners, community advocates, researchers, and policymakers are calling, social determinants of health. These are factors that substantially impact one’s health, including economic opportunities/income, well-maintained and affordable housing, high-quality schools, nutritious food, reliable and accessible transit, safe streets and parks, culturally competent health care and health insurance, and clean water and air. The directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations, the World Health Organization, describes it this way:

The social determinants of health are the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age, including the health system. These circumstances are shaped by the distribution of money, power and resources at global, national and local levels, which are themselves influenced by policy choices. The social determinants of health are mostly responsible for health inequities - the unfair and avoidable differences in health status seen within and between countries.⁶

In short, health is political. PLACE MATTERS is a national initiative of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies (Joint Center) to eliminate health disparities, working in 24 locations across 10 states and the District of Columbia to identify and address social, economic, and environmental attributes of neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, and other places that shape health.⁷  Such a complex and multi-factorial problem requires a comprehensive strategy that includes organizing and mobilizing, media, and policy changes.

PLACE MATTERS teams work with members of the community who are affected by their conditions to identify the most pressing concerns and devise an action plan for agreed upon priorities. For example, some sites might work to keep students in school and out of prison, provide opportunities for those who have been incarcerated, and address mental health needs.⁸  Other sites might work to improve access to fresh and healthy foods by enabling farmers’ markets, community gardens, and the construction of grocery stores. Yet others might focus on transit issues—ensuring public transportation connects to economic opportunities, making neighborhoods walk-able through the installation of sidewalks and pedestrian bridges, and developing safe, well-lit parks and green spaces.

The Joint Center is certainly not alone in its efforts. Other non-profits, state governments, and, indeed, entire nations are working together to eliminate health disparities by addressing social determinants. For legislators looking to join this movement, here’s the message—Legislators can only be effective by engaging with those who are most affected. 

An enormous contributor to poor health is disenfranchisement—the constant reinforcement that one is powerless to control his or her life outcomes. Any solution must include the exercise of power for those individuals. Power requires them to play an integral role in identifying their problems, prioritizing them, and helping to solve them as part of a team. It builds community bonds and social capital, and ultimately the political power necessary to solve a political problem: health.

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1. Goode, E. (2002, Dec. 17). “The Heavy Cost of Chronic Stress.” The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/17/science/the-heavy-cost-of-chronic-stress.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm 
2. Iton, T., et al. Life and Death from Unnatural Causes: Health and Social Inequity in Alameda County. (August 2008). Government Report. Retrieved from Alameda County Public Health Department website: http://www.acphd.org/media/53628/unnatcs2008.pdf 
3. Iton, T. (2012, June 27). “Health in America: The Crucial Reform No One’s Talking About,” presentation. University of Southern California Annenberg’s California Endowment Health Journalism Fellowships Program. Retrieved from YouTube:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8v6e4SjT8Q 
4. Place Matters web page. (2013, Nov. 24). Retrieved from Virginia Commonwealth University Center on Soceity and Health website: http://www.societyhealth.vcu.edu/Page.aspx?nav=200 
5. McGinnis, J.M. & Foege, W.H. (1993, Nov. 10). Vol. 270(18): 2207-2212. “Actual Causes of Death in the United States. Journal of the American Medical Association. Retrieved from:  https://galileo.seas.harvard.edu/images/material/2800/1140/McGinnis_ActualCausesofDeathintheUnitedStates.pdf
6. Social Determinants of Health web page. (2013, Nov. 23). Retrieved from World Health Organization website: http://www.who.int/topics/social_determinants/en/  
7. PLACE MATTERS web page. (2013, Nov. 23). Retrieved from Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies website: http://www.jointcenter.org/hpi/pages/place-matters 
8. Saxton-Ross., A. (2013, October 18). “Zip Code-Drive Death: Why PLACE MATTERS to State Legislators,” presentation. Jackson, Mississippi Quad Caucus Meeting of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators, National Caucus of Asian Pacific American State Legislators, National Caucus of Native American State Legislators, and National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators.

