This Week On Urban Focus

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John E. Jacob, the veteran civil rights leader and former president and executive director of the National Urban League, offers his perspective of where the country has travelled in providing equal opportunity. In his years at the Urban League, Mr. Jacob fought cutbacks in federal social programs and the weakening of civil rights enforcement under the Reagan Administration. He will look at an array of civil rights issues in the age of Obama.

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State Senator Eric Schneiderman, who is interested in running for New York Attorney General, discusses a bill that would change the way prisoners are counted in the census.

The bill, known as the “Prisoners of the Census” legislation, would allow incarcerated New Yorkers to be counted as part of the population of the areas considered to be their home areas, rather than as residents of the locations of the prisons.

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Assemblyman Carl E. Heastie, the Democratic Party leader in the Bronx, discusses the state’s current political scene and his aspirations in leading the party in his borough. He is the first African-American Democratic Party chairman in the Bronx.

Mr. Heastie, who represents the northeast Bronx, was elected in 2000 and is one of the youngest African-American New York State legislators. He has become one of the most influential political leaders in the state.

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United States Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke discusses a wide range of topics, from President Obama’s job growth strategy to the politics of 2010 New York.

Ms. Clarke is a Democrat who represents several neighborhoods in central Brooklyn. She is a member of the House Committee on Education and Labor and the Committee on Homeland Security. She is the chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, Science and Technology.

Prior to being elected to Congress, she served in the New York City Council. She succeeded her pioneering mother, former City Council Member Una S. T. Clarke, making them the first mother-daughter succession in the history of the Council.

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After a lengthy career as a community activist and self-described agitator, Ydanis Rodriguez is now a member of the New York City Council, having been inaugurated at the beginning of this year. Mr. Rodriguez, who was born in the Dominican Republic, discusses the growing political strength of New York City’s Dominican community and how the Council might address such issues as affordable housing and employment. He also discusses efforts to address the post earthquake conditions in Haiti, the Dominican Republic’s next-door neighbor.

In recognition of Black History Month, the broadcast also includes a retrospective of The Souls of Black Folk, the seminal book of essays written by W.E.B. DuBois in 1903. The book is discussed by Randall Kenan, a professor of English at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is also a renowned author of fiction and nonfiction. He also wrote the introduction on the 1993 edition of the book.

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The economic recession has been particularly punishing for the employment prospects for African American men. And two experts on the subject offer their perspectives on the causes of – and potential solutions to – the staggering rate of unemployment among black men.

One is Rodney D. Green, the executive director of the Center for Urban Progress in Washington. Dr. Green is also the chairman of the Department of Economics at Howard University. He has written extensively on the subject of employment in urban America.

The other expert is Roderick Harrison, a senior fellow at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, one of the nation’s premier research and public policy institutions. Dr. Harrison has also been affiliated with the Afro-American Studies and Sociology departments at Harvard University and the University of California at Los Angeles.

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(Jan. 27, 2010)

The conditions in Haiti in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake are discussed in this week’s Urban Focus. New York City Councilman Mathieu Eugene discusses the recent crisis and offers his perspective on how the Haitian community has been impacted. Councilman Eugene is the first Haitian-born official elected to the New York City Council and his office has been at the forefront of communication between New York’s Haitian community and their homeland.

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(Jan. 20, 2010)

Walter Fauntroy, a longtime civil rights activist and former member of the United States Congress, discusses the work and legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The program features several discussions about the late civil rights leader.

Rev. Fauntroy, who is also the pastor of the New Bethel Baptist Church in Washington D.C., was a close confidante of Martin Luther King, having joined Rev. King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He helped coordinate the seminal 1963 March on Washington where Dr. King gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.

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(Jan. 13, 2010)

William C. Thompson, the former New York City comptroller, shares his views on policies he recommends for New York City over the next four years. In November, Mr. Thompson lost to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg in an unexpectedly close race. He announced recently that he would run for mayor again in 2013.

Mr. Thompson, who served as Comptroller for eight years, had earlier considered considering challenging United States Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand or the state comptroller, Thomas P. DiNapoli. Instead, he said he would remain active in public life as he plans for the mayoral campaign in three years.
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(Jan. 6, 2010) Congressman Jerrold Nadler and City Councilman Brad Lander discuss policies that they advocate that are contained in the recently-released book, “From Disaster to Diversity: What’s Next for New York City’s Economy?” The book was published recently by the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy and edited by Jonathan Hicks, a senior fellow at the DuBois Bunche Center for Public Policy.

Congressman Nadler, who represents parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn, discusses a chapter he wrote on the need for a new tunnel in New York City to assist transporting freight. And Mr. Lander discusses his chapter, which presented a series of recommendations for how economic development should be undertaken in New York City.
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(Dec. 23, 2009)

As she reaches the end of her eight years as New York City’s Public Advocate, Betsy Gotbaum reflects on her years in the city’s second-highest elected office. Ms. Gotbaum, who was elected in 2001 and reelected in 2005, decided not to run for reelection even after the city’s term-limit law was changed by the City Council to allow officials to run for a third term.

The program also includes an interview with Charles Ellison, the host of “The New School,” the public affairs on the Sirius/XM Satellite Radio Network. He is the author of the critically-acclaimed urban political thriller TANTRUM. He is also the director of the Center for New Politics and Policy at the University of Denver. He is a frequent contributor to The Huffington Post, Politico’s “The Arena” and TheRoot.com.
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(Dec. 16, 2009)

State Senator Kevin Parker discusses the impact the federal stimulus package has had on New York City on the next Urban Focus. Senator Parker, Brooklyn Democrat, is a member of the Senate Committees on Energy and Telecom, Economic Development and Small Business, Commerce.

The program includes an interview with David Smith Jr., a historian at Georgia State University. Dr. Smith is one of the first African-American presidential historians and scholars focused exclusively on researching the history of the 10 African-American born presidents of Liberia, their families, and their administrations. He is the author of the book, “The African American Presidents: The Founding Fathers of Liberia, 1848-1904.”
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(Dec. 9, 2009)

David N. Dinkins, the 106th mayor of New York City, is the guest on Urban Focus. Mayor Dinkins was in 1989 and was the city’s first African American mayor, serving one term in City Hall.

Since leaving office, Mr. Dinkins has remained active in politics, having endorsed candidates for local and state offices. He is professor at Columbia University and is the host of the radio program “Dialogue with Dinkins,” which can be heard Saturday mornings on WLIB radio in New York City.
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Previously on Urban Focus: Broadcast from Nigeria

(Dec. 2, 2009)

In this broadcast, Urban Focus comes from Lagos, Nigeria, focusing on issues and personalities in one of the world largest urban centers.

The show features an interview with Fidelis Duker, one of Nigeria’s most prolific film producers and directors. He is an award winning filmmaker and the founder of the Abuja International Film and Video Festival. Mr. Duker is also the national president of the Directors Guild of Nigeria, the only association protecting the interest of all television and film directors in Nigeria.

The program also features an interview with Jide Sanwoolu, the commissioner for Establishment and Training in Lagos State. Mr. Sanwoolu discusses the successes and challenges of the government’s planning policies.
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Previously On Urban Focus: Broadcast From Liberia

(Nov. 25, 2009)

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the president of Liberia, discusses her country’s efforts to rebuild itself on the next Urban Focus. President Johnson Sirleaf, the first woman elected to lead an African country, discusses the challenges and successes in leading Liberia in the aftermath of nearly 15 years of civil war.
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