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Politics & Policy

The Rise of the (Fictional) Female Politician: It’s Time for Reality to Match Our Hollywood Stars

October 30, 2014
Over the past decade, we’ve seen a rise in strong female political leaders on television. President Laura Roslin in the 2004 remake of Battlestar Galactica comes to mind. Not to mention Leslie Knope of Parks and Rec, as well as a slew of others who are bringing the political savvy and talent of...
Erin Vilardi's picture

Closer to the Finish Line

October 24, 2014
With opportunity gaps widening for poor children and children of color, new guidance from the Office for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education offers new hope and protection from discrimination.
Marian Wright Edelman's picture

Domestic Violence Awareness Month: Current Policy Choices Aid Abusers

October 23, 2014
This post originally appeared on TalkPoverty.org . We cannot separate support for domestic violence survivors from support for a robust safety net. TalkPoverty.org is dedicated to demonstrating that we know how to dramatically reduce poverty; we just need to build the political will. Make sure to...
Alyssa Peterson's picture

Child Care Centers and the Quality Improvement Catch-22

October 22, 2014
Quality improvements are indeed important—important enough to warrant the additional investment required. But we cannot keep pretending that these improvements can be paid for out of the current pool of meager resources. If we do, then even fewer children will be served. Child care centers serving low-income families will either opt-out if the quality improvements are voluntary, or be priced-out of existence if they are mandatory. Either of these outcomes will exacerbate the struggles of the working poor.
Alyssa Peterson's picture

Are You the One We're Waiting For?!

October 22, 2014
Did you know that even though there are 25 million Latinas living in the United States and 8,236 open seats in state and national political office, only 109 are held by Latinas? Are YOU the one that we’re waiting for? Join us this Thursday for our newest webinar “I was the one we were waiting for”...
Erin Vilardi's picture

Old Fight, New Approach: Companies Profit from Parity

October 20, 2014
So you have an important job interview. Your sitter cancels. What do you do? When it happened to First Lady Michelle Obama, she packed up baby Malia, carted her into that job interview, and was completely surprised when she still landed the job.
 
The First Family's efforts to make sure our...
Megan Beyer's picture

Today’s Lesson: Inequality

October 17, 2014
I encountered mathematical inequalities again when I taught them to my third graders. But since becoming a part of the team at the National Women’s Law Center, I’ve learned a lot about the other types of inequality in schools. Unfortunately, it’s no math lesson—and too many African American girls are on the “less than” side of it.
Gail Zuagar's picture

Good News for Children When Congress Works Together

October 17, 2014
While we rarely hear good news these days about Congress, I have some to share. Continuing a long tradition of bipartisan leadership on behalf of abused and neglected children, last month both the House and the Senate passed and the President signed into law the Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act (H.R. 4980/P.L. 113-183). This new legislation improves the child welfare system to prevent children and youths in foster care from becoming victims of sex trafficking and protects foster care youths who are already victims. It offers new hope of permanent families for children and extra support for those youths who end up aging out of foster care. The Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) and many other children’s advocates strongly supported this bill, and we applaud Representatives Dave Camp (R-MI) and Sander Levin (D-MI), Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT), and Representatives David Reichert (R-WA) and Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) who led the charge in responding to some of our most vulnerable children’s needs.
Marian Wright Edelman's picture

Making Women's Public Leadership Visible to the Next Generation

October 15, 2014
I have three young daughters, and like any parent, I am anxious for them to grow up believing they can be anything they want to be – I want them to dream big, as they say. But too often I am reminded that the world hasn’t quite caught up to my expectations. Last year, my oldest daughter learned...
Jean Sinzdak's picture

Head Smacker: Voter ID Laws Further Silence Those Whose Voices Need To Be Heard The Most

October 15, 2014
“There is only one motivation for imposing burdens on voting that are ostensibly designed to discourage voter-impersonation fraud, if there is not actual danger of such fraud, and that is to discourage voting by persons likely to vote against the party responsible for imposing the burden.” – 7th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Richard A. Posner
Debbie Weinstein's picture

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