Thursday, August 7, 2008

YWCA Week Without Violence

Week Without Violence is October 19-25

This year’s WWV theme will be “ENOUGH!” YWCA USA’s Week Without Violence website is a great place to start gathering information. You can also place a link directly to it from your home page. Look for more information from YWCA USA in your inbox in coming weeks.

On Monday August 4th, 15 YWCA staffers from 10 GLA YWCAs joined a “Week Without Violence Planning and Sharing” conference call. The result of their collective wisdom is a giant list of activity ideas and resources that can be replicated to suit a range of audience and community needs.

We want to know what you’re doing to observe Week Without Violence! Visit the GLA Advocacy Blog to post a comment in the Week Without Violence post about your activities.

Week Without Violence Topic Areas

  • Bullying
  • Child Abuse
  • Domestic Violence
  • Gang Violence
  • Hate Crimes
  • Healing
  • International Violence Against Women Issues
  • Peace
  • Racial Injustice
  • Safety
  • Sexual Assault
  • Stalking
  • Trafficking

Activities for Communities

  • Radio and TV PSAs/ announcements about WWV Topics
  • Peace Picnic
  • Pancakes for Peace breakfast with tabling/ children’s activities/ etc.
  • Peace Garden
  • Peace Walk/ Unity Walk—like a peaceful protest march. In “Unity Walk” community members begin a separate places in different parts of town and converge in the middle for a shared celebration.
  • Candlelight Vigils to honor victims and survivors of violence
  • A community –wide “Gun turn-in program” where individuals may turn in weapons with no questions asked; organized in partnership with local law enforcement and city/ county officials
  • Clothesline project and “letters to abusers” displays
  • Make displays about non-violence for your YWCA lobby or traveling displays for tabling events
  • Provide voter information throughout WWV events and activities, including information on early voting, voting safely for survivors of domestic violence, and postcards to remind community members that November 4th is election day.

Activities aimed at youth/ young children

  • Reading books about peace and safety at local libraries and pre-schools (examples “Hands are not for Hitting” and “The Peace Book”)
  • Partnering with schools doing “Red Ribbon Week” campaigns (often the same week) to discuss how themes of violence relate to drug and alcohol use
  • Focusing on bullying
  • Art contest “When I’m Angry;” winner’s art is used on next year’s poster/ brochure
  • High School Essay contest on Racial Justice relating to WWV topics. Prizes for top essays; winner will be published in local newspaper
  • Peace pledges for school aged kids (see St. Louis Institute of Peace and Justice for examples)
  • Organize a finger print clinic with local law enforcement—provides a finger print record for families
  • Violent Toy turn-in Drive: kids turn in violent toys and receive peaceful toys in exchange

Activities for College Audiences

  • Take Back the Night
  • Movie night (examples:”Waitress,” “Batterers Will Kill” from YWCA Cincinnati)
  • Theater performances
  • Host a guest speaker on a related topic (example TJ Leyden, former white supremacist who speaks on hate/ tolerance issues)
  • “Chalk the Quad”: Students chalk messages about peace/ violence against women/ etc. at the center of campus

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

House Apologies for Slavery and other Racial Justice News

This week there have been a number of compelling news items on racial justice topics. Take a look:

"House Issues An Apology For Slavery"
Washington Post

The House yesterday apologized to black Americans, more than 140 years after slavery was abolished, for the "fundamental injustice, cruelty, brutality and inhumanity of slavery and Jim Crow" segregation. The resolution, which passed on a voice vote late in the day, was sponsored by Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), a white Jew who represents a majority-black district in Memphis. (Click Title for Complete Article)

"U.S. Blacks, if a Nation, Would Rank High on AIDS"
The New York Times

If black America were a country, it would rank 16th in the world in the number of people living with the AIDS virus, the Black AIDS Institute, an advocacy group, reported Tuesday. The report, financed in part by the Ford Foundation and the Elton John AIDS Foundation, provides a startling new perspective on an epidemic that was first recognized in 1981. (Click Title for Complete Article)

"Study Sees Racial Bias in Traffic-Stop Searches"
Chicago Tribune

Civil rights groups called Thursday for ending the state police practice of searching vehicles during routine traffic stops, citing new statistics that show black and Hispanic motorists are searched more often even though drugs or other illegal items turn up more frequently among white drivers.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Foreclosure Bill Includes Funds for Homeless Education

The Foreclosure Prevention bill (H.R. 3221) passed by the Senate on Saturday includes an amendment that will help children affected by the foreclosure crisis stay in school and get educational assistance.

