Blog

Monday, March 15th @ 6 PM  Police Accountability & South Bend's Community Police Review Board: A Roundtable Discussion Join our panel discussion about the successes, challenges and limitations of Citizens Review Boards. We will acknowledge the importance of the City of South Bend's landmark Community Police Review Board and discuss how South Bend's Board and accompanying office can…

FROM THE INDIANA UNIVERSITY CIVIL RIGHTS HERITAGE CENTER:  FAITH, BLACK CHURCHES, AND SOCIAL JUSTICE   THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2021, 6PM – 8PMRegister to join a panel of local faith leaders as they confront their role in movements for social justice.   In February 2021, local PBS affiliate, WNIT, aired the two-part documentary series, “The Black Church,” from noted…

RIGHTSIZE / REORGANIZE / REDESIGN / INNOVATEWHAT’S AHEAD FOR SOUTH BEND SCHOOLS? A Virtual Public Forum sponsored by theCommunity Forum for Economic JusticeWEDNESDAY, FEB. 24, 2021, 6 – 7:30 pm  We first learned about the proposal to “right-size” and “reorganize” South Bend’s public schools at the January 25th meeting of the Board of School Trustees. For…

      VITA, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, is the program that provides free income-tax preparation to low-and moderate-income taxpayers.  The Community Forum for Economic Justice has supported VITA for many years, and a number of our members participate actively in the program.       The program this year is being sponsored by Goodwill.  Goodwill has a long history…

“VIEWING EDUCATION THROUGH A RACIAL EQUITY LENS”           A PRESENTATION BY DR. PATRICIA PAYNE,           Director of the Racial Equity Office           Indianapolis Public Schools, 10/20/20 If you were unable to listen to the live presentation, you can view it on the Facebook Page of the Community forum for Economic Justice                         Viewing Education Through…

Join Community Action for Education’s monthly virtual meeting for a discussion about the use of police/school resource officers (SROs) in SBCSC schools.  During the past month, growing numbers of the public are demanding transformative changes for public safety institutions, specifically focusing on the role of police. Educational advocates have raised similar questions about school safety.The…

PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD: The VITA program is now available to do free tax preparation.  Because of the coronavirus, it is being conducted without face-to-face interaction.  The program, sponsored by Goodwill Industries of Michiana, is open to taxpayers whose income is $66,000 or less.  It will run through the end of the tax season, July…

An Invitation to View and Discuss a prize-winning documentary on Public Education   The Community Forum for Economic Justice, Community Action for Education, Michiana Advocates for Public Education, South Bend Chapter of Indiana Black Expo, Black Lives Matter South Bend, and The Civil Rights Heritage Center will sponsor an online showing of Backpack Full of…

From Chris Cobb, from the Open Space and Agricultural Alliance: I am writing with important news about stopping the IEC. After 21 months of delay, the Economic Development Division has finally released the “Indiana Enterprise Center Area Master Plan” for public comment. It’s been 21 months since the general public last had a chance to…

Earlier this month, four South Bend women traveled to Indianapolis to share their organizing experiences at this year’s Prosperity Indiana Summit, “20/20 Seeing Opportunity through the Lens of Values.”  The Summit is designed to push the boundaries of traditional community and economic development thinking and practice.  Prosperity Indiana’s mission is to build a better future…

Promoting a Just Wage Economy:What makes any given wage just or unjust?  Concerned that wages for most Americans have been flat for four decades? Worried that economic inequality between the rich and everyone else is at its most extreme since the 1920s? Wondering how to improve people's pay in an era of rising housing, health…