Colorlines

Rinku Sen

Rinku Sen

Rinku Sen Publisher
New York, NY

Rinku Sen is the President and Executive Director of the Applied Research Center (ARC) and Publisher of Colorlines.com.

A leading figure in the racial justice movement for the last twenty years, Rinku has positioned ARC as the movement's national home for media, research and activism. She has extensive practical experience on the ground, with expertise in race, feminism, immigration, economic justice, philanthropy and community organizing. Over the course of her career, Rinku has woven together journalism and organizing to further social change.

Rinku is the Vice Chair of the Schott Foundation for Public Education, and is a Boardmember of the Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity. She is the Chair of the Media Consortium and sits on the boards for Restaurant Opportunities Center-United and Working America. Additionally, she is a Prime Movers fellow through the Hunt Alternatives Fund.

Rinku is a highly sought-after speaker on a broad range of racial justice topics. She is the author of The Accidental American: Immigration and Citizenship in the Age of Globalization and Stir It Up: Lessons in Community Organizing. Rinku has regular columns at Colorlines, the Huffington Post, and Jack and Jill Politics. Additionally, her commentary and work has been featured in Forbes, The San Francisco Chronicle, Market Watch, International Business Times, TomPaine.com, AlterNet, Racialicious, The Root, the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, and the Windy City Times, among other media outlets.

Read Rinku's full bio.

Rinku tweets at @ARC_RinkuSen.

If You Care About Immigrant Rights, Learn Black America's History Too

If You Care About Immigrant Rights, Learn Black America’s History Too

by Rinku Sen on February 3 2012, 9:43AM

This month, our Drop the I-Word campaign is urging immigrants and their advocates to join a virtual book club discussing Isabel Wilkerson’s “The Warmth of Other Suns.”

Topics: Drop the I-Word, Rinku Sen

Film Reveals

Film Reveals “The Invisible War” on Women in Our Military

by Rinku Sen on January 26 2012, 9:49AM

A documentary premiered at Sundance that shines light on the ugly secret of rape inside the U.S. military. It’s time we all pay attention, writes Rinku Sen.

Topics: Gender & Sexuality, Rinku Sen, Sundance

The Real Goal of Ariz.'s Book Banning Thought Police: Harass Latinos

The Real Goal of Ariz.’s Book Banning Thought Police: Harass Latinos

by Rinku Sen on January 20 2012, 9:20AM

To ban ethnic studies in Tucson, officials have had to warehouse Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” along with six other books. But the messy details don’t matter. The real goal is to put Mexican Americans on the defensive about their place in the state.

Topics: Immigration, Rinku Sen, Schools & Youth

The Arc Is Bending Toward Justice. But That Doesn't Make Our Work Easier

The Arc Is Bending Toward Justice. But That Doesn’t Make Our Work Easier

by Rinku Sen on December 19 2011, 9:43AM

Quiet as it’s kept, we’re making real progress toward a just society. So next year, writes Rinku Sen, I’m keeping three imperatives: avoid triumphalism, put an explicit racial analysis front and center in national debates, and fight like hell.

Topics: 2012: What's Ahead?, Politics, Rinku Sen

Tired of Backing Biased Restaurants? Finally, a Zagat's for Racial Justice

Tired of Backing Biased Restaurants? Finally, a Zagat’s for Racial Justice

by Rinku Sen on December 1 2011, 9:59AM

Noticing that all the bussers in your favorite restaurant are Latino and all the waiters white? And that black people are nowhere to be found—unless you’re grabbing fast food? It’s not a coincidence. And now there’s a guide for

Topics: Economy, How We Eat, Rinku Sen

Join the Colorlines.com Family at Facing Race 2012 in Baltimore

Join the Colorlines.com Family at Facing Race 2012 in Baltimore

by Rinku Sen on November 16 2011, 10:29AM

Exactly one year from now, 1,000 racial justice activists will gather in Baltimore for the fourth Facing Race.

Topics: Facing Race 2012, Rinku Sen

Two Votes, One Voice Against Hate in Tulsa, Oklahoma

Two Votes, One Voice Against Hate in Tulsa, Oklahoma

by Rinku Sen on November 7 2011, 9:30AM

While the state of Oklahoma certainly has its fair share of conservative policies, supporters of immigrant and LGBT rights have taken a bold stand in support of justice.

Topics: Rinku Sen

Why It's Crucial to Keep Immigrant Families Together

Why It’s Crucial to Keep Immigrant Families Together

by Rinku Sen on November 2 2011, 8:00AM

Each year, thousands of immigrant parents are ripped away from their kids. Now, it’s time for us to make a difference.