The amendment authorizes funds for school districts through the McKinney-Vento homeless education program to help ensure that students who are forced to move from their homes do not also have to leave their schools.

"It is unfair to let these children float from one unfamiliar school to another through no fault of their own and against the will of their parents," said Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., one of the amendment’s sponsors.

"When they are abruptly uprooted from the schools where they have formed a connection to the teachers, learning material and classmates, their development can be severely stunted."

A recent report by First Focus and The Brookings Institution found that nearly 2 million children will be directly impacted by the mortgage crisis.

The legislation, which also passed through the House last week, has moved to President Bush’s desk, where he is expected to sign it into law this week.



Monday, July 14, 2008

YWCA USA Washington Update



Supplemental Spending Bill Signed Into Law

On June 30th the President signed into law the supplemental spending bill to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In addition to the war funding, the bill provides an extension of unemployment benefits, a delay of six Medicaid regulations, funding for disaster relief, and funding for veteran’s education benefits. Specifically, the bill will provide up to 13 weeks of extended unemployment benefits to workers who have exhausted their 26 weeks of unemployment benefits and will provide a full-four year college education to veterans.

Congress Takes Action on Housing

During the week of July 7th the Senate continued work on the Housing and Economic Recovery Act (H.R. 3221). The bill includes a number of important provisions that address the housing needs of low-income individuals including the creation of an affordable housing trust fund, and a provision allowing tax exempt housing revenue bonds to be used for Single Room Occupancy units (SRO's). These provisions are important to the YWCA USA as local YWCAs provide housing, including SRO units, for low-income women. Once the Senate passes the bill it will be sent to the House.

Child Tax Credit Now Moves To Senate

On June 25, 2008 the House passed the Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act of 2008 (H.R. 6049) which would allow more working poor families to be eligible for the Child Tax Credit (CTC). Currently, middle- and many upper-income families receive a $1,000 CTC for each child age 17 and under when they file their federal income taxes. In addition, some working families who do not owe federal income taxes but have minimum earnings of $12,050 receive at least a partial CTC. Because of the minimum earning requirement, many families do not qualify for the CTC. In addition, each year the minimum amount needed to qualify for the CTC is adjusted (raised) for inflation. Thus, each year more and more families are deemed ineligible for the CTC.

H.R. 6049 would allow more families to be eligible for the CTC as it lowers the minimum amount necessary for receiving CTC from $12,050 to $8,500 and removes the inflation adjustment. In the Senate, Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) has introduced a bill with a $10,000 minimum.

Victim of Crime Act Funding Sees Increase but Need Remains

In a win for advocates and survivors of crime, both the House and Senate have voted to raise the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) fund cap. The Victims of Crime Fund (VOCA) is a source of funding for victim assistance programs and victim compensation programs which is entirely made up of money collected from federal criminals through penalties, fees and fines. In 2000, Congress limited (capped) the amount of money that could be removed each year from the fund and since 2006, the VOCA cap has been lowered every year. This year, House Appropriations Committee approved increasing the cap to $650 million while the Senate Appropriations Committee approved increasing the VOCA cap to $635 million. While advocates applaud these initial steps in the right direction we will continue urging Congress to restore the cap to 2006 levels.

Early Education and Violence Against Women Funding
On Thursday, June 26, 2008 the Senate Appropriations Committee approved the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education (Labor-H bill) appropriations bill by a vote of 26-3. The bill provides $154.9 billion dollars to fund programs in the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education; $9.5 billion dollars more in funding than requested by the President.
Under the bill critical programs that address violence against women and the need for early education have been given increases over the Fiscal Year 2008 level (FY08).· Head Start is funded at $7.102 billion for FY09 or $223 million dollars above the FY08 level; · the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) program that supports victim services at local battered women’s shelters and domestic violence programs is funded at $125 million or $2.4 million dollars above the FY08 level;· the National Domestic Violence Hotline has been fully funded at $3.5 million; and·the Rape Prevention and Education program is funded at $43 million dollars or $1.2 million dollars above the FY08 level.

