Austin Construction Workers — Photo Credit: Jorge Sanhueza-Lyon and KUT News

Welcome to the Rapoport Center

The Bernard and Audre Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice serves as a focal point for critical, interdisciplinary analysis and practice of human rights and social justice. Our goal is to promote the economic and political enfranchisement of marginalized individuals and groups both locally and globally. We invite you to explore this site to learn more about our work at the intersection of academics and advocacy.

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Latest News

December 22, 2020

UT study: Politics put Texas construction workers at risk early in outbreak

The study found that political decisions, including Gov. Greg Abbott's mandate to allow construction work to continue during the coronavirus pandemic's outset, placed employees in that sector at risk.

Source: Austin American-Statesman

December 13, 2020

Opinion: Worker exploitation in Texas’ throwaway culture

The Bernard and Audre Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice’s recent report on the inordinate effects of COVID-19 on Austin’s construction workers is damning, but not surprising.

Source: Austin American-Statesman

December 11, 2020

Austin’s Latino Construction Workers Have Been Pummeled By COVID. Researchers Say Economic Policies, Rapid Growth Are To Blame.

Economic policies and rapid growth in Austin led to COVID-19 outbreaks among mostly Latino construction workers in the area, a new report finds.

Source: KUT, Austin's NPR Station

December 7, 2020

What’s behind the disproportionate COVID-19 risk experienced by Latinx construction workers in the Austin region? New report identifies political and legal drivers.

Our newly-released report is titled “COVID-19, Structural Inequality, and the Past and Future of Low-Income Latinx Construction Workers in Austin, Texas.”

October 20, 2020

Joint Statement: U.S. and Brazilian Civil Society Organizations Applaud the 20 U.S. Representatives Fighting to Protect Brazilian Indigenous and Quilombola Communities’ Rights

Read our joint statement with WOLA, USNDB, and Brazilian civil society organizations on the fight to protect Brazilian indigenous and Quilombola communities’ rights.

Source: Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA)

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