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Politics & Policy

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

11 Great Reasons to Vote

October 14, 2014
We’re just a few weeks away from an incredibly important election. The votes people cast Nov. 4 will shape our future and our children’s. I’m sure you are planning to vote, but maybe you know people who are on the fence—who think elections in non-presidential years just aren’t that important. Not...
Liz Shuler's picture

From Cuddling to Canvassing

October 14, 2014
Lately, our idea of a hot date is to fling ourselves onto the couch. Then my husband casts me a knowing glance. I nod. And the big turn on begins. With the touch of Casanova, he fondles not just one, but five remotes, as we settle in to enjoy the PBS series about Theodore, Franklin and Eleanor...
Roberta Riley's picture

Do colleges support the Satya Nadella effect?

October 14, 2014
College is on my mind. My oldest son has been preparing for his SATs these last couple months, and took the test (again) on Saturday. The next steps of applications and personal statements are all part of a busy year of preparation for young adulthood, which of course includes starting to make...
Shay Chan Hodges's picture

MomsRising Super Moms Take on Florence, Kentucky City Officials!

October 13, 2014
A huge THANK YOU is in order for three MomsRising moms who showed their support for mom Lyndi Trishler and for family friendly workplaces policies on September 30 th by hand delivering 10K petition signatures from MomsRising members—like YOU—urging Florence, KY Mayor Diane Whalen to rescind the...
Nina Perez's picture

What About the Girls?

October 13, 2014
Though national focus is often on the racially-biased ways boys of color are treated, girls of color face many of the same risks from the cradle through adulthood which impact their life chances for success. Like boys, girls of color who enter the juvenile justice, child welfare, education, and other systems often arrive traumatized and experience more trauma from the way they are treated inside systems.
Marian Wright Edelman's picture

Boosting Economic Mobility through the EITC

October 10, 2014
Weathering emergencies isn’t the only reason to allow workers to access a portion of the EITC they have earned prior to tax season. A shortfall of cash may prevent families from making beneficial investments in their own future. A required training course for a new job, a summer math camp for a talented child—these are small expenditures today that pay significant dividends tomorrow. But these opportunities for advancement are often no longer available come spring when a family finally receives its EITC.
Alyssa Peterson's picture

The Unfair Price: Poverty in the LGBT Community

October 10, 2014
There is a clear connection between economic insecurity and anti-LGBT laws. Nineteen states lack almost any form of legal protections for LGBT people, and that has a real, tangible economic impact. When a gay or lesbian worker can be fired legally in 29 states; when a transgender person can be denied comprehensive health insurance in 42 states; or when a lesbian couple can be evicted in 29 states—the economic toll adds up.
Alyssa Peterson's picture

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