The next step is for the full Senate to vote on the Senator Labor-H bill. On the House side, the House Appropriations Committee has yet to complete its work on their Labor-H bill.
Violence Against Women FundingOn Wednesday, June 25, 2008 the House Appropriations Committee approved the Commerce, Justice and Science (CJS) Appropriations Bill for FY09. The House CJS bill provides $56.9 billion dollars to fund programs in the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and related agencies. Under the bill, Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) programs received $435 million or a $35 million dollar increase over FY2008. The increase in funding provides additional money for the STOP (Services, Training, Officers, Prosecutors) Grant Program, the Legal Assistance to Victims Program and the Rural Grant Program, the transitional housing program, the Sexual Assault Services Program (SASP) as well as other programs focused on serving targeted populations. The next step is for the full House to vote on their CJS bill.
On the Senate side, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved their Commerce, Justice and Science (CJS) Appropriations Bill for FY09 on June 23, 2008. The Senate CJS bill provides $57.9 billion to fund programs in the Departments of Commerce, Justice and related agencies. Under the bill, Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) programs received $415 million or $20 million less that the House CJS bill. However, similar to the House bill the increase in funding provides additional money for the STOP (Services, Training, Officers, and Prosecutors) Grant Program, the Legal Assistance to Victims Program and the Rural Grant Program, the Sexual Assault Services Program (SASP) as well as other programs focused on serving targeted populations. The next step is for the full Senate to vote on their CJS bill.
Supreme Court Rules in Key Cases
In a 5-4 decision, the United States Supreme Court ruled in the case of Patrick Kennedy v. State of Louisiana that an individual who commits the rape of a child rape cannot be sentenced to death.
In the decision, the Supreme Court ruled that the Eighth Amendment categorically bars the use of capital punishment for the rape of a child regardless of any circumstances including physical or psychological harm to the child, age of the victim, perpetrator history, or violent nature of the event(s). The decision was based on the case of Patrick Kennedy who was convicted of brutally raping his stepdaughter and was sentenced under Louisiana state law to death for his crime.
The majority opinion written by Justice Anthony Kennedy was supported by Justices John Paul Stevens, David Souter, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Steven Breyer.
Groups who work with and advocate for child victims of sexual assault urged the court not to support the death penalty for child rapists arguing that it would inflict more harm on the child victim and might prevent victims and their families from coming forward if a known family member or friend is the perpetrator.
Justice Samuel Alito wrote the dissenting opinion and was supported by Chief Justice John Roberts, and Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas. Presidential candidates Senator John McCain and Senator Barack Obama both expressed disappointment with the courts decision. According to Associated Press, “the decision resonated in the presidential campaign, too, where both Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama objected to it. Obama said there should be no blanket prohibition of the death penalty for the rape of children if states want to apply it in those cases. McCain called the ruling, ‘an assault on law enforcement's efforts to punish these heinous felons for the most despicable crime.’”

The Patrick Kennedy v. State of Louisiana ruling follows a previous Supreme Court case which ruled that an individual who commits the rape of an adult woman cannot be sentenced to death.
In addition to the Patrick Kennedy v. State of Louisiana case, another Supreme Court case will impact women and girls who are victims of violence. In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court ruled in Giles v. California that an individual on trial for a crime has the right under the Sixth Amendment to confront witnesses against them and that death of a witness does not undermine this right. The decision was based on the case of Dwayne Giles who was convicted of murdering his then girlfriend, Brenda Avie, by shooting her six times.

During the trial, a police officer testified that Ms. Avie informed him of Mr. Giles’ previous history of domestic violence, including threats to kill her. The judge in the case allowed the police officer’s second-hand testimony even though Mr. Giles was unable to confront Ms. Avie directly about the allegations, as is allowed under the Sixth Amendment’s confrontation clause, because Ms. Avie was a victim of murder as a result of Mr. Giles actions. The Supreme Court disagreed and instead ruled that that the police officer’s testimony about the history of violence and fear of death was inadmissible because it violated the Sixth Amendment right of Mr. Giles to confront Ms. Avie directly about the allegations.

