| In the News
ALABAMA – Despite soaring deficits, cuts in social services, worker layoffs and tornado-devastated communities, Alabama's first Republican-controlled government in 136 years has turned its focus on undocumented immigrants, raising questions about policymakers' priorities.
After Tornado, Feds Offer Relief but No Lasting Hope June 1, 2011
ALABAMA – Hopes were high when federal aid representatives arrived here quickly after the devastating April tornadoes. More than 78,600 people registered for assistance, but a third of those have been told they are ineligible. Others were stunned by small checks they received, just enough to cover emergency food and temporary shelter. Many are confused, disappointed – and afraid.
Continue Reading ››Many Deemed Ineligible for FEMA Money
June 1, 2011
ALABAMA – Thousands of Alabama residents who lost everything in the April tornadoes are stunned after receiving letters telling them they are not eligible for federal emergency financial assistance.
Continue Reading ››Lack of Phones and Internet Slows Rural Aid
June 1, 2011
ALABAMA – Even for those who have cellphones, getting reception in rural areas can be a bit tricky.
Continue Reading ››Rural Communuities Overlooked in Tornado Aftermath
May 13, 2011
The tornado damage in Alabama is far more devastating than can be imagined by just seeing the images on TV and YouTube.
Continue Reading ››Behind Bars: For African-American Girls Acting Out Is a Crime
May 13, 2011
To those who work with low-income African-American youth, the link between poverty, abuse, punitive school policies and the growing incarceration of young women is all too clear.
Continue Reading ››Power Shift in Chicago?
May 13, 2011
With their numbers down significantly, blacks in Chicago could lose representation at the federal, state and local level. The solution? Building coalitions that benefit poor families of all races.
Continue Reading ››Census Undercounts
Cost Communities Millions
March 30, 2011
A Texas community that urged census officials to heed their advice is now preparing a lawsuit, and millions of dollars are at stake.
Continue Reading ››It’s Tax Time:
Protect Your Refund from Predatory Lenders
March 3, 2011
A tax-preparation firm offers controversial, high-cost loans to low-income families in need of fast cash, and Walmart is angling for a piece of the action.
Continue Reading ››States Cut Juvenile Justice Budgets:
Who Wins?
February 4, 2011
With states from Florida to California closing youth prisons to save money, thousands of young people will be coming home.
Continue Reading ››Inside the American Dream:
A Poster Child for the Promise, Rejects it as Myth
January 5, 2010
Joaquin Martinez was a poster child for the American Dream until the facts of his own life revealed how out of reach that shimmering ideal really is.
Continue Reading ››Challenging Conventional Wisdom:
Low-income and Latino voters hit the ground, affecting everything from mayoral races to voter turnout
October 28, 2010
Low-income and Latino voters hit the ground, affecting everything from the Chicago mayor’s race to voter turnout in south Texas.
Continue Reading ››In the Trenches:
Communities organize for a future beyond Election Day
September 23, 2010
The barrage of reporting on the midterm elections overlooks one essential fact: After the ballots are counted, deeply divisive issues will remain. And so will the voters.
Continue Reading ››Midterm Elections:
How Families Determine The Outcome
September 16, 2010
Midterm election results could define political control, and the lives of ordinary families, for the next decade.
Continue Reading ››Parent or Lawbreaker?
July 26, 2010
A father in California challenges the system to define family in America today.
Continue Reading ››American Made
July 26, 2010
Millions of working families are splintering in the immigration battle. Is it a question of border security or race?
Continue Reading ››Incarceration:
the Platinum Revolving Door
May 25, 2010
Millions of ex-offenders are barred from good jobs because of their crimes. That's justice, many say. It also creates a growing population that is essentially unemployable.
Continue Reading ››System Failure
April 14, 2010
A simple grammar lesson stood between Quincy Mackin and his high school diploma. But no one figured that out until Mackin was 24 years old.
Continue Reading ››Poverty, Class and the Recession
April 14, 2010
For millions of America's families, the official end of the recession – whenever it comes – could be too late. Economists say the opportunities squelched now will have consequences for all of us, especially the young, for years to come.
Continue Reading ››The Invisible Millions
March 4, 2010
More than 3 million people were missed in the 2000 census, most of them living in poor communities of color. This year, however, on-the-ground groups promise a change.
Continue Reading ››Promise Broken?
Low-Income Workers Find Road to Green Jobs Tough Going
February 2, 2010
Despite presidential promises to lift those in most need with the federal stimulus act, no one in government is tracking just who is getting those jobs.
Continue Reading ››Growing Greener:
Seeds for L.A. Jobs Program Planted Years Ago
February 2, 2010
Long before “green jobs” became part of the lexicon, a Los Angeles community group started planning for the green economy. In this case, the early bird wins the day.
Continue Reading ››Teens Decry Violence;
Officials Stay Home
December 15, 2009
Do youth voices really matter to elected officials? A recent town hall in Chicago suggests otherwise.
Continue Reading ››Carrying a Torch
December 15, 2009
Decades of youth violence in Chicago are leading 15-year-old Brandi Wilson to places she never imagined – like the White House.
Continue Reading ››The Missing Class
November 18, 2009
They work low-wage jobs, live paycheck to paycheck, but don't qualify for welfare or food stamps. Neither middle class nor destitute, dozens of Equal Voice families find themselves ignored in coverage of Recession 2009.
Continue Reading ››Answering the Call
November 18, 2009
Over a decade of hard lessons, Joyce Parker has grown from uninvolved citizen to powerful community organizer.
Continue Reading ››