NBCSL Executive Officers, Tennessee leadership, and NILA representatives pose during the NILA reception.On December 10, 2013, the eve of NBCSL’s 37th Annual Legislative Conference (ALC) in Memphis, Tennessee, NBCSL members convened a financial literacy pre-conference supported by the National Installment Lending Association (NILA). The event, “The Unbanked: Structuring Responsible Offerings & Facilitating Responsible Choices,” provided legislators with the opportunity to hear from experts in the academic, public, private, and nonprofit sectors about unbanked and underbanked Americans—people who have no or limited access to financial services. Throughout the day, legislators learned about strategies and solutions to help their constituents and exchanged ideas about state efforts.

NBCSL President, Representative Joe Armstrong (TN), welcomed attendees and set context for the day, emphasizing the great need to increase financial literacy and access to responsible lending products. He introduced Philip Holt, Executive Director of NILA, who stressed the critical importance of extending access to credit to all of America’s communities, especially communities of color, as many financial institutions have been restricting credit access since the onset of the Great Recession. He called on legislators to help carry the message back to their colleagues during the ALC and beyond.

Mr. Holt was followed by founding board member of NILA and Executive Vice President of Brundage Management Company, Andrew Morrison, who provided a history of NILA. He spoke about its effort to strike the balance between addressing consumer protections and private market concerns as well as educating the public on financial literacy. Citing a policy resolution NBCSL passed at the previous ALC, BFI-13-14 Promoting Safe and Affordable Lending Practices, Mr. Morrison expounded on the indicators of safe and affordable credit:  loans that are low-cost rather than low-rate, structured to facilitate repayment, reported to credit bureaus to allow the building of credit scores, deriving from a lender with a physical community presence and right of redress, and repaid in equal installments of principal and interest. Conversely, he highlighted characteristics of unsafe credit: balloon, minimum, and interest-only payments that keep borrowers mired in debt and are unlicensed by state authorities.

Next, President Armstrong introduced the day’s moderator, Representative Larry Miller (TN), who serves both as NBCSL’s Vice Chair of the Business, Financial Services, and Insurance Policy Committee and Chair of the Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators. Rep. Miller set forth meeting goals, which were to better understand the structural barriers facing the unbanked, how legislators could ensure that safe credit is available to their constituents, and how to connect constituents to high-quality financial literacy programs to help them make informed choices. 

Rep. Miller introduced the keynote speaker, Dr. Harold Black, Professor Emeritus of Finance, University of Tennessee at Knoxville.  Dr. Black provided an overview of the unbanked population, the barriers they face to banking, and recommended solutions. Many people without banking accounts, he explained, were challenged by barriers such as lack of proper ID, no credit history or poor credit history, delays with check cashing services, concerns of overdraft fees, long wait times on financial decisions, and inconvenient locations and hours. Dr. Black strongly urged legislators to avoid restrictions on access to credit, warning that regulatory actions to ban providers would mean less competition and higher prices for consumers. He recommended that legislators mandate all financial service providers to report to credit bureaus so that customers could build credit.

Following the keynote address, the first panel discussed how legislators can help structure an environment in which unbanked individuals can gain access to responsible and sustainable credit offerings. Panelists were Dr. Tom Miller, Professor of Finance at Mississippi State University; Desmond Brown, Program Specialist in the Office of Financial Empowerment at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB); Dan Wieckenand, CEO of Orion Federal Credit Union; Jena Roscoe, First Senior Vice President and Chief of Government Affairs and Public Policy for Operation HOPE; and Mike Igney, Assistant Commissioner of Compliance at the Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions.

Dr. Miller asked legislators to think through the unintended consequences of restricting access to certain forms of credit. He explained the relationship between loan size, interest rate (APR), and return on equity, demonstrating what lenders have to charge borrowers in order to make a profit as well as the negative effect that rate caps have on lenders’ ability to do business. He agreed with Mr. Morrison and Dr. Black that focusing on low APR can be misleading. Rather, policymakers should look to whether a loan is low-cost.

Mr. Brown spoke on behalf of the Office of Financial Empowerment at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which focuses on communities that lack access to banks and other financial services. The Bureau works to shape the market to meet consumers’ needs at affordable rates and to inform consumers about wise financial choices. The CFPB encourages consumers to make savings plans, balance their household budgets, gain access to financial products and services, take control of knowing what is on their credit reports, and manage their credit. Consumers can use web tools at www.consumerfinance.gov to file a complaint and begin repairing their credit.