The majority opinion was written by Justice Antonin Scalia and was supported by Chief Justice John Roberts, and Justices Clarence Thomas, David Souter, Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The minority opinion was written by Justice Steven Breyer and supported by Justices Anthony Kennedy and John Paul Stevens.As a result of this ruling, advocates who work with domestic violence victims should be more aggressive in documenting the abuse. Documentation can help prove in a court of law that domestic violence clients 1) suffered physical harm, threats, intimidation and other consequences of seeking help from providers, police, or the courts, 2) if the abuser had/has a history of retaliation in situations where the victim sought help (which would prove his intent to prevent the victim’s to speak out about the abuse, including testifying at a trial), and 3) if the abuser has a history of, or has engaged in, attempting to isolate the victim from family, friends, the community, service providers, or other opportunities to get help.


Thursday, July 10, 2008

Half In Ten Campaign: Take Action for Low-Income Families

Yesterday, Senator John Edwards spoke to over 1,000 young people at the Campus Progress National Conference in Washington, DC. Senator Edwards asked these 1,000 young activists to pledge their support for Half In Ten and find 10 friends to do the same. Watch him call on these students to form the core of a movement to change this country forever. To grow this movement, we need you, too.

As we build this movement, there are specific changes that we can make today to reach our goal of reducing poverty by half in ten years. Yesterday, Senator Edwards discussed one of these: the need to expand the Child Tax Credit. Current law denies the CTC to millions of poor children and their families because they earn too little to owe federal income tax. By lowering the minimum earnings from the current $12,050 to $8,500 for 2008, families of more than 13 million children will become newly eligible to receive the credit or receive an increased amount.
During these tough economic times, helping our lowest-income families should be a top priority. The House of Representatives has begun to address this need by approving H.R. 6049, which expands the CTC to all families who make at least $8,500 a year. But it’s looking like the Senate might not go as far as the House and would leave over 1.5 million low-income children out entirely or give their families a smaller refund.

We must all voice our support for real change to the CTC. Add your name to this petition urging Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) to:

  • Expand the CTC to the children who need it most, allowing those families making $8,500 a year to access the credit, and
  • End the annual increases in required earnings that deprive low-income families and children from this needed help.

Starting today at East Harlem’s Yorkville Common Pantry, Senator Edwards is heading out on the road, learning from citizens affected by poverty, rallying with community activists, and putting pressure on elected officials. Together, we can build a movement to cut poverty in half, but we need you—educating yourself on the issues, bringing your friends and family into Half In Ten, and urging elected officials to take action—to make the concrete changes that can pull families out of poverty.


Thanks again for your support!
The Half In Ten Team

Half in Ten plans to reduce poverty in the United States by 50 percent within 10 years. Under the leadership of Senator John Edwards, the
Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), the Center for American Progress Action Fund (CAPAF), the Coalition on Human Needs (CHN), and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR), have joined forces on the campaign to elevate and sustain a focus on the situations facing the poor and middle class today,build and strengthen an effective constituency to demand legislative action on poverty and economic mobility, advance specific legislative and policy proposals that will deliver real benefits to struggling American families. For more information on how to reduce poverty in America, see From Poverty to Prosperity: A National Strategy to Cut Poverty in Half by the Center for American Progress Task Force on Poverty.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Fuel prices have big impact on the poor

A letter to the editor can be an effective tool to highlight the YWCA mission and to draw attention to priority issues-- especially when they are conspicuously not addressed by mainstream media. YWCA Milwaukee Executive Director Paula Penebaker recently responded to a May 16th cover story in Business Journal of Milwaukee describing how businesses are affected by rising fuel costs.

Fuel prices have big impact on the poor
originally published in The Business Journal of Milwaukee, Friday May 30, 2008

After having read your May 16 cover story on the impact of growing fuel prices on business, I felt compelled to offer a perspective on how the problem affects the poor.

If a poor person is fortunate enough to own a vehicle, it probably isn't the most fuel-efficient car on the road. If they earn $8.50 an hour ($340 gross a week) and have to spend $45 from their already meager salary for a tad more than 11 gallons of gas, how can they expect to make ends meet?

The 87 percent of their remaining gross wages has to cover the bare essentials of housing, utilities and food. This is a conundrum many of your readers will fortunately never have to contemplate, but is very real for a significant number of city residents.

