Angela Glover Blackwell

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Angela Glover Blackwell
Angela Glover Blackwell
Born
St. Louis, Missouri
OccupationFounder in Residence, PolicyLink
Known forResearch-based public policy advocacy
Academic background
Alma materUC Berkeley School of Law
Academic work
InstitutionsPolicyLink, Urban Strategies Council
Notable works"The Curb-Cut Effect" in Stanford Social Innovation Review
Notable ideasThe Curb-Cut Effect
WebsiteRadical Imagination

Angela Glover Blackwell is an American attorney, civil rights advocate, and author. In 1999, she founded the research and advocacy nonprofit organization PolicyLink and currently serves as its Founder in Residence after twenty years as president and CEO. Blackwell regularly provides expert commentary in a variety of news media and hosts the podcast Radical Imagination.

Early life and education[]

Blackwell grew up in racially-segregated St. Louis, Missouri, and then completed a B.A. at Howard University.[1][2][3] In 2005, Blackwell discussed her childhood in St. Louis with Yes! magazine, stating, "For African-American families such as my own, community was the scaffolding that allowed us to achieve our visions in a society where we were locked out of the mainstream. By building strong communities, we were able to create our own pathways to personal fulfillment."[4] She later completed her J.D. at the University of California at Berkeley School of Law.[3]

Career[]

From 1977 to 1987, Blackwell was a Managing Attorney at the public-interest law firm Public Advocates,[1][5] which included work on class action lawsuits and firm strategy development.[3] In 1979, she advocated for a grocery store in Bayview, and while unsuccessful at the time, Gov. Jerry Brown then formed a commission to address the issue of 'food deserts.'[6]

In 1987, Blackwell founded Urban Strategies Council in Oakland, California,[7] which focuses on the needs of children and families with data-driven public policy advocacy and community organizing.[2][8][3] After her work at the Urban Strategies Council, Blackwell was then a senior vice president and oversaw the Domestic and Cultural divisions at the Rockefeller Foundation for three years, where she focused on policy issues related to race and inclusion, and developed programs.[1][3]

In 1999, Blackwell founded PolicyLink,[2][9] a research and advocacy nonprofit organization focused on economic and social equity for low-income people and communities of color.[1] PolicyLink is staffed by attorneys and public policy experts in California, Washington, D.C., and New York.[6] In 2018, Blackwell transitioned from her role as president and CEO to Founder in Residence at PolicyLink.[10]

In 2011, Blackwell was appointed to the President's Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.[1] In 2014, Blackwell was appointed to the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans.[5]

In April 2020, Blackwell was appointed to the California Task Force on Business and Jobs Recovery.[11]

Commentary[]

Blackwell has regularly appeared as a guest on Moyers & Company as a social justice expert, including in 1995, to discuss rebuilding communities,[12] in 2004, to discuss economic and social equity,[13] in 2012, to discuss her optimism,[14] and in 2014, to discuss systemic racism.[15] Blackwell has also regularly appeared on C-SPAN networks, beginning in 1994.[16] Blackwell also appeared on NPR in 2007 to discuss a study from the Pew Charitable Trusts on economic mobility, and on PBS NewsHour in 2014 to discuss progress made after fifty years of the war on poverty.[17]

In 2009 and 2010, Blackwell wrote commentary about national health policy for The Washington Post.[18] In 2017, Blackwell wrote "The Curb-Cut Effect" in Stanford Social Innovation Review, about how laws and programs designed for vulnerable groups often benefit everyone,[6][19][20] followed by "Civil Society and Authentic Engagement in a Diverse Nation" in 2018.[21] Blackwell further expounded on "the curb-cut effect" in a 2017 opinion article in The New York Times.[22]

As founder in residence at PolicyLink, Blackwell has continued to provide expert commentary on economic and social justice issues,[23][24] including as the keynote speaker at the 2020 "Racism and the Economy" conference series hosted by the presidents of the Atlanta, Boston, and Minneapolis Federal Reserve Banks.[25] In 2020, Blackwell co-authored opinion articles in The New York Times,[26][27] The Los Angeles Times,[28] and The Mercury News.[29]

In 2019, Blackwell began her podcast Radical Imagination, which hosts experts for discussions about what Sarah Larson at The New Yorker described as "big ideas, including reparations, housing as a human right, universal basic income, and [...] police abolition."[30][31][32]

Honors and Awards[]

Works[]

  • Blackwell, A.G., Kwoh, S., Pastor, M. Uncommon Common Ground: Race and America’s Future, New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2010. ISBN 9780393336856.
  • Edited by Edwards, J., Crain, M., Kalleberg, A.L. Ending Poverty in America: How to Restore the American Dream, New York: The New Press, 2007. ISBN 978-1-59558-176-1.[3][36]
  • Smiley, Tavis (ed.). The Covenant with Black America, 2006
  • Duncan, C.M., with a foreword by Angela Blackwell. Worlds Apart: Poverty and Politics in Rural America New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2014. ISBN 9780300196597.
  • What It’s Worth: Strengthening the Financial Future of Families, Communities and the Nation (Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and CFED, 2015)[37] (contribution)

