Open society

• NEW YORK, Sept. 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Recognizing the urgency of addressing the existential threats of sea-level rise, today a group of champion countries convened a "Summit on Addressing the Existential Threats posed by Sea-level Rise" to press forward with immediate global action.
• Heads of State, ministers and senior officials gathered to pledge support for concrete action to address these threats.
• At the Summit, leaders committed to address the threats posed by sea-level rise, including through the formation of a new Coalition to build momentum and press for urgent global action.
• "This Summit is an opportunity to accelerate global action to urgently address the threats of sea-level rise," said Prof. Kamal Amakrane, Managing Director of the Global Centre for Climate Mobility. "

• Lawyers for, and working with, the Open Society Justice Initiative acted as counsel for the coalition before the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
• A preliminary injunction against the enforcement of HB7 was issued on November 17, 2022, by a federal district judge in Florida, who called the law “positively dystopian”.
• If not enjoined, HB7 will negatively impact educators’ ability to prepare students to succeed in their careers—including in law enforcement,” said James A. Goldston, executive director of the Justice Initiative.
• This would undermine the capacity of law enforcement across Florida to fulfill its mission of protecting the public.”

• Billionaire investor and philanthropist George Soros is handing control of his US$25 billion holdings, including his Open Society Foundations, to one of his sons, Alexander Soros.
• Baseless conspiracy theories have at times clouded his legacy as one of the world’s biggest donors to causes like higher education, human rights and the democratization of Europe’s formerly communist countries.

Success followed early hardship

• After World War II, he moved from Budapest to the United Kingdom, where he studied at the London School of Economics while working part time in low-wage jobs.
• By the 1990s he had amassed a fortune and established himself as one of the world’s most important financiers.
• But his dedication to philanthropy and his support for political freedom are what brought him the most attention.

Deep-pocketed philanthropy

• Soros’ first philanthropic foray was in 1979, when he funded scholarships for Black students in apartheid South Africa.
• In the 1980s, he helped promote the exchange of ideas in Communist Hungary by funding visits of Hungarian liberal intellectuals to Western universities.
• The broad goal of much of Soros’ philanthropy is to support tolerant societies with governments that are accountable and allow everyone to campaign, protest, donate to candidates they like or even run for office themselves.
• But his fortune would have been far larger had he not given some $32 billion to the Open Society Foundations since 1984.

Antisemitic conspiracy myths

• Soros’ wealth and influence have also made him a target of numerous conspiracy theories.
• Such baseless accusations often target his Jewish heritage, invoking hatemongering and centuries-old antisemitic tropes.
• As I explained in a book chapter about nationalism and populism, U.S. conspiracy theories have hounded Soros for years as well.
• National Rifle Association leader Wayne LaPierre accused Soros of planning a socialist takeover of the U.S. in 2018, evoking antisemitic myths from the early 20th century about a Jewish-Bolshevik plot.

A complex legacy

• As is true for all billionaires, the Soros family fortune helps perpetuate a system of income inequality and concentrated political influence in the hands of the world’s wealthiest people.
• When megadonors of any political preference make big donations to a candidate or party, their gifts can shape the agenda and distort democratic processes.
• It’s still not clear how Soros’ son aims to put a stop to the demonization of the family’s philanthropic work.

• TROY, Mich., Dec. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --The Kresge Foundation Board of Trustees today announced that Cecilia Muoz has been elected as the organization's next board chair, effective March 2022.
• Rosen joined Kresge's Board of Trustees in 2003 and has served as board chair since 2007.
• A former insurance industry executive, Rosen is the chair of the board of Assurant and a board member of Kforce Inc. and Preble Street.
• She is a founding trustee of the Foundation for Maine's Community Colleges and is the past board chair of the University of Southern Maine Foundation and the Greater Portland United Way Foundation.