User:Minnesotagreek/policylink

PolicyLink is a national research and action institute which works to advance economic and social equity. They focus on policies effecting low-income communities and communities of color.

Background
Founded in 1999 by Angela Glover Blackwell, PolicyLink connects the work of community and grassroots organizers to the creation of sustainable communities of opportunity. PolicyLink’s goals include providing access to green jobs, affordable housing, transportation, and creating healthy neighborhoods. Utilizing the concept that those closest to the nation’s challenges can help find solutions, PolicyLink relies on local residents and organizations to accomplish its goals. The group shares its findings and analysis through its website, publications and blog as well ass national summits, and briefings with national and local policymakers.

Focus Areas
PolicyLink works in several focus areas:

Center for Health and Place
PolicyLink CEO Angela Glover Blackwell wrote in The Washington Post “Congress must start thinking of health beyond health care… We can no longer afford to have a "sickness-driven" view of our health. We must create healthier communities -- places with easy access to fresh food, parks, safe streets, and clean air -- to help all Americans live healthier, longer lives and reduce health-care costs while we're at it." This focus on health policy has led to the group’s collaborations with The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Center for the Prevention of Childhood Obesity and The Healthy Eating Active Living Convergence Partnership.

Board of Directors
PolicyLink's board of directors includes:
 * James O. Gibson of The Center for the Study of Social Policy (Chair)
 * Joan Walsh of Salon
 * PolicyLink CEO Angela Glover Blackwell
 * William Julius Wilson of Harvard
 * Melvin L. Oliver of UC Santa Barbara
 * Geoffrey Canada, author and CEO of Harlem Children's Zone
 * Catherine S. Muther of the Three Guineas Fund
 * Sheri Dunn Berry of The Los Angeles United Methodist Urban Foundation
 * Richard Baron of McCormack Baron Salazar, Inc.
 * Stewart Kwoh of the Asian Pacific American Legal Center