To Tackle Racial Justice, Organizing Must Change

Originally published in The Forge, this opinion piece is coauthored by LeeAnn Hall, Libero Della Piana, and Prof. Daniel Martinez HoSang. In his 1998 article “The Last Stop Sign,” the Oakland-based organizer Gary Delgado issued a friendly provocation: organizers must directly take on race and racism. The dominant traditions of community organizing at the time,Continue reading “To Tackle Racial Justice, Organizing Must Change”

Public Transit, Built Back Better

The Build Back Better plan’s historic investment in public transit would have a tremendous positive impact. If you follow the news about President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda, you might have heard a lot about its 10-year price tag. But you probably haven’t heard much about what it would actually do. The bill will investContinue reading “Public Transit, Built Back Better”

Defending Planned Parenthood is Essential for the Whole Progressive Movement

(This opinion by LeeAnn Hall was originally published in Common Dreams) Planned Parenthood is an easy target for rage and righteousness as we saw too plainly in the shootings in Colorado Springs late last month. The ongoing conservative attack on Planned Parenthood funding depends on the same extreme rhetoric but, it’s also part of aContinue reading “Defending Planned Parenthood is Essential for the Whole Progressive Movement”

Health Insurance Is Great – Navigators Needed to Help People Use It

This spring, Adriann Barboa and her colleagues at Strong Families New Mexico went on a five-county tour, fanning out across the state to share findings from the Breaking Barriers study they’d conducted on progress under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The report is part of a ten-state series by the Alliance for a Just Society.Continue reading “Health Insurance Is Great – Navigators Needed to Help People Use It”

To Fight Racism, Protect Voting Rights

The cold-blooded murder of nine people at a Charleston church made it impossible to deny the persistence of racism across the nation. So do the symbols of support for slavery and segregation that remain emblazoned on public property throughout the South, and scattered among some Northern states as well. What will it take to bringContinue reading “To Fight Racism, Protect Voting Rights”

Celebrate 50 Years of Medicaid by Expanding It to Cover More People

Persistence pays off. Let’s remember this as we celebrate 50 years of Medicaid on July 30. In 1965, Medicaid entered the world as a Medicare add-on for low-income families. Now, the program provides comprehensive coverage to more people than any other insurer in the United States. Almost 70 million people in the U.S. turn toContinue reading “Celebrate 50 Years of Medicaid by Expanding It to Cover More People”

Winning on Student Loan Reform … From CT to MT

Across the country, student loan borrowers and their allies have been organizing to make college more affordable and push for state-level reforms that address the mountain of student debt that’s weighing down students and families. And they’re winning… all the way from Connecticut to Montana. In Connecticut, where the 2015 legislative session ended at midnight onContinue reading “Winning on Student Loan Reform … From CT to MT”

Building Momentum to “Ban the Box” Nationwide

Last week, Oregon’s Gov. Kate Brown signed into law a bill that prohibits questions about prior convictions on initial applications for employment. This makes Oregon the seventh state in the country to “ban the box” on private employment applications, giving people with records the chance to get to an interview and a fairer shot atContinue reading “Building Momentum to “Ban the Box” Nationwide”

American Healthcare and the Medicaid Mason-Dixon Line

This opinion piece by LeeAnn Hall and Glenn Harris was originally published in Black Star News. There’s a new Mason-Dixon Line being drawn in our country – and it runs right through Medicaid, one of the country’s most important health insurance programs. Historically, the Mason-Dixon Line marked the division between states that embraced slavery andContinue reading “American Healthcare and the Medicaid Mason-Dixon Line”

Job Gap Research is Key as New York Groups Fight for Fair Wages

Fast food workers in New York took another big step toward winning fair wages two weeks ago when Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the convening of a new Wage Board to examine and make recommendations about increasing the minimum wage in the state’s fast food industry. Cuomo’s office has now announced the next steps in theContinue reading “Job Gap Research is Key as New York Groups Fight for Fair Wages”