NEW YORK , June 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Building on a ten year commitment of
more than
"Too many Americans are straitjacketed from full participation in our democracy," said Beeson, director of U.S. Programs. "With these new initiatives, OSI will build the collective power of individuals and organizations to develop and demand solutions to advance open society in the United States ."
U.S. Programs charted this path after identifying new challenges in the changing social and political climate. Beeson has assembled a dynamic team of experts and activists to lead the new programs.
-- Leonard Noisette (http://www.soros.org/initiatives/usprograms/about/bios/noisette), director of the Criminal Justice Fund, will work to improve the administration of justice and decrease the country's over-reliance on mass incarceration and increasingly harsh punishment. -- Raquiba LaBrie (http://www.soros.org/initiatives/usprograms/about/bios/labrie), director of the Equality and Opportunity Fund, will manage programs to support communities of color, immigrants, women, and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. -- William Vandenberg (http://www.soros.org/initiatives/usprograms/about/bios/vandenberg), director of the Democracy and Power Fund, will oversee efforts to engage and mobilize youth and communities of color to work across a range of progressive issues.In addition, U.S. Programs is seeking a director to head the Transparency and Integrity Fund which aims to restore credibility to key government agencies, revitalize congressional oversight, and increase the military's accountability.
U.S. Programs is also launching special initiatives that will provide expanded resources on two urgent issues. Shawn Dove (http://www.soros.org/initiatives/usprograms/about/bios/dove) will lead efforts to confront the stigmatization, criminalization, and exclusion of African American men and boys from the economic and political mainstream. Nancy Chang (http://www.soros.org/initiatives/usprograms/about/bios/chang) will oversee work to challenge U.S. national security policies on torture, surveillance, arbitrary detention, and racial profiling.
"In shaping these programs, we have tried to capture the sense of urgency and optimism that our grantees bring to today's formidable challenges," said Beeson. "U.S. Programs will use its resources to ensure that democracy can flourish and that everyone in this country can participate fully and equally in society."
To learn more, please visit http://www.soros.org/initiatives/usprograms.
The Open Society Institute, a private operating and grantmaking foundation, works to build vibrant and tolerant democracies whose governments are accountable to their citizens. To achieve its mission, OSI seeks to shape public policies that assure greater fairness in political, legal, and economic systems and safeguard fundamental rights. OSI works in over 60 countries in Europe , Asia , Africa , Latin America , and the Middle East , as well as in the United States .
SOURCE Open Society Institute
