President George W. Bush isn't the only one spending a lot of time considering immigration reform. Political activist and celebrated actor Danny Glover is thinking about it, too.
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| The fellows are chosen to reflect New York City's diversity. |
Addressing the annual gathering of the Charles H. Revson Fellows on May 2, Glover took up the issue and explored whether African Americans should join the movement that has grown out of the controversy. "Latin Americans need to be there, Asian Americans need to be there, and so do we," he said, noting that the day before, he had spoken at the San Francisco immigration rally that made international headlines.
"You can't overestimate the importance of coalition building," he stressed, recalling the time when, as a college student in San Francisco, he participated in a strike with a group that included students from several ethnicities. "Just imagine what we can do if we build those bridges," he said.
Those bridges are precisely the kind of connections the Revson Fellowship program hopes to build.
Each year, 10 rising stars in public service and civic leadership who have made outstanding contributions to New York City or another metropolitan area are selected as fellows. They pursue a year of study at Columbia University, developing their knowledge of urban issues and strengthening their abilities as urban leaders. Through their coursework, independent study and interactions with faculty and guest speakers, fellows develop connections with the University and with civic leaders that continue long after they leave the program. F ellows are expected to remain in contact with each other and participate in weekly dinners.
The 2005-2006 Revson Fellows are: Vicente "Panama" Alba, e xecutive board member and delegate of Laborers' Local 108 (L.I.U.N.A.) AFL/CIO; Amy Chester , chief of staff to New York City Council Member David Yassky; Deyanira F. Del Río, director of programs at the Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Project (NEDAP); Mable Haddock, founding president and chief executive officer of the National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC); Omar Henriquez, member of the board of directors of The Workplace Project, Resist and the Coordinating Agency for Spanish American (CASA) of Nassau County; Alyssa Katz, editor-at-large of City Limits ; Fekkak Mamdouh, co-founder of Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York (ROC-NY); Norman R. McConney Jr. , executive director of the Office of the Deputy Speaker of the New York State Assembly; Angeles Pai, chief of staff at New York City's Department of Homeless Service; and Barbara Taveras, project director of the Coalition for New Philanthropy.
According to the Revson Fellows program's director, sociology professor Sudhir Alladi Venkatesh, this year's dinner, attended by 100 current and former fellows, was the "largest gathering thus far of Revson alumni," providing an unparalleled opportunity for networking and exchanging ideas on key issues affecting New York City. Venkatesh is also director of graduate studies in the CU Department of Sociology .
The fellowship is funded by the Charles H. Revson Foundation and the Open Society Institute and is supported by Columbia University.
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