Sunday, February 15, 2009
RUSSELL HUBBARD
News staff writer
Stephen Black is everywhere– agitating for legislation on tax preparation here, raising money for childhood health screening there, demanding a share of the state’s economic growth for the have-nots.
Black is the director of theUniversityofAlabama’s Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility, an academic outpost inTuscaloosadevoted to developing citizenship and stewardship among students.
A lawyer by training, Black also is the director of ImpactAlabama, a nonprofit organization that recently conducted an undercover sting on paid tax preparers. The findings: the help was expensive, rife with errors, and pushy when it came to recommending advance refund loans. ImpactAlabamahas proposed legislation to regulate tax preparers, and has support in the both chambers. Last year, ImpactAlabamaand Black won a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Award for its FocusFirst initiative, which uses trained volunteers to screen thousands of children for eye problems that are easily treated if caught early on. Black comes from a family tradition of public service: the Hugo Black Federal Courthouse inBirminghamis named for his grandfather. Last week, Black shared his thoughts about a new generation of young people, their concept of career and business, and how corporate Alabama is faring in social aspects.
What is the mission of the Center for Social Ethics and Responsibility at the University of Alabama?
We believe that theUniversityofAlabamahas a critical role to play in preparing students to serve as effective, engaged and ethical citizens. The center seeks to assist students in developing a distinctive definition of moral and civic maturity.
And Impact Alabama?
Impact Alabama is dedicated to service-learning projects in coordination with students from universities and colleges throughoutAlabama. We provide students the opportunity to address community needs while promoting learning and leadership development.
What are some examples?
I think I am most proud of the results of our work with young people from across our state. Since 2004, we have trained thousands of student volunteers from over 20 colleges and universities across the state who have screened over 48,000 children for vision problems. We prepared tax returns for more than 4,000 working families. We provided a four-year debate team program for two dozen gifted students fromBirmingham’s public high schools.
Are we seeing a new spirit of citizenship in young people that maybe has been missing in America for some time?
We have definitely seen a tremendous increase in volunteering and participation in community activities among young people. The challenge is to develop new strategies that can capitalize on volunteerism while addressing their disengagement from political and civic institutions. Young people’s engagement in the recent presidential campaign was an important step in that direction. We hope to see that trend develop inAlabamain the future.
How do you expect that spirit to manifest itself in the wider world as these people grow older and go to work in companies and government and in their own families?
These same habits are carrying over into adult life with this generation. There are more young professional groups committed to improving our communities. More businesses and firms are supporting this trend in their younger employees. It seems the nature of work and career has a different meaning for this generation of college graduates.
What do you think it means to them?
This increasing sense of engagement and purpose in young people represents a profound new force in the economy and the future of our region. It’s about sharing a common ethic that values creativity, diversity and community. Our young people crave, more than ever, ways to be a part of something bigger then themselves.
What are we seeing in corporate America in terms of the same spirit and what should we be seeing from corporate America?
I expect that more and more companies will be focusing on ethics and social responsibility. A lot of it is thanks to corporate scandals lingering in the headlines. There is a growing anxiety about balancing work, family and civic involvement, and I think the most successful business recruiters of the future will seek to raise the bar in regards to what role their companies have in improving communities.
Let’s talk about Alabama. What are the major social and economic issues facing this state that are on the top of your agenda?
Over 40 percent ofAlabamastudents dropped out of high school before graduation in 2007, and we continue to have serious health-care disparities, including an inexcusably high infant-mortality rate. A continuing stream of public ethics violations make it increasingly difficult for Alabamians to believe in the possibility of progressive moral public action.
Sounds bleak.
The story’s not over. Alabama has a distinctive sense of values. They are rooted in the church, the land and the community. No part ofAmericais so well furnished to embrace the Biblical commandment of “love thy neighbor.” This has to be our guiding principle compelling us forward.
We’ll wrap on a philosophical level: Do we owe each other anything, and if so, what?
Absolutely. At the heart of responsible citizenship is a moral obligation to understand that every individual’s life has dignity and worth, and that every individual’s health, education, and potential is worth fighting for.
E‐mail: rhubbard@bhamnews.com
