Lawyer Ehsan Zaffar said action needs to be followed in order to hold talks about justice. He wants to create specific products and services to help communities reduce inequality. One concept would be an index to evaluate companies on an inequality scale. (Photo by Sebastiaan ter Burg / Creative Commons)
PHOENIX – Attorney Ehsan Zaffar leads an initiative to establish a civil rights center at Arizona State University to combat inequality in the United States. To that end, Zaffar has a number of products, services, and programs – possibly including Yelp-like reviews of Arizona businesses addressing social justice issues.
“Inequality is the biggest social, political and economic problem this country faces today,” said Zaffar, a civil rights and freedoms officer with the Department of Homeland Security, who will join ASU in January. “I think our country is at a time when the institutions have not been able to solve the problems in the country. There is a lack of trust. ”
He hopes that the Centre’s work will help strengthen the institutions by encouraging them to respond better to the public and provide more factual information on social justice issues.
Zaffar said his work at the center, which will include fundraising, could also examine how news and social media cover specific communities in ways that impact lawmakers, analyze emergency response times in color communities, and the gender pay gap in Investigate US companies.
Faculty, staff and students will work to shape the center and its policies to reduce structural inequality, Zaffar said. The yet-to-be-named center is expected to be located in the Herald Examiner building in downtown Los Angeles, which ASU will move into after renovations are completed in 2021.
The center is part of University President Michael Crow’s 25-point initiative to fight systemic racism and support black students, faculties and staff.
Zaffar, who joined DHS in 2011 during the Obama administration, had previously opened a mobile legal aid clinic in Los Angeles – a “law firm on wheels” – to provide low-income or free justice to low-income communities.
In an interview, 38-year-old Zaffar spoke about the interdisciplinary work of the center and some of the early concepts. However, he emphasized that the team of students and staff still needs to be selected, and strategies and ideas selected. Once the center is up and running, Zaffar and his team will develop programs that will give students academic recognition for working with the center.
What potential products could the center create?
An index would be the rating of companies on an inequality scale.
Some metrics would be quantitative and potentially examine the gender pay gap by examining the pay gap between men and women in the same position with similar work experience.
“The question the Index would try to answer is, ‘Is a woman with the same background paid less than a man? When Yes, how much? ‘”
The center could also examine qualitative factors for the pay gap, e.g. B. whether heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems are adjustable.
“Until recently, HVAC equipment was primarily designed for men and their bodies. An adjustable HVAC unit takes into account that there are different people, whether men, women or transgender people, who have different needs. ”
Ehsan Zaffar, a civil rights and civil liberties officer with the Department of Homeland Security, will lead and develop a civil rights center at Arizona State University in January. (Courtesy photo by Ehsan Zaffar)
He also wants to give students great challenges to develop products that will be adopted by companies or organizations and a “shark tank” for inequality. This could be for young entrepreneurs with disposable income who want to get involved in funding good product ideas.
What problem is your initiative trying to solve?
Although society is talking about inequality and how it affects people, Zaffar said action must follow conversations. He wants to create specific products and services to help communities reduce inequality.
“I think that’s where the problem lies. Everyone realizes that there are many inequalities. We talk about it, we discuss it and then we just walk away. ”
Products last. They can be reused, replicated, and perpetuated in society. While not yet developed, the products can be tools for individuals and communities struggling with social, political, and economic problems.
Zaffar gave examples of types of products that might be useful.
Phone apps that rate coverage could indicate whether low-income communities are covered differently than high-income communities and whether this discrepancy has an impact on legislation.
“I want faculty members and students who are involved with the center or have had an idea to contact me.”
Zaffar also wants the center to host competitions, like that of Xprize, a nonprofit that encourages people to create products that promote inclusivity and accessibility.
Do you expect a pushback from companies?
Zaffar said it is possible for companies to discuss the value of such products as a rating index.
“When faced with problems with inequality rights, they sometimes discover something that people don’t want to see. They shed some light on something that’s not going right and sometimes people don’t want to see that. ”
People could get defensive, he said, but that’s fine because that’s how change happens. His initiative is not controversial, but rather cooperative.
He will also ensure that people who work with the center are methodical, think critically, and do thoughtful research.
Establishing the center at a university ensures such an approach, he said. Zaffar wants to make sure the center has valid and well-tested research before a product is released and uses metrics to further improve those products.
How will the center work?
Zaffar’s job will be to find means to implement ideas to reduce structural inequality that students, faculties or staff bring to him. He gave an example of a student who wants to produce a series of speakers on a specific topic. If the center can help implement the series, Zaffar can help connect the student with the right person or provide them with a mentor.
“We are there to meet the needs of the ASU community on these issues. So I will do everything in my power to help the student get what they need.”
He is currently reaching out to faculty members at Sandra Day O’Connor Law School, WP Carey School of Business, Edson College for Nursing and Health Innovation, and many others to see what they are working on and whether the center can help achieve their goal .
For example, if two faculty members mention they want to work on making engineering easier for students of color, he would link the two together and suggest that they apply for a scholarship or find some other means of funding the project. After getting funding for the project, they reached out to the students to get involved.
Who is allowed to work on the development of center projects?
Zaffar sees itself as a facilitator who helps students, faculties, and staff implement creative and innovative products that can help communities.
“If there is a faculty member who says, ‘I really want to work on issues related to women’s power in the workplace,’ it is my job to say, ‘OK, what can we do to help you get hold of Funding to help? ”
The center is designed to standardize the various ideas and problems related to inequality across campus, and students could be given the opportunity to conduct field research or statistical analysis.
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“I’m looking for people who are interested in working on inequality issues.”
According to Zaffar, students could acquire a wide range of skills, including writing and communication, speaking in public, statistical analysis, or time management.
“I hope that students get a better understanding of the role that inequality plays in this country and that this can help them if they can get into public policy, law, engineering or economics and take that understanding with them . ”
He sees faculty members who bring a certain degree of “rigor in research” with their expertise and knowledge in certain areas, students who bring enthusiasm and different ideas to experiment and learn in a real environment.
Employees can bring a bit of both, said Zaffar.
“There are many employees on campus who, like the faculty, have a high level of specialist knowledge. There are many employees who have amazing ideas and can implement them. ”
How else will the center help the churches?
One way is to “arm them with data”.
How quickly first responders respond to a disaster in different communities is one aspect that could be analyzed, Zaffar said.
“Do low-income communities or communities that are largely color communities have a faster response to disaster than others? It would be interesting to find out more information and maybe map it or make a report that speaks more about it. ”
Tracking specific words used in media coverage across different communities or the data gathered from the index on how companies treat their employees are other possible options.
“When data is published, behavior changes are triggered.”
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