Young Professionals

On May 19th voters will decide the fate of 6 ballot measures set to bring in an estimated $6 billion in revenues to the state of California, to offset the estimated $21 billion deficit.

To make up the funds, the State must consider cutting state jobs, reducing health care programs, eliminating certain social services, laying off teachers and increasing class sizes.  Similarly, vital investments like building roads and bridges, investments in public health, crime prevention, and education, may be ignored. 
In other words, the decisions that will be made in the coming months will affect residents of this state for years to come. 

Take a moment to share what services/programs/expenditures you think the State should retain when trying to balance the budget.    

Given the two highly publicized events that have taken place in Oakland - the murder of Oscar Grant by the an Oakland police officer and the recent deaths of four Oakland police officers by an African American suspect - how do we feel about the relationship between law enforcement and people of color in our communities?

Consider the following:
*What is our collective responsibility to prevent violence as a whole when a majority of violent crimes committed in our neighborhoods are committed by members of our own communities? 
*How do we get people to prioritize the accountability we have to one another? 
*As we start to assess the role that our culture plays in violence and begin to discuss how to turn it around, does that dialogue hamper our ability to continue pressing law enforcement for better treatment of people of color?

The Republican Party recently selected Michael Steele to serve as the Chairman of the National Party, who becomes the first African American to hold that post.
But in terms of their overall policies, what does the Republican Party need to do to pick up more votes from people of color?  How can the GOP increase their appeal while upholding the party's platform of small government, low taxes, social conservatism, and big business in today's economic and social landscape?  Can the Republican Party regain relevance in national politics without increasing voters of color in their base?

I came across an interesting article in "the Atlantic" by Hua Hsu called "The End of White America?"  It analyzes the cultural shift that has taken place in the US over the last 50 years or so and asks what these changes mean for our concepts of white identity.  But after reading it, I found myself asking the opposite question which I would like to pose to each of you: What does post-racial America mean for Black Identity?
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200901/end-of-whiteness