Advancement Project

The Advancement Project is an American nonprofit organization that focuses on racial justice issues.[1][2] The organization is made up of two distinct offices, Advancement Project National Office (based in Washington, D.C.) and Advancement Project California, that focus on different issues. Between the two offices, the organization’s work focuses on racial equity in education, political voice, immigration, and the criminal legal system.

Advancement Project
Formation1999
FounderPenda Hair and Constance L. Rice
TypeNon-profit corporation
PurposePolitical advocacy
HeadquartersWashington, D.C.
Region served
United States
Websiteadvancementproject.org

Organization overview

The Advancement Project was founded in 1999 by civil rights lawyers in Los Angeles and Washington D.C.[3]

The organization is made up of two offices: Advancement Project National Office (based in Washington, D.C.) and Advancement Project California.[4]

Advancement Project Co-Director Judith Browne Dianis

The executive director of the Advancement Project’s national office is Judith Browne Dianis.[5] The executive director of the California-based office is John Kim. [6] The founding co-directors include Advancement Project co-founders Constance L. Rice, Stephen R. English, and Molly Munger.[6]

The Advancement Project has received funding from George Soros[7] and the Tides Foundation and is a recommended funding target of the Democracy Alliance, a network of progressive donors who coordinate their political giving.

Activities

Advancement Project National Office

The Advancement Project National Office is known for its opposition to voter ID laws[8][9] and advocates for automatic voting rights restoration for all felons.[10][11] This includes working with Voice of the Experienced (VOTE), a Louisiana non-profit organization in 2017.[12] In 2018, the organization was also actively involved in the passage of Amendment 4 in Florida, which restores voting rights to most ex-felons.[13]

The Advancement Project National Office also advocates for an end to school disciplinary measures which it believes disproportionately put minority children into a school-to-prison pipeline.[14][15] In 2018, the organization’s national office partnered with the Alliance for Educational Justice and released a national report on the state and impact of police presence in schools.[16][17]

The organization has taken part in Moral Mondays protests, which are liberal demonstrations against Republican public policies.[18][19]

The Advancement Project National Office also advocates for immigration and criminal justice. In 2019, the organization investigated and reported on inhumane treatment of immigrants at an Arizona detention center.[20] The same year, Ben & Jerry’s partnered with Advancement Project in a campaign focused on criminal justice reform.[21] [22] The campaign includes efforts to shut down a St. Louis jail, Workhouse, and other similar jails.[21]

Advancement Project California

The Advancement Project California was a primary supporter of the defeated California Proposition 38 in 2012, which would have increased state income tax rates for most Californians, resulting in increased revenues to the state of about $10 billion a year.[4]

In 2017, Advancement Project California surveyed California's counties to rank them according to racial disparity. The disparities were measured based on economic opportunity, healthcare access, education, housing, democracy, crime and justice, and environment.[23] Marin and Imperial County were ranked highest for racial disparity.[24]

Advancement Project California works toward educational equity among low-income children in California. In 2019, the organization reported on the lack of child care facilities in the state.[25]

Board of directors

Both the Advancement Project's National Office in Washington, D.C. and the Advancement Project California are governed by a 16-member board of directors.[26] As of 2019, the board included Bill Lann Lee, Joe Alvarez, Arlene Holt Baker, Harry Belafonte, Stephen R. English, Rinku Sen, Helen Kim, Daniel Leon-Davis, Ash-Lee Henderson, Alberto Retana, Barrett S. Litt, Molly Munger, Katherine Peck, Constance L. Rice, Tom Unterman, and Jesse Williams.[5][6]

References
  1. Moore, Solomon (September 13, 2007). "Gangs Grow, but Hard Line Stirs Doubts". New York Times. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  2. Williams, Juliet (March 27, 2012). "Molly Munger, California Tax Proponent, Motivated By Civil Rights Passion". Huffington Post. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  3. Ferriss, Susan (January 14, 2013). "School discipline reform groups question proposals for armed security". Center for Public Integrity. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  4. Range McDonald, Patrick; Stewart, Jill (March 27, 2012). "Molly Munger's Prop. 38 Is Spoiling Jerry Brown's Prop. 30. She's Not Sorry". LA Weekly. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  5. "Advancement Project 2018 Annual Report" (PDF). Retrieved 2020-03-25.
  6. "2019 Annual Impact Report Advancement Project California" (PDF). Retrieved 2020-03-25.
  7. Riddell, Kelly (January 14, 2015). "George Soros funds Ferguson protests, hopes to spur civil action". Washington Times. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  8. Wilson, Reid (October 2, 2014). "Voting rights advocates want Supreme Court to block Wisconsin voter ID law". Washington Post. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  9. Lachman, Samantha (March 23, 2015). "Supreme Court Won't Consider Challenge To Wisconsin Voter ID Law". Huffington Post. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  10. Mock, Brentin (February 1, 2013). "What's Next For the Voting Rights Movement?". The Nation. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  11. Murphy, Ryan (July 16, 2013). "McDonnell outlines process for restoring voting rights for felons". Daily Press. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  12. "Civil rights groups fight to restore ex-felon voting rights". Louisiana Weekly. Retrieved 2020-06-04.
  13. "More than a million convicted felons in Florida won their voting rights back. Now what?". Miami Herald. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
  14. Nave, R.L. (May 13, 2015). "Defining Effective School Discipline in JPS". Jackson Free Press. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  15. Maxwell, Zerlina (November 27, 2013). "The School-to-Prison Pipeline Is Targeting Your Child". Ebony. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  16. "New Website Tracks School Police Violence Against Students of Color". Diverse. 2019-08-27.
  17. "Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley Tackles The 'PUSHOUT' Of Black Girls At School". Essence. 2019-09-17.
  18. Among, Maryalice (June 24, 2013). "'Moral Mondays' in North Carolina". MSNBC. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  19. Keyes, Scott (June 28, 2013). "The Biggest Liberal Protest Of 2013". Think Progress. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  20. "Groups call for end to immigration detention in report exposing inhumane abuses at private prison". Daily Kos. Retrieved 2020-04-23.
  21. "Ben & Jerry's Takes on Criminal Justice Reform with New Flavor, Justice Remix'd". The Root. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
  22. "Ben & Jerry's New Ice Cream Flavor Takes Aim At Racism In The Criminal Justice System". Huffpost. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
  23. "Think race isn't a problem in California? New report shows otherwise". Orange County Register. 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
  25. "Obstacles deter many California child care providers from building, expanding facilities". EdSource. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
  26. "Board of Directors" Archived 2015-02-04 at the Wayback Machine, Advancement Project
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