In late 2004, the question was posed to Department of Workforce Development management relative to the amount of funding to support the W-2 program, "What happens if oil reaches $85 a barrel?" The response was something akin to, "We'll have to come back to the drawing board."
Today, funding available via the W-2 program barely supports the static caseload of hard-to-serve job seekers. As fuel prices continue to rise and jobs are lost as a result, funding to support those who will undoubtedly return to the program is nowhere in sight and we have yet to return to the drawing board.

I ask that your readers consider how the problem affects the poor among us, those who are expected to pull themselves up by the bootstraps and take care of themselves. We advocates for the poor can best serve them, sometimes by giving voice to their problems.

Paula Penebaker, YWCA Greater Milwaukee

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

House and Senate Appropriations Committees Pass Funding Increases for VAWA and VOCA

The House Appropriations Committee passed their Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) bill with $35 million in increased funding for the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) programs at the Department of Justice and a $60 million increase for the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Fund. This is a huge increase in funding over FY 08 and even more funding than VAWA and VOCA received last week when the Senate Appropriations Committee passed their CJS bill.

The House bill increases VAWA from $400 million (in Fiscal Year 2008) to $435 million. This includes increases for several key programs:

· The STOP (Services, Training, Officers, Prosecutors) Grant Program was increased to $178 million
· The Legal Assistance to Victims Program and the Rural Grant Program were both increased to $41 million each
· Transitional housing received $20 million
· The Sexual Assault Services Program (SASP) received $15 million
· The House passed a $60 million increase to the VOCA cap, providing a total of $650 million. This is a large and much needed funding increase for VOCA.

The Senate Appropriations Committee passed their version of the CJS bill with $15 million in increased funding for the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) programs bringing the total to $415 millio at the Department of Justice and a $45 million increase for the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Fund.

This included increases for several key programs and critical funding for new programs:
· The STOP (Services, Training, Officers, Prosecutors) Grant Program was increased to $162.9 million.
· The Legal Assistance to Victims Program was increased to $42 million.
· Rural Grants were increased to $42 million.
· The Sexual Assault Services Program (SASP) received $12 million.
· $45 million increase to the VOCA cap, providing $635 million in crucial funds.

To learn more about VAWA programs click here.

What happens next?
Next the full House and Senate must vote on the bills that were passed out of committee. After the House and Senate pass their separate bills, they must be reconciled into one final bill that is passed by Congress and signed by the President. It is possible that Congress will not finish the Appropriations process this calendar year, and may delay the process until a new President is inaugurated in 2009.

For an explanation of the Budget and Appropriations process and timeline click here.

Your legislators need to hear that they did the right thing by supporting these increases. Those who serve on the House and Senate Appropriations committees played a key role. Click the name of each legislator below to visit her or his congressional website. Use the contact form to send a thank you note for their work to maintain and expand funding for sexual and domestic violence.

If your reps aren’t listed below, fear not! There will be more opportunities to advocate for all of these measures to be funded at the maximum possible level as the federal budgeting process continues.


House Appropriations Committee Members from GLA
David R. Obey, Wisconsin, Chair
Marcy Kaptur, Ohio
Peter J. Visclosky, Indiana
Jesse L. Jackson, Jr., Illinois
Carolyn C. Kilpatrick, Michigan
Tim Ryan, Ohio
Ralph Regula, Ohio
David L. Hobson, Ohio
Joe Knollenberg, Michigan
Ray LaHood, Illinois
Mark Steven Kirk, Illinois

Senate Appropriations Committee Members from GLA

Herb Kohl Wisconsin

Richard Durbin Illinois

Gratitude to the National Network to End Domestic Violence for suppling the information included in this update.

Friday, June 20, 2008

YWAct: YWCA USA National Issue Update






Half in Ten Campaign

The Half in Ten: From Poverty to Prosperity campaign has been launched to help end poverty in America. The Campaign will be spearheaded by four organizations including Coalition on Human Needs (CHN), Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR), ACORN and the Center for American Progress (CAP) and will be chaired by former Presidential Candidate and U.S. Senator John Edwards.

The goals of the campaign include: elevating and sustaining a focus on the situations facing the poor and middle class today; building and strengthening an effective constituency to demand legislative action on poverty and economic mobility; and advancing specific legislative and policy proposals that will deliver real benefits to struggling American families.

