The Resegregation of Schools, the Politics of Resentment, and More

1.The Secretary of Segregation

Trump Education Secretary Betsy DeVos was confirmed this week with an unprecedented tie-breaking vote from VP Mike Pence. On CNN.com, Roosevelt President and CEO Felicia Wong argues that DeVos’s privatization agenda will lead to the resegregation of the American school system.

2. Politics of Resentment

Roosevelt Senior Fellow Bo Cutter hosted a breakfast conversation with the University of Wisconsin’s Katherine Cramer, author of The Politics of Resentment: Rural Consciousness in Wisconsin and the Rise of Scott Walker. Watch the full discussion on Facebook.

3. Talking Protest in Pennsylvania

Roosevelt Program Associate Katie Kirchner was a guest on WKOK’s On the Mark, discussing the value of protests, the many forms they can take, and the distinction between peaceful demonstration and rioting. (Katie’s segment begins at 02:08.)

4. The Welcoming Committee

The members of Roosevelt @ Binghamton University hosted an “Emergency Take Action” meeting on their campus, organizing students to join the call for the Binghamton City Council to pass a resolution telling refugees and immigrants they are welcome in their community.

5. Risky Gifts in Puerto Rico

Roosevelt Fellow Saqib Bhatti and Carrie Sloan have released a new ReFund America paper examining how Wall Street firms may have misrepresented the toxic financial deals they sold to Puerto Rico, and why the Commonwealth may have legal recourse to recover its losses.

What We’re Reading:

The Washington Post‘s Dana Milbank names Roosevelt as one of the organizations “offer[ing] brainpower to counter Trump” in a piece on the ways Americans can organize their resistance to the new administration.

Event:

On Thursday, February 23, the Roosevelt Institute will partner with General Assembly and the Economic Security Project to present “The Automated Workforce: The Future of Work and the Social Safety Net,” a panel and Q&A including Roosevelt VP Nell Abernathy. Learn more here.