The goal of Advancement Project from the beginning was to pursue civil rights in a different way by combining legal and policy expertise with technology and data analysis, and cultivating respectful relationships with community leaders. Ten years later, on October 25, more than 300 gathered for a Sunday afternoon garden party to help us celebrate what Advancement Project has become, and to learn about its future. Thank you to our generous supporters and sponsors of the event for making the day a great success!
See fabulous photos and view a short video about Advancement Project's innovations and successes in building schools, reducing gang violence and harnessing the power of technology to advance civil rights.
Leroy D. Baca has served as Los Angeles County's Sheriff since 1998 and was re-elected in 2006 to a third term in office, after serving since 1965 in the Sheriff's Department.
Baca commands the largest Sheriff's Department in the United States with a budget of $2.5 billion dollars, more than 18,000 sworn and professional staff and protecting more than 4 million people. The Sheriff's Department provides law enforcement to 40 incorporated cities, 110 unincorporated communities, nine community colleges, and hundreds of thousands of daily commuters. The largest court system and local jail system are protected by the Sheriff's Department.
The Sheriff's embrace of community policing by working across diverse communities has been a hallmark of his tenure. He founded Public Trust Policing that includes diverse advisory councils and a Clergy Council of more than 300 representatives from the faith community. The Sheriff operates 14 nonprofit youth centers, 10 at-risk regional training centers for at-risk youth ages 10-18, and deputies teach 50,000 children about positive solutions to the problems of drugs and gangs.
Sheriff Baca has also demonstrated a commitment to increasing civilian oversight by creating the Office of Independent Review - six civil rights attorneys who manage all internal affairs and internal criminal investigations concerning alleged misconduct by Department personnel.
For Sheriff Baca's commitment to ensuring safe and secure neighborhoods for all and his eagerness to embrace community-centered policies, Advancement Project is pleased to call him a "Partner in Justice".
William J. Bratton Los Angeles Police Chief
William J. Bratton has served as L.A.'s Chief of Police since 2002, managing the third-largest police department in the country, with nearly 12,000 employees and a budget of $1 billion. After six years in office, crime in LA has been reduced to historically low levels, with Part I crimes down 33% and homicides down 41%.
The Chief holds the unique claim to being the only person ever to serve as chief executive of the LAPD and the NYPD and established an international reputation for reengineering police departments and fighting crime in the 1990s. While in New York, he led the development of CompStat, the internationally acclaimed computerized crime-mapping system now used by police departments nationwide. CompStat revolutionized policing by bringing all crime and arrest data together by category and by neighborhood.
In his tenure Chief Bratton has made significant progress in changing the culture of the Los Angeles Police Department and embraced the concept of community policing advocated by Advancement Project and other civil rights organizations. After directing a major reengineering and reform effort at the LAPD, he drove several initiatives in L.A. aimed at utilizing real-time information to further reduce crime, target gang violence, and mitigate the threat posed by terrorism.
Chief Bratton has worked closely and effectively with Advancement Project, most notably on the City's gang violence reduction efforts, which were sparked by a comprehensive set of recommendations by our Urban Peace team.
The Chief recently announced his resignation, effective October 31, 2009. The 10th Anniversary Celebration will be one of his last public appearances and our chance to say "thank you" and "best wishes"!
Heroes in Justice
Genethia Hudley-Hayes
A renowned educator and respected civic leader, Genethia Hudley-Hayes has been at the forefront of making Los Angeles a better place for more than 20 years.
As an education and child development specialist, Hayes has been a teacher, a principal and served as president of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) board of directors from 1999 to 2003. She has developed specialized curriculum for African American learners and published a language arts newspaper to create lifelong reading habits for African American families. She has taught parenting classes, served as a mediator with the LAUSD, was a member of The California State Teacher Credentialing Commission and traveled the country helping school districts develop curriculum.
