Alan's Positions

POVERTY, RACIAL INEQUALITY, EDUCATION AND CRIME

Since I was a child, we have seen a dramatic rise in gangs and violent crimes within our district. I believe poverty, crime and a lack of education are linked. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, poverty rates in the United States were 12.7% in 2004. For African Americans, it was 24.7% and for Hispanics, it was 21.9%. Moreover, statistics show that 67% of prison inmates have not completed high school and many are illiterate. Moreover, a disproportionate number are from the African American and Hispanic communities.

The American dream has to be open to all Americans. A person who is able to work and earn a livable wage is a person, in my opinion, who will most likely be a contributing member of society. At the Carlson School of Management, I was the primary instructor for the LEAD program for several years. This program involved the education of minority youth in business. In the Twin Cities, it was sponsored by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the Carlson School of Management, 3M, SuperVALU and General Mills. I believe it is a very effective program and an example of the types of things that we need to do, for the long-term, to solve this problem. It is my intent to lobby my peers in placing me on strategic committees to make sure that this issue comes to the forefront and that the government becomes involved in supporting and widening these programs.