Mr. Wieckenand described Orion Federal Credit Union as a Memphis’ largest low-income designated credit union with nine locations in areas of need.  Orion offers free checking accounts and free mobile services as well as credit repair, bill pay, and other services at the lowest cost possible. Mr. Wieckenand highlighted Orion’s Home Run program to help consumers re-establish credit. Orion-owned homes that would not sell were rented for two years to individuals who had previously filed bankruptcy. Orion then applied the two years’ worth of payments as a down payment on the home and sold rental customers the home for 70% of the tax value. The home owners then walked into the home with a significant amount of equity – a great step toward building wealth.

Ms. Roscoe of Operation HOPE, a nonprofit private banker for the working poor and underserved, listed four ways for legislators to help their constituents: (1) create partnerships with community-based organizations and other entities through resolutions, bills, or Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) to educate consumers and help them repair/raise their credit scores; (2) establish youth-focused financial literacy programs; (3) work with state attorneys general initiatives to help constituents recovering from bankruptcy; and (4) support entrepreneurs through the Small Business Administration’s micro-credit and crowdfunding initiatives to build credit and acquire capital.

Assistant Commssioner Igney spoke on behalf of the Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions, which regulates all entities providing financial products and services in the state. Mr. Igney explained that although the Department engages in outreach, training, and education, it needs help from legislators to alert the public to the Department’s existence. He asked legislators to encourage consumers to contact the Department in advance of doing business with a lender to see if it is legitimate and licensed to operate. The Department also accepts and investigates consumer complaints.

After a networking lunch, the session resumed with an afternoon panel that focused on how legislators can increase access to financial literacy and help constituents make healthier financial choices. This panel featured Dr. Rickie Keys, Founder and President of Renewal Financial Services, LLC; Terica Lamb, Community Outreach and Financial Empowerment Manager for the Shelby County Trustee; Jeremy Hancock, Manager of Government Affairs and Public Policy for Experian; and, rejoining the stage, Ms. Roscoe of Operation HOPE.

Dr. Keys presented findings from his research conducted in conjunction with NBCSL in 2007 to map access to credit in 25 cities, including in Dallas, Denver, New Orleans, Miami, and Memphis. Analyzing zip codes, Dr. Keys found areas with the greatest concentrations of African Americans were highly correlated with the following conditions: compared to other neighborhoods, mainstream banks were sparse to non-existent; non-mainstream institutions such as payday lenders had the highest prevalence; credit scores were lowest; median incomes were lowest and poverty was highest; unemployment was highest; and homeownership was lowest. Dr. Keys also talked about the importance of providing online tools for consumers with along with resources and a game plan on which they can immediately act to raise and repair their credit scores.

Ms. Roscoe urged legislators to lead financial literacy movements by creating councils to attract mainstream banking services and help individuals and entrepreneurs to raise their credit scores. She also encouraged legislators to coordinate BankOn movements, which are private-public collaborations to provide financial literacy. Finally, she recommended that legislators look to leverage other campaigns in finding ways to provide financial literacy. For example, during tax season, millions of people are eligible to claim the Earned Income Tax Credit, a refundable tax credit program targeted to help people of low- and moderate-income levels; this population could also be well-served by quality financial education.

Ms. Lamb spoke about her work with the Shelby County Trustee, an entity similar to a property tax collector or treasurer.  The Trustee’s program for delinquent taxpayers helps them to avoid the sale of their property by completing financial literacy workshops. The Trustee’s office had also just re-launched the BankOn Memphis program. Recognizing the legislators’ challenges with stretched resources and budgets, she encourage finding opportunities to provide financial literacy in existing activities.

The last panelist was Mr. Hancock from Experian, one of the three large national credit bureaus in the U.S. Recognizing that consumers need actionable information, Experian awards financial literacy grants annually and many of its employees volunteer in the community to provide financial education. Mr. Hancock also discussed the Experian Credit Educator program in which a coach walks the consumer line-by-line through his or her credit report and advises specific ways to improve the credit score. People who have completed the program have seen a 22-point improvement on their credit report on average.

Legislators expressed gratitude for the “wealth of information” they received and looked forward to helping their constituents break vicious cycles of debt. The lawmakers were enthusiastic that the ensuing economic freedom would benefit not only the individual consumer but would also uplift the community—a daily aspiration for NBCSL members.