Her commitment to civil rights is a hallmark of her career. With the Southern Christian Leadership Conference - Los Angeles for 14 years, she ultimately became the organization's executive director and executive vice president of The Martin Luther King Legacy Association, the organization's social service arm. She has also served on the L.A. City Human Relations Commission and on the board of the Multi-Cultural Collaborative.
Hayes is now the CEO of Hudley-Hayes & Associates, a consulting firm.
We are pleased to honor Genethia Hudley-Hayes as a Hero in Justice for her courage in leading the LAUSD, her lifelong dedication to making Martin Luther King's dream a reality for all, and for being one of Advancement Project's bedrock partners.
Richard J. Riordan
Former two-term Mayor of Los Angeles from 1993-2001, Richard Riordan has worn many hats in his long career - soldier, businessperson, restaurateur, entrepreneur, philanthropist, lawyer, politician, civic leader and power-broker, as well as being an avid cyclist.
But our favorite role of Riordan's is education reformer and advocate for children. As California Secretary for Education (December 2003 to June 2005) he created legislation that demanded accountability and ensured that students receive a quality education. As Mayor he challenged the Los Angeles Unified School District bureaucracy and helped elect boardmembers who shared his vision.
As a private citizen, Riordan was a founding member of the nationally-acclaimed LEARN school reform effort, and a founding board member for L.A.'s BEST (Better Educated Students for Tomorrow), an innovative and nationally recognized after-school program.
The Riordan Foundation was established in 1981 and has distributed 21,700 computers to 2,100 schools in 40 states; helped purchase 128,000 books for elementary classroom libraries; donated $1.5 million in book grants; and launched a citywide reading program. In addition he co-founded The Riordan Programs at The Anderson School at UCLA with Professor William Ouchi, consisting of The Riordan Scholars Program and The Riordan Fellows Program, serving high school students and college students/recent college alumni respectively.
For his many accomplishments and long-time partnership with Advancement Project, we are proud to name Richard Riordan a Hero in Justice!
Eternal Flame of Justice Award
Harry Belafonte
In the public eye since 1953, Belafonte has always been an intelligent and articulate voice for the oppressed in this country, and abroad. He has been known as many things to many different people - a great singer, a marvelous actor, a fixture in the civil rights movement, a human rights crusader and a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
As a performer, he has worked with the greats - Charlie Parker, Marlon Brando, Rod Steiger and Kermit the Frog , to name a few. One of the most successful recording stars in history, Belafonte has received many accolades, including the first million-seller recording artist with Calypso; a Tony Award for John Murray Anderson's Almanac on Broadway; and an Emmy for An Evening with Belafonte - the first African American to do so.
As a socially-aware and active citizen of the world, he has broken barriers and helped make change. A close friend of Martin Luther King, Jr. he was in the forefront of the American civil rights movement. He helped lead the campaign to end apartheid in South Africa and free Nelson Mandela. Belafonte was one of the instigators behind "We are the World", a recording that raised awareness about and funds to help end hunger in Africa. President Kennedy named him Cultural Advisor to the Peace Corps and he received the National Medal of Arts from President Clinton in 1994.
His work and commitment to bettering the lives of disenfranchised people is well-known, but we also honor Harry Belafonte for providing guidance, counsel and board leadership to Advancement Project.
Peacemakers for Justice
Community Violence Intervention AcademyCurriculum Development Workgroup
Advancement Project's Urban Peace work has many components but one simple goal: to reduce gang violence and counter-productive law enforcement practices. The Community Violence Intervention Academy is a training for entry-level gang intervention workers - who are on the frontlines every day - do their jobs better, saving lives and building community.
The Curriculum Development Workgroup (CDW) is responsible for designing and developing curriculum to professionalize the field. The most experienced and skilled Latino and African American intervention workers in Los Angeles have joined forces to define their shared profession. CDW is developing culturally competent and effective professional standards and best practices; a first in the gang intervention field.
Advancement Project is proud to honor the Community Violence Intervention Academy Workgroup. Operating with the highest degree of integrity, they have bridged difficult divides and come together through a shared commitment to end the deadly cycle of gang violence and give new hope to young people throughout the region.