Personal life[]

Blackwell is married to Dr. Fred Blackwell, an orthopedic surgeon,[38] has two children, and several grandchildren.[6] She has lived in Oakland, California for more than four decades.[6]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e "President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts, 2/4/11". Office of the Press Secretary. The White House. February 4, 2011. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Ross, Tracey (February 25, 2020). "Angela Glover Blackwell's Radical Imagination". Essence. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Angela Glover Blackwell". Moyers on Democracy. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  4. ^ Van Gelder, Sarah (May 10, 2005). "Cities For All: An Interview with Angela Glover Blackwell". Yes!. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Angela Glover Blackwell". Public Advocates. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Alexander, Kurtis (February 21, 2017). "Oakland attorney Angela Glover Blackwell wages fight for equity". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  7. ^ Williams, Junious (April 12, 2012). "Our Founder on Bill Moyers". Urban Strategies Council. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  8. ^ "A Catalyst for Social Justice". Urban Strategies Council. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  9. ^ "Angela Glover Blackwell". PolicyLink. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  10. ^ "PolicyLink President and CEO, Michael McAfee, Takes the Leadas Angela Glover Blackwell Assumes New Role asFounder in Residence" (PDF). PolicyLink. September 4, 2018. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  11. ^ Henry, Tanu (April 20, 2020). "Gov. Taps Diverse Group for COVID-19 Recovery Task Force". The Sacramento Observer. CBM Newswire. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  12. ^ "Rebuilding Communities". Moyers & Company. April 21, 1995. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  13. ^ "Condoleezza Rice, Double Dealing on the Reservation, the Dimensions of Race, and the Tom DeLay Controversy". Moyers & Company. November 19, 2004. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  14. ^ "An Optimist for Our Times". Moyers & Company. April 13, 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  15. ^ "Is America a Post-Racial Society?". Moyers & Company. March 6, 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  16. ^ "Angela Glover Blackwell". C-SPAN. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  17. ^ "50 years on, what strides have we made in the war on poverty?". PBS NewsHour. January 8, 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  18. ^ "Angela Glover Blackwell". Health Care Rx. The Washington Post. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  19. ^ "Talking About Equity: Promoting the Curb-Cut Effect". The Annie E. Casey Foundation. March 2, 2017. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  20. ^ Blackwell, Angela Glover (Winter 2016). "The Curb-Cut Effect". Stanford Social Innovation Review. Stanford University. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  21. ^ Blackwell, Angela Glover (June 14, 2018). "Civil Society and Authentic Engagement in a Diverse Nation". Stanford Social Innovation Review. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  22. ^ Blackwell, Angela Glover (June 9, 2017). "Infrastructure Is Not Just Roads and Bridges". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  23. ^ Bergeron, Tom (March 18, 2019). "Blackwell makes argument — with stats — for how economic policies that benefit people of color will benefit all". ROI-NJ. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  24. ^ Changa, Anoa (February 24, 2021). "Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Black Economists Back Federal Job Guarantee Resolution". Westside Gazette. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  25. ^ Lindsay, Jay (October 8, 2020). "Atlanta, Boston, Minneapolis Feds launch "Racism and the Economy" series to explore racial injustice". Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  26. ^ Blackwell, Angela Glover; Hamilton, Darrick (May 9, 2020). "Will We Face Depression-Era Job Losses? Let's Not Find Out". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  27. ^ Blackwell, Angela Glover; McAfee, Michael (June 26, 2020). "Banks Should Face History and Pay Reparations". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  28. ^ Blackwell, Angela Glover; Pastor, Manuel (October 14, 2020). "Op-Ed: Reopening California depends on keeping the virus out of low-income neighborhoods". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  29. ^ Blackwell, Angela Glover; Steyer, Tom (November 4, 2020). "Opinion: Ending California's digital divide must be part of COVID strategy". The Mercury News. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  30. ^ Larson, Sarah (June 22, 2020). "Radical Imagination". The New Yorker. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  31. ^ Dudley, Joshua (October 31, 2019). "The Radical Imagination of Angela Glover Blackwell". Forbes. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  32. ^ Baker, Brea (June 2, 2020). "The Anti-Racist Podcast List". Elle. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  33. ^ "Angela Glover Blackwell: Achieving equity shows economic results". Brandeis University. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  34. ^ "Peter E. Haas Public Service Award Recipients". Berkeley Awards. University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  35. ^ "Trailblazer for Equitable Community Development and Racial Equity to Receive Independent Sector's John W. Gardner Leadership Award". Independent Sector. August 9, 2018. Retrieved 28 February 2021. Independent Sector’s John W. Gardner Leadership Award recognizes an American visionary whose body of work has empowered constituencies, strengthened participation, inspired movements, and improved the quality of life on our planet.
  36. ^ "Ending Poverty in America How to Restore the American Dream". The New Press. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  37. ^ "What It's Worth: Strengthening the Financial Future of Families, Communities and the Nation". Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  38. ^ Reilly, Janet (March 1, 2017). "The Interview: Fred Blackwell". Nob Hill Gazette. Retrieved 28 February 2021.

External links[]

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