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Voting from Jail Is a Right, and Now a Reality in Chicago

Pamela Kirkland

September 21, 2020 |

70 Million |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

Chicago's Cook County Jail became the first jail in the nation in March to open a polling place behind bars, resulting in about 1,800 voters casting ballots, a sharp increase in voting by eligible voters in the jail. The polling place, combined with expanded voter-registration efforts, resulted from a new Illinois law requiring all counties to expand voting access. Outside of Chicago that means voting by mail. The Chicago experience provides a window into efforts nationwide to expand voting access to people incarcerated in jails and prisons, or with criminal records.

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The art of fire: reviving the Indigenous craft of cultural burning

Kelly Boutsalis

September 20, 2020 |

The Narwhal |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Tsilhqot'in Nation, Canada

A 3-year pilot is developing a traditional fire management program for First Nation communities using cultural burns, a practice banned for over a century. Cultural burns are used to reinvigorate the landscape so that seeds and berries grow and animals return. The low intensity, slow burns also reduce wildfire risks and other issues linked to climate change, such as infestations. Stories about cultural burns are being recorded from tribal elders to preserve the rich cultural knowledge about traditional fire management techniques. First Nations hope to be able to use cultural burns on their tribal lands.

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How young poll workers may save Americans from Election Day chaos

Isaiah Murtaugh

September 16, 2020 |

USA Today |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Organizations ran campaigns to recruit young people to work as poll workers, addressing shortages due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hundreds of thousands of high school and college students, as well as recent graduates, signed up to fill the gaps. Social media provided an effective recruitment tool, and the diverse coalition called Power to the Polls, that includes MTV, Uber, Starbucks, and others, got 400,000 people to sign up. Some coalition partners offer paid time off to their employees for working at polls and states, such as Georgia, offer poll worker compensation, which was a draw for young people.

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Latinx 'promotores' lead the way for environmental action

Jeremy Cox

September 15, 2020 |

Bay Journal |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Langley Park, Maryland

A leadership program in the Chesapeake Bay region gives members of the Latinx community to become change makers in the environmental movement. Since 2016, Chispa Maryland has produced more than 100 graduates from its “promotores” program, where they learn the basics of climate justice, advocacy, and community organizing. While the work is difficult and the COVID-19 pandemic has affected operations, the promotores have seen some success in organizing community gardens and lobbying the county to purchase electric school buses.

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Policing the Police 2020

Jelani Cobb

September 15, 2020 |

PBS Frontline |

Documentary |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Newark, New Jersey

Revisiting Newark police reform six years after an earlier documentary, and after federal intervention, signs of progress provide hope in a year of unrest over police misconduct nationwide. Policies and training were overhauled, civilian oversight was imposed, albeit with limitations. Public trust edged up, and the police claim an increase in use-of-force incidents is due to better compliance with reporting requirements. Violence is down, with more use of community-based prevention instead of just policing. But the root causes of racial disparities remain, unable to be solved just by improving policing.

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Feminists Paper Paris With Stark Posters Decrying Domestic Abuse

Constant Méheut

September 13, 2020 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: France, Paris

The feminist group Les Colleuses (The Gluers) has attracted about 1,500 activists and spread from Paris to other French cities, plus Belgium and Italy, with a message of empowerment that counters weak government responses to domestic violence and femicide. They use posters in public places decrying the abuse. The simple, inexpensive, yet illegal protest – using such messages as "Dad Killed Mom" and "She leaves him, he kills her" – emboldens women to reclaim public spaces where they have felt threatened. In 2019, 146 French women were killed by their current or former partners, a 21% increase from 2018.

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Changing their minds, and their lives: A way out of poverty in Philadelphia

Harold Brubaker

September 12, 2020 |

The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia Media Network) |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The MindSet program adopts 30 people per year for a five-year "mobility mentoring" program, coaching people living in poverty to set clear goals and helping them save toward economic independence. Run by the nonprofit Episcopal Community Services and modeled on Boston's EMPath (Economic Mobility Pathways), MindSet rejects traditional case management and approaches that merely maintain people's lifestyle, focusing instead on plotting a path to a better future. More testing is needed on its effectiveness, but EMPath participants increased their annual income from $16,000 to $47,000.

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How One Pacific Islander Community Is Responding To The Pandemic

Wilfred C. Alik

September 11, 2020 |

Honolulu Civil Beat |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Hawaii

Pacific Islander communities in Hawaii have formed their own Covid-19 task forces to stop the virus’ spread, rather than wait for the government to respond. Despite a lack of resources, the task forces conduct community outreach providing protective gear and food and have partnered with community groups, recognizing the role of active community engagement and participation to achieve success. The task forces use a model that recognizes the significance of cultural nuances and language challenges, which has added to its success in keeping the infection rate among Pacific Islander communities relatively low.

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Coastal Louisiana tribes team up with biologist to protect sacred sites from rising seas

Ty Baniewicz

September 02, 2020 |

Southerly |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana

Indigenous communities in Louisiana are working with scientists to restore wetland ecosystems and protect tribal mounds along the Gulf Coast through backfilling projects. Depleted oil wells and canals in the area are often abandoned, creating reservoirs of stagnant water that affects freshwater plants and animals. The group has started to identify priority canal sites to fill in and seek funding to kick off the project, which can be challenging to get.

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Black Communities Have Known about Mutual Aid All Along

Vicky Mochama

September 01, 2020 |

The Walrus |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, British Columbia

The black community has a rich history of crowdfunding that goes back generations to help the most vulnerable stay afloat, creating a security net for those who would otherwise fall through the cracks. Mutual aid groups are once again coming to the rescue for many black communities. Students in Canada unable to work due to visa restrictions, migrants, and those who relied on odd jobs for income are all unable to receive government aid during the pandemic. Groups like Black in BC Mutual Aid Collective attracted an influx of donations in the aftermath of George Floyd's murder, providing much-needed relief.

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