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Anti-human trafficking apps were meant to save lives. They're failing

Emily Ding Corinne Redfern

February 16, 2021 |

Wired |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur

Since its April 2018 founding in Malaysia, the Be My Protector app has enabled interventions in 120 cases of suspected human trafficking, sparked by anonymous reports that its app enables. In about a third of those cases, which mostly involved migrant workers in South and Southeast Asia, the victims were able to return to their homes, while others were offered counseling. But, like the more than 90 such apps available around the world, Be My Protector has struggled to make a big impact. Many such apps capitalize on a trendy subject without a clear focus on improving conditions and helping victims.

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The Bakery That's Owned by an Idea

Oscar Perry Abello

February 16, 2021 |

Next City |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Oakland, California

Firebrand Artisan Breads hires people with high barriers to employment, such as people experiencing homelessness or who were formerly incarcerated. The higher-than-minimum-wage starting salary, paid time off, and insurance benefits provide sustainable and secure employment to people whose life circumstances make it harder to get a job. In order to raise capital while maintaining their employment model, the owner worked with lawyers to become a perpetual purpose trust, an alternative ownership model that allows the company to sell shares to private investors while ensuring their principles remain in place.

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Wales's "One Planet" Policy Is Transforming Rural Life

Oliver Gordon

February 12, 2021 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Wales, Pembrokeshire

Wales’ One Planet Development Policy allows people to live a more sustainable lifestyle by using only the resources on the land where they reside. For one family, they get their electricity from their own solar array, heat from firewood, and food from their gardens and livestock. Each year, they must prove that they are using only their “global fair share” of resources. So far, 46 farms have signed on to the program and the lessons learned from the experiment are helping to inform the government’s actions on other policies like housing.

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American Democracy Is Only 55 Years Old—And Hanging by a Thread

Vann R. Newkirk II

February 11, 2021 |

The Atlantic |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Mississippi

The federal Voting Rights Act required states to ensure access to the polls for Black voters and created federal enforcement mechanisms. The law worked well in the Jim Crow South, but it wasn't built to deal with racial disenfranchisement more broadly. Congress and the courts have stripped important provisions from the bill over time, like those ensuring enforcement. A 2013 Supreme Court ruling dismissed the need for preemptive measures to protect Black voters, which created an opening for states to pass more restrictive voting laws that have created unfair burdens for Black, Latino, and Indigenous voters.

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Strengthening Communities and Shifting Power in Pursuit of a Just Transition

Iris M. Crawford

February 10, 2021 |

Yes! Magazine |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Georgia

Two climate coalitions led by BIPOC have strengthened their communities by empowering diverse stakeholders to address social inequities. The coalitions are engaging and centering the voices of Black, Indigenous and people of color and providing the resources needed to advocate for environmental and climate justice. The model is being replicated across the South.

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An Atlanta Neighborhood Will Finally Own Property as a Community

Adina Solomon

February 09, 2021 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Atlanta, Georgia

A new model for community-owned real estate is attempting to bridge the racial wealth gap and build neighborhood wealth in Atlanta. Instead of watching prime real estate go to investors who would hold onto the building for a profit without any regard for how the space served the community, The Guild is purchasing local real estate. The organization has previously worked with entrepreneurs and business initiatives to boost Black-owned business profitability and combat commercial gentrification.

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As COVID-19 Damages Black Appalachian Communities, This Mother, Daughter Team Are Working to Save an Unexpected Casualty: Black History

Kristen Uppercue

February 09, 2021 |

100 Days in Appalachia |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Uniontown, Pennsylvania

The Fayette County Traveling Museum collects, preserves, and shares Uniontown’s Black history. The owners sift through archives, libraries, and donated boxes of materials, which are displayed as educational resources. The museum, which before COVID-19 was set up at schools and churches, details the early history of African Americans, both enslaved and free, the town’s Underground Railroad stop, prominent Black community figures, and the area’s Klu Klux Klan presence. Video and oral histories of older residents also encourage young people to explore their history and make the information more accessible.

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Seattle's Newest Community Hub Was Built, Literally, By Neighbors

Emily Nonko

February 09, 2021 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

A collective of artists in Seattle bought real estate for a community center with the help of city funding. Known as Black and Tan Hall, the space drew funding and sweat equity from community members who sought a safe and affordable place to gather. The initiative to buy the building is “an anti-gentrification model that combats displacement, keeps dollars hyper local, and sustains good jobs.”

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How a Young Activist Is Helping Pope Francis Battle Climate Change

David Owen

February 08, 2021 |

The New Yorker |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Holy See (Vatican City State), Rome

Molly Burhans, a young cartographer and environmentalist, is using GIS technology to map out the Catholic Church’s global property holdings to encourage them to improve the environmental impact on the lands they own. Burhans’ organization called GoodLands has been working with various parishes and dioceses to help Church leaders — including Pope Francis — understand their vast landholdings. While finances and COVID-19 have impacted her progress, Burhans’ maps have been used for other purposes like mapping Catholic radio stations in Africa and tracking the whereabouts of priests accused of sexual abuse.

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Denver successfully sent mental health professionals, not police, to hundreds of calls

Grace Hauck

February 06, 2021 |

USA Today |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Denver, Colorado

In its first six months, Denver's STAR program (Support Team Assistance Response) handled 748 emergency calls that in the past would have gone to the police or firefighters. Two-person teams of a medic and clinician helped people with personal crises related mainly to homelessness and mental illness. None of the calls required police involvement and no one was arrested. The city plans to spend more to expand the program, which is meant to prevent needless violence and incarceration from calls to the police that other types of first-responders can better address.

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