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How diverse is your government? These two laws changed who holds power in California

Kim Bojórquez

October 05, 2020 |

Sacramento Bee |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, California

In California, two laws have helped to open opportunities for less experienced candidates to win state and local offices, which has increased representation among people of color. A 1990 law set term limits for the state legislature, which forces turnover, and the California Voting Rights Act allowed communities of color to demand electoral changes, including by-district elections that have increased Latinx and Black representatives at the local level. These laws have helped to level the playing field but the benefits have not occurred across all districts, instead they tend to be driven by a few cities.

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Minnesota nonprofits boost voter outreach for 2020 election

Kelly Smith

October 05, 2020 |

Minneapolis Star Tribune |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Minnesota

Nonprofits increased voter engagement in communities that face barriers to voting. Deaf Equity posted videos on social media in ASL to educate voters on how to register to vote and track mail-in ballots. The Native American Community Development Institute is engaging with voters in rural Minnesota, religious leaders at mosques, churches, and temples are encouraging members to vote, and volunteers at food shelves are handing out voter registration forms. Several groups have received funding to conduct voter outreach with Black and Muslim communities as well as neighborhoods where people have lower incomes.

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Tucson program helping women- and minority-owned small businesses access COVID-19 relief money

Veronica Cruz

October 03, 2020 |

This is Tucson |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Tucson, Arizona

To help small businesses survive the coronavirus pandemic, the city of Tucson launched the Small Business Continuity Grants to supplement the federal government's Paycheck Protection Program. Although the fund can only provide so much for businesses and still requires an application process, it has helped over 170 businesses so far, with the majority being woman-owned or minority-owned businesses.

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Meet the Bristol collective putting surplus wealth in the hands of people tackling injustice

Alex Turner

October 02, 2020 |

The Bristol Cable |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: England, Bristol

Bristol Redistro is an experiment in wealth redistribution that taps the social-justice consciences of people who pool what they see as their excess money to make grants to small community groups that are "challenging unfair power structures." An initial round made £1,000 grants to such groups as Mandem, an online artistic platform for young men of color, and No More Exclusions, which seeks to reform school discipline. Funding decisions get made by a collective, not Redistro's leaders, with the aim of driving social change and challenging inequality by sharing the wealth with grassroots community groups.

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Health on Wheels: Tricked-Out RVs Deliver Addiction Treatment to Rural Communities

Markian Hawryluk

September 28, 2020 |

Kaiser Health News |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Sterling, Colorado

Because access to addiction treatment is difficult in rural communities, a state program in Colorado has allowed for RV's to be turned into mobile clinics, which has proved especially useful during the coronavirus pandemic. Not only do the mobile clinics offer services such as testing, but they also provide internet access for patients who need to connect with a doctor.

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Harvard medical student knocks down a big barrier to COVID-19 info

Julia Sklar

September 26, 2020 |

The Boston Globe |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Boston, Massachusetts

A volunteer organization is helping to address a language barrier as it pertains to COVID-19 by translating and distributing public health information in the native languages of tribes. Although this is not as simple as translating word-for-word since some of the words do not exist in the local dialects and because some of the guidelines are not practical for the communities, the organization has translated the health sheets into 45 different languages and has worked with "schoolchildren in the tribe to act as conduits for the information."

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Black women legislators are rare in statehouses. This could be the solution.

Barbara Rodriguez

September 25, 2020 |

The 19th |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington

A newly established PAC in Washington state aims to increase the likelihood of Black women being elected to Washington State Legislature by eliminating the financial barrier that often impedes candidates from running their campaigns on an equal playing field. Although it is yet to be seen how the elections will turn out, the PAC has already succeeded in fundraising over $200,000 and distributing those funds to various campaigns.

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This Philly charter school is trying to grow the ranks of Black male teachers

Maddie Hanna

September 22, 2020 |

The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia Media Network) |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Data shows that nationally only 2% of public-school teachers are Black men. To fill that gap, Boys’ Latin, a charter school in Philadelphia, launched a program that creates teaching positions for Black men who want to teach. Research shows that having Black teachers in the classroom decreases the likelihood that Black boys will drop out of high school. “With students at Boys’ Latin, “there’s still work to be done” to forge a connection, said Fletcher, who is teaching Latin to ninth and 10th graders. “But one of those walls is down, because he sees me like I see him.”

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Rapid rehousing strategy helps protect domestic violence victims during a pandemic

Conor Morris

September 21, 2020 |

FreshWater Cleveland |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Cleveland, Ohio

A housing program known as REACH Rapid Rehousing program is providing relief for domestic violence survivors who are left without shelter and financial aid. Rent, utilities, and security deposits are provided for up to nine months. The program proved to be a lifeline, especially during COVID-19 lockdowns.

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Detroiters are Fighting for the Right to Water

Nina Misuraca Ignaczak

September 18, 2020 |

Belt Magazine |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Throughout the United States, people living below the federal poverty level often struggle to pay for utilities, but in Philadelphia, the Tiered Assistance Program (TAP) aims to alleviate that burden by basing water utility rates on income. In the four years since the program launched, more than 15,000 residents have participated and 96% of those participants have avoided water shutoffs.

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