Topics: Deportation Dragnet, Rinku Sen, Shattered Families

Forget Diversity, It's About

Forget Diversity, It’s About “Occupying” Racial Inequity

by Rinku Sen on November 1 2011, 9:47AM

The Occupy movement is clearly unifying, and centralizing racial equity will help to sustain that unity. This won’t happen accidentally or automatically. It’ll take more of the difficult work that’s already underway in several local movements.

Topics: #Occupy, Politics, Rinku Sen

Occupying, Organizing and the Movements That Demand Both

Occupying, Organizing and the Movements That Demand Both

by Rinku Sen on October 19 2011, 10:23AM

It’s unlikely that anyone knows how to predict when “movement moments” will strike. But the question is how we make the most of them when they come, because you never know how close you are to freedom.

Topics: #Occupy, Rinku Sen

Making Room for Racial Justice in the People Power Exploding Around Us

Making Room for Racial Justice in the People Power Exploding Around Us

by Rinku Sen on October 5 2011, 12:00PM

Bringing our movements together is key to re-conceiving the American Dream.

Topics: #Occupy, Politics, Rinku Sen

Wanna Make Troy Davis the Last Death Penalty Victim? Here's How to Start

Wanna Make Troy Davis the Last Death Penalty Victim? Here’s How to Start

by Rinku Sen on September 22 2011, 11:58AM

As people across the globe mourn the death of Troy Davis, it’s time to recognize and support groups that are working to abolish capital punishment.

Topics: Criminal Justice, Rinku Sen

View from Arizona: A Look at Operation Streamline

View from Arizona: A Look at Operation Streamline

by Rinku Sen on September 15 2011, 9:24AM

It’s a program that speeds immigrants through deportation proceedings. And this week, a group of artists and activists got a firsthand look.

Topics: Rinku Sen

The 9/11 Story I Choose to Tell: We All Belong to Each Other

The 9/11 Story I Choose to Tell: We All Belong to Each Other

by Rinku Sen on September 7 2011, 9:18AM

I can’t call myself a person who values inclusion and compassion and then pick and choose those whom I accept. I can disagree, but I can’t disown. Not if I want to help build a nation that constructs rather than destroys, that frees rather than enslaves.

Topics: 9/11 Anniv., Immigration, National Security, Rinku Sen

'The Help' Today Still Don't Have Rights, Actually Play

‘The Help’ Today Still Don’t Have Rights, Actually

by Rinku Sen on August 11 2011, 11:23AM

Fifty years after the Jim Crow era in which this much-discussed film is set, the largely immigrant women taking care of rich people’s families remain ignored by most labor protections.

Topics: Rinku Sen, The Help

Real Diversity Looks Like Inclusion

Real Diversity Looks Like Inclusion

by Rinku Sen on August 9 2011, 9:45AM

Here are three ways to tell that your organization has done more than just count off some colored and gendered faces to meet a diversity requirement.

Topics: Rinku Sen

Wal-Mart Gets a Free Pass For Bias From the Supreme Court

Wal-Mart Gets a Free Pass For Bias From the Supreme Court

by Rinku Sen on June 21 2011, 9:57AM

The court doesn’t challenge the fact that bias exists, it just refuses to hold the company accountable, as long as the rules for bigotry are unwritten.

Topics: Gender & Sexuality, Rinku Sen

An Open Address to 2011 Graduates: It's OK to Follow, Say No and Get Hurt

An Open Address to 2011 Graduates: It’s OK to Follow, Say No and Get Hurt

by Rinku Sen on June 20 2011, 9:43AM

Go forth as joiners, says Rinku Sen, with the clarity that lets you say no on the way to yes, and with an open heart.

Topics: Graduates, Rinku Sen, Schools & Youth

What the President Left Out of His Immigration Reform Speech

What the President Left Out of His Immigration Reform Speech

by Rinku Sen on May 11 2011, 4:00PM

He made the economic argument, and rightly called Republicans out. But he mentioned neither the power he’s abdicating nor the racial anxieties that define the fight.

Topics: Immigration, Rinku Sen

The Purpose of Political Capital: Three Agenda Items for Obama

The Purpose of Political Capital: Three Agenda Items for Obama

by Rinku Sen on May 5 2011, 9:19AM

We can no longer argue Obama is trapped by Bush’s mistakes, says Rinku Sen. He’s slain the enemy and now it’s time to clean up the mess at home.

Topics: Osama Bin Laden, Politics, Rinku Sen

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