McGimmick Budgeting No Substitute for Living Wage

Making Ends Meet: Part 2 We’ve certainly seen some sobering statistics regarding low-wage jobs out there. But — lucky us — one of the most profitable companies in the history of the world has kindly stepped up with tips for how its employees can manage their embarrassingly inadequate minimum-wage salaries. McDonald’s recently launched a handy-dandyContinue reading “McGimmick Budgeting No Substitute for Living Wage”

Low-Wage Workers Not Covering Basic Needs

Today’s minimum wages are a far cry of what it actually takes to survive. Last Thursday, thousands of fast food workers staged a strike in 50 cities across the country to draw attention to corporate wage gaps. Fast food workers are demanding $15 hourly wages; currently, the federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. PerhapsContinue reading “Low-Wage Workers Not Covering Basic Needs”

Native Americans Train to Defend Mother Earth

On August 23rd, Alliance affiliate, Indian People’s Action of Montana opened camp for a 3 day Direct Action training camp. Indian People’s Action brought Moccasins On The Ground to Montana. Drawing Native Americans from across the country to defend Mother Earth they trained activists in nonviolent direct action to stop the Keystone Pipeline that the Canadian developer,Continue reading “Native Americans Train to Defend Mother Earth”

MARCHING ONWARD!

Sing a song, full of the faith that the dark past has taught us Sing a song, full of the hope that the present has brought us Facing the rising sum of our new day begun Let us march on till victory is won Excerpts of The Negro National Anthem —by James Weldon Johnson “LiftContinue reading “MARCHING ONWARD!”

“No One Should Live in Fear…” Courts Rule on NYPD “Stop and Frisk”

A simple premise behind every law that gets created: No one should live in fear. The laws we create should support that basic assumption by reducing crime. But when laws have no bearing on crime rates, yet become the very source of fear that people live with, we have crossed the Constitutional boundary, and lawContinue reading ““No One Should Live in Fear…” Courts Rule on NYPD “Stop and Frisk””

CellBlocks and Border Stops

The Institute for Pragmatic Practice, Union Theological Seminary and the Alliance for a Just Society are hosting our fifth symposium, Cell Blocks & Border Stops. Hundreds of organizers, academics, policy leaders, journalists, theologians and grassroots activists will convene and examine the intersection of immigration control and mass incarceration, and to consider the future of activismContinue reading “CellBlocks and Border Stops”

Women with Cancer: Prisoners’ rights versus the Profit of Corporations

Rahul Gupta and Danisha Christian Contributed to this Series Sherrie Chapman found a lump in her breast. A prisoner in a California Corrections facility, Sherrie persisted in demanding an examination by prison medical personnel. Her pleas were not answered until 9 years later, when lumps were visibly protruding from her breast.  Even after receiving aContinue reading “Women with Cancer: Prisoners’ rights versus the Profit of Corporations”

The Great Big PhRMA Medicare Heist

Part 1: Rigging the System is Profitable   While millions of Americans struggle to pay for their prescription medication, big pharmaceutical companies reap $600 billion in annual profits.  $116 million is spent on direct lobbying, and with a 77,500% return, the investment certainly pays off.  Profits have been bolstered by pharmaceutical companies’ myriad of policyContinue reading “The Great Big PhRMA Medicare Heist”

Food Stamps and Farmers: The House of Representatives Got it So Wrong

After failing to pass a Farm Bill that included farm subsidies and food assistance (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamps) in June, the House of Representatives narrowly passed a skeleton of a Farm Bill on July 11—without the food stamps. The House effectively left 46 million Americans wondering how to feed themselves and theirContinue reading “Food Stamps and Farmers: The House of Representatives Got it So Wrong”

The Acquittal of George Zimmerman in the Murder of Trayvon Martin re-Energizes the Movement to End Racial Profiling

  On Saturday night, July 13, 2013, you could hear the people next to you breathing as thousands of civil rights leaders huddled together listening to the court verdict of the George Zimmerman trial. Not Guilty. On the night of the verdict—at first there was silence, then tears, then anger that could only yield byContinue reading “The Acquittal of George Zimmerman in the Murder of Trayvon Martin re-Energizes the Movement to End Racial Profiling”