State of the Union Has the Right Themes, Action Must Follow

President Barack Obama delivered his fifth State of the Union address Tuesday night: low-key compared to other addresses, determined and occasionally defiant. He touched on many of the priorities being worked on by the Alliance for a Just Society this year, including mentioning that nine million Americans have signed up for private health insurance orContinue reading “State of the Union Has the Right Themes, Action Must Follow”

2013 Job Gap Report Released Nationwide

Fast food workers are taking to the picket line throughout the country. SEIU and other unions are helping these efforts, but many strikes are happening in places without any union presence. Low-wage work is simply not enough for families and individuals to thrive, to plan for their future, and most times, simply not enough toContinue reading “2013 Job Gap Report Released Nationwide”

Sins of Omission Hurt Workers of Color

The U.S. has made a dangerous shift to a low-wage economy where people of color disproportionately hold low-wage jobs. Coupled with an expanding Job Gap in many states, Jobs created by infrastructure investments generally pay relatively well and are accessible to individuals without a college education. Adhering to federal contracting rules and can ensure an increaseContinue reading “Sins of Omission Hurt Workers of Color”

Sins of Omission Hurt Workers of Color

The U.S. has made a dangerous shift to a low-wage economy where people of color disproportionately hold low-wage jobs. Coupled with an expanding Job Gap in many states, Jobs created by infrastructure investments generally pay relatively well and are accessible to individuals without a college education. Adhering to federal contracting rules and can ensure an increaseContinue reading “Sins of Omission Hurt Workers of Color”

The Symposium in Review: #CellBlocks and #Borderstops… #Human Beings

Re-Posted from the Institute for Pragmatic Practice (www.pragmaticpractice.org) In the last four decades, mass incarceration and immigration control in the United States has skyrocketed. Our nation has become an engine that pulls people from their communities, removing them from the very fabric that gives them their humanity. Over-policing of everyday lives has made the simpleContinue reading “The Symposium in Review: #CellBlocks and #Borderstops… #Human Beings”

Pushing Back Against the Criminalization of Everyday Life.

In the past four decades, mass incarceration and immigration control in the United States has skyrocketed. Today, the U.S. incarcerates more of its population than any other country in the world – at rates unmatched in modern history. More than seven million people are under control of the criminal justice system. The U.S. has lessContinue reading “Pushing Back Against the Criminalization of Everyday Life.”

When Living Your Life is Called a Crime

  Millions of people have become casualties of the prevailing system of criminalization. Entire communities of people must be deemed “throw-away” or “castaways” in order to gain maximum profits and drive a robust free- market that exists beyond the realm of ethics and humanity. These communities are almost always low-income and disproportionately, communities of color.Continue reading “When Living Your Life is Called a Crime”

Caldwell, ID City Council Asked to Move Payday Lenders Out of Sight, Out of Mind

Community and ICAN Push Council to Limit Industry From Preying on the Poor   “With the average payday loan in Idaho carrying an interest rate of 350% and with the average borrower taking out 7 payday loans to pay off the initial loan”, predatory loan businesses continue to swarm into our state.  Last year alone,Continue reading “Caldwell, ID City Council Asked to Move Payday Lenders Out of Sight, Out of Mind”

Risking Personal Freedom for Comprehensive Immigration Reform

Marco Saavedra sacrificed his own freedom to demand the immediate release of the low-priority detainees found in detention centers across the country whom could be spared from deportation simply by applying prosecutorial discretion.  He is right.  Not only will releasing non-criminal to low-level offenders reunite families, it will save the United States a ton ofContinue reading “Risking Personal Freedom for Comprehensive Immigration Reform”