Politics & Policy

August 29, 2016

We are at a pivotal moment to change the lives of kids in communities across our state. North Carolina is one of only two states in the country that still charges 16- and 17-year-olds as adults in our criminal justice system, without exception. We can change this outdated policy, but we need your...

MomsRising Together

Beth Messersmith

Politics & Policy

August 29, 2016

Recently, I attended a public hearing presided by the NC Commission on the Administration of Law & Justice (NCCALJ). One of the top issues on their agenda was Juvenile Reinvestment. NC is one of only two states (NY being the other) that automatically charges 16- and 17-year olds as adults...

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Monya James

MomsVote Politics & Policy

August 25, 2016

Perhaps a million women will be left on the sidelines as we celebrate 96 years of voting rights this Women’s Equality Day . These are women affected by felony disenfranchisement laws – state laws that deny individuals convicted of felony offenses the right to vote while they are incarcerated, while...

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Rachel Roth

Families & The Federal Budget Family Economic Security Politics & Policy

August 24, 2016

Twenty years ago, President Bill Clinton signed the law that placed a time limit on cash assistance for poor families with children and required some degree of work, job search, or training to receive benefits. The new program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), replaced Aid to...

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Debbie Weinstein

Food! Politics & Policy

August 22, 2016

In this era of political disagreement, it’s unusual to see political parties put aside their differences, join hands and work together for the greater good. But that’s exactly what happened recently in Minnesota around efforts to improve and increase access to healthy and affordable food. Minnesota...

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Stephanie Vaughn

Politics & Policy

August 19, 2016

To all victims and survivors of sexual violence, I hate that you have been, once again, re-traumatized by the force of patriarchy. I see the many statuses, comments, blogs, and articles in my timeline, and I am reading and digesting them. I completely understand why you are now either conflicted,...

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Byron Hurt

Childcare & Early Education Politics & Policy

August 12, 2016

Do your children love the books on their summer reading lists? Are your children reading about diverse cultures and books that reflect their experience or history? Children of color are now a majority of all public school students and will soon be a majority of all children in America yet children’s books and the publishing industry have failed to keep up with the rainbow of our children’s faces and cultures and needs. Every summer our Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) Freedom Schools® curriculum is focused on a superb collection of diverse books that reflect children’s own images and a wide variety of cultures and experiences. For some children it’s the first time they’ve seen books with characters who look like them. For others the storylines draw them in, teach them about moments in history they may not have studied in school, and allow them to fall in love with reading in a way they’ve never experienced.

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Marian Wright Edelman

Environmental Health Health Care Politics & Policy

August 8, 2016

For months, public health officials have warned that the Zika virus eventually would show up in the continental U.S. They warned of this back in the winter, months before the mosquitoes that help transmit Zika were on most people’s radar screen. They warned of this in early summer, when Congress opted to recess for a very lengthy vacation and campaign season, without passing desperately needed funds to help fight Zika. They warned us. And now Zika is here.

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Lecia Imbery

Gun Safety Politics & Policy

August 8, 2016

A month and four days have passed and I’m still on edge. On July 4th my family and I traveled to Carowinds, a very popular amusement park that borders the line between North and South Carolina. As a Black American I have never believed in actively celebrating a holiday based on freedoms not...

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Epyana Smith

Politics & Policy

August 5, 2016

Bryan Stevenson, the brilliant founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative, believes it’s possible to change our nation and world despite the inequality and violence that sometimes threaten to overwhelm us. He’s thought long and hard about the steps needed and believes a key to changing America’s future is changing the narrative we tell ourselves about our shared past. This is especially true about our legacy of Native American genocide, slavery and Jim Crow, and the injustices throughout our history that linger and simmer under the surface then boil over again and again. He speaks often about the urgent need to confront our historic narrative including recently to young servant leaders preparing to teach children in Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools® programs across America.

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Marian Wright Edelman