As members of both LCCR and CHN, and as an organization dedicated to poverty reduction, the YWCA USA will be involved in this campaign. For more information on the campaign please visit: http://www.halfinten.org/.

Supplemental Spending Bill

The House and Senate have nearly finished their work on a supplemental spending bill to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In addition to the war funding, the bill provides an extension of unemployment benefits, a delay of six Medicaid regulations and funding for veteran’s education benefits. The House of Representatives passed the war supplemental on Thursday, June 19th. The Senate is slated to consider the bill on Friday, June 20th.

Recession

In response to the rise in the unemployment rate for March, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5749, the Emergency Extended Unemployment Compensation Act by a vote of 274 to 137. H.R. 5749 will provide up to 13 weeks of extended unemployment benefits to workers in every state who have exhausted their 26 weeks of unemployment benefits. In addition, workers in states with unemployment rates of 6% or higher may be able to receive an additional 13 weeks of benefits, for a total of 26 weeks of extended benefits. It is unclear if the Senate will vote on H.R. 5749 because the war supplemental bill passed by both the House and Senate contains an extension of unemployment insurance.


Budget Resolution

The House and Senate have passed the FY09 budget resolution after House and Senate Conference Committee members worked out the differences between their two bills. One sticking point was the amount of discretionary funding for domestic and international funding that would be available this year. Discretionary funding provides funding domestic programs including violence against women programs, child care and Head Start programs, housing and health care.

The committee decided on approximately $1.016 trillion or $24.5 billion above the President’s requested level. The next step is for the Appropriations Committees to work on the appropriations bills which will detail the funding amounts provided for federal agencies and their programs. Though the committees are expected to complete their work, few bills are expected to be signed by the President this year.

Farm Bill

On Wednesday, June 18th, the President vetoed the Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 (H.R. 2419), otherwise known as the farm bill, for the second time. The President vetoed the bill for a second time because of a printing error which resulted in the bill being passed by Congress being different than the bill he signed. It is expected that the House and Senate will have enough votes to override the President’s veto.

The bill provides an additional $10.36 billion over 10 years for nutrition programs. Specifically, the bill provides $7.9 billion to increase food stamp benefits; $1.25 billion to purchase food for the Emergency Food Assistance Program, which provides food for food banks; and $1 billion over 10 years to provide fresh fruit and vegetables for children in elementary schools. The bill also renames the Food Stamp program to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and provides a number of changes to the Food Stamp program.

Monday, June 16, 2008

And we wonder why the U.S. Ranks 69th in the world for Women's Poltical Empowerment

One of GLA's issue priorities is advocating for increased access to political leadership and power for women and for people of color. According to the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap 2007 Report, the United States ranks 69th in the world for women's political empowerment.

A new initiative from the Women's Media Center brings the sexism directed at women in the public eye into stark relief. Check out this YouTube video on the "Sexism Might Sell, But I'm not Buying It" site. The campaign calls upon national news outlets to stop using sexist commentary as a punchline.

As one speaker in the video states-- women make up more than 50% of the U.S. population. We have every right to demand that our issues, our campaigns for public office, and our ability to lead be taken seriously.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Paid Sick Days Poll

This weekend, Parade Magazine, the country’s most widely-read magazine, featured a story on paid sick days. Now, Parade is conducting an online poll, asking its readers: “Should employers be required to offer paid sick days?”

Help us send the message loud and clear that paid sick days are much-needed—and strongly supported—by taking Parade’s online poll. Parade is distributed by over 400 Sunday newspapers, including several major papers, and reaches an estimated 71 million readers. This article and online poll will help paid sick days campaigns across the nation reach a broad, new audience.

Please take a moment to check out the article and, most importantly, cast your vote in Parade’s online poll, and forward it to your members, friends and coworkers in a show of support for paid sick days for everyone.

contributed by Loretta Line
YWCAs Illinois Advocacy Manager

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Advocates Make Case for NC Racial Justice Act

This story is a few weeks old and not from a state in our region, but seemed compelling enough to pass along. North Carolina's House has already approved the "North Carolina Racial Justice Act," and it is now before their state Senate. Racial Justice advocates occassionally struggle with the belief that Civil Rights Era lawsuits and legislