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Eric Avila in Looper News: “Who Actually Framed Roger Rabbit?”

The freeway scheme of “Roger Rabbit” is based on what really happened in Los Angeles, which, at that time, was deeply segregated via redlining and exclusionary white neighborhoods. When L.A. built its freeways, they gutted multiple neighborhoods occupied primarily by people of color. This was a stated goal of urban planners’ design, according to UCLA…

Sonja Diaz in Honest Columnist: “Latinos in labor unions were better protected from job losses during pandemic”

Following previous studies demonstrating that Latinos faced disproportionate public health and economic consequences during the pandemic, the new report highlights the benefits that labor unions can provide to vulnerable workers during an economic crisis, said Sonja Diaz, the founding director of the Latino Policy and Politics Institute.

Eric Avila in The Philadelphia Inquirer: “Interstate highways were touted as modern marvels. Racial injustice was part of the plan.”

“Blight was a code word used to identify Black, working-class communities,” said Eric Avila, a UCLA historian and author of The Folklore of the Freeway: Race and Revolt in the Modernist City. The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 promised 41,000 miles of asphalt. And when it became time to finalize route plans, Avila said, “race…

Matt Barreto in CNN Politics: “Newsom nationalizes California recall as he fights for his job”

The messaging is a smart use of California’s political tilt for Newsom, said Matt Barreto, a professor at UCLA and a top adviser to “Building Back Together,” the outside political group aligned with Biden. “California is even more Democratic in national politics than it is in state politics. It is a smart move to remind…

Sonja Diaz in The Los Angeles Times: “Latinos were hardest hit by COVID-19. Now, Newsom needs them to thwart recall”

“The issue is not whether Latinos are in favor of the recall,” said Sonja Diaz, director of the UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute. “The real issue is, will nonwhite voters turn out to cast a ballot? If they do, then Gov. Newsom will remain in the governor’s mansion.”

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