Having returned from Haiti just four days before the catastrophic earthquake, members of the Task Force on the Americas will discuss the years of US intervention and devastating neoliberal policies that preceded this latest disaster. They will share their findings based on interviews with more than 70 people. The presentation is scheduled for Friday, February 12 at 7:30 PM at the First United Methodist Church, 9 Ross Valley Drive (at Fourth Street), San Rafael. Donations will benefit the SOPUDEP School. The school educates over 500 students from the poor neighborhoods of Port-au-Prince free of charge and provides many with their only meal of the day. Since the disaster the school is housing an emergency medical clinic staffed by Haitian and Cuban doctors.

Is racism a thing of the past? Panelists, former Black Panther Richard Brown and revolutionary feminist lesbian Merle Woo, will explore this idea promoted by the media during President Obama's election campaign, and how it measures up to the reality of African American lives today. Discussion to follow.

Nominations due 2/16/2010 for the Thomas I. Yamashita Prize. This prize is awarded annually to an outstanding young social change activist in California. The award of $2,500 honors a person whose work transforms the existing social landscape and serves as a bridge between the academy and the community.

Victor Hugo López, Communications Coordinator at the Fray Bartolomé de las Casas Human Rights Center (Frayba) in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, will discuss human rights in Chiapas and the prospects for political change in 2010. The human rights situation in Chiapas has deteriorated rapidly in recent months, including an attack on a Fraba lawyer in September. As popular organizations wage peaceful struggles against paramilitary violence, tourism projects that displace campesinos, and illegal land grabs, the Frayba is at the often-dangerous forefront of human rights defense. Under attack from paramilitary groups, the army, and both the state and federal governments, the Frayba produces frequent human rights reports, defends cases in court and supports indigenous communities under attack.

Please join ABAG and the Center for Cities & Schools (CC&S) for a conversation on the connection between planning and education and how to facilitate dialogue between the city governments and school districts. An overview of topics will include: how growth and new housing impacts schools, involving school districts in the planning process, transportation links, facilities, schools as community centers, and opportunities for student learning through civic engagement.

How do you see yourself when you can't see at all? At the Texas School for the Blind, students juggle all the usual pressures of high school along with the added struggles of growing up blind. Spend a dynamic year with four blind teens trying to fit in and live independently. Forced to confront the world without sight, they share their inner-visions with the outer world. Ultimately, you cannot understand their perceptions without challenging your own.

We will offer you and your students a full day of workshops and lectures taught by Bay Area professional journalists, journalism instructors, university students and others involved in the world of journalism today. Online registration available 1/4/2010

The Pulitzer Center and YouTube have partnered on an exciting new contest, made possible by Sony and Intel. The contest invites non-professional, aspiring reporters to share their stories with the world. With two rounds over three months, short documentary assignments will be judged on the quality of the stories reported and the production value of the videos. Ten finalists will be chosen from the first round to receive technology prizes from Sony and Intel, and will compete to receive one of five $10,000 grants to work with the Pulitzer Center on an under-reported international story. Winners will be featured on the YouTube homepage. Learn more: www.pulitzercenter.org www.youtube.com/projectreport

News and Inclusion: Journalism and the Politics of Diversity will focus on the role of journalism in multicultural societies. Scholars from Singapore, Finland, Australia, The Netherlands, Canada, England, and the United States, will examine, in the context of journalism, the question posed by political theorist Iris Marion Young: "What are the norms and conditions of democratic communication under circumstances of structural inequality and cultural difference?

PILA’s leadership development programs support organizations in developing immigrant leaders to catalyze concrete change in their communities. Our programs connect diverse individuals and organizations to a broader movement for social justice. If you are interested in developing strategies for constituent engagement and new ways to connect with community organizing groups who also work with your constituency, then this program is for you. TO APPLY PLEASE DOWNLOAD APPLICATION at www.pilaweb.org

Recognizing exemplary reporting on children and families for the 16th year. Please be sure to notice the updated categories: for the first time, citizen journalists and reporters from online-only news sites are eligible to apply. See website for full details.

The USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced today that applications are now being accepted for the sixth annual Arts Journalism Institute in Theater and Musical Theater. The institute, which will take place May 17-27, 2010, is an 11-day intensive workshop in theater and musical theater for critics, reporters, editors, and broadcast and online producers from all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Institute applications are due March 11, 2010.

The San Francisco Foundation is now recruiting for the 2010-2012 Multicultural Fellowship Program. This program aims to increase diversity in the philanthropic and non-profit sectors. See website for full details.

As part of an international effort to reduce stigma and discrimination, the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism provide stipends to journalists to report on topics related to mental health illnesses. Fellows enjoy a great deal of flexibility in scheduling their project work throughout the year and will be asked to make two expense-paid three-day visits to the Carter Center in Atlanta. Projects do not require fellows to leave their jobs.

The institute above offers an intensive, 10-week training program for people that have completed their undergraduate degrees that works to change the impact of economic crisis for low income people and communities of color and offer hands-on public policy training and experience for leadership reasons. They offer an associate program from June 7th- August 13th, 2010, and a fellowship program from September 1st, 2010- August 26th, 2010.