Daily Lumina News 022720

Members of Lumina Foundation's staff are sharing “equity narratives”—personal journeys around race in America. The stories—which include a mom preparing her son for college, an immigrant's experience, and a man who realized he may have contributed to unfair educational systems—are part of a collective effort to explore the country’s long history of structural racism and how these barriers affect the people Lumina is trying to help.
The narratives also remind us that the journey toward racial equity can be long and winding. There isn’t a final destination at which we’ll arrive, an exam that we can take, or a badge that we can earn to signal we’ve completed our equity work. It is ongoing, continual.

More colleges and universities are starting programs and other initiatives designed to enhance diversity and inclusion. But can the daily work of running a campus also contribute to this goal?
Julie Posselt, associate professor of education at the University of Southern California, talks about her new book, Higher Education Administration for Social Justice and Equity, and how to carry out basic administrative operations with a clear commitment to diversity and equity.

Donnell Cline says he spent 20 years in and out of jail, making the wrong decisions to gain “fast money.” In 2010, his probation officer told about Chicago’s Community Kitchens.
Chicago's Community Kitchens is a free 14-week culinary job training program for people who are unemployed or underemployed. The program is offered at no cost to students. From knife skills to life skills, the effort empowers students to fulfill their potential.

Over the past two years, the University of California's free Immigrant Legal Services Center has become a lifeline for students and their ability to legally stay and work in the United States.
Immigration lawyer Rachel Ray talks about the center’s services, the changing legal landscape surrounding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, and what students can do to best protect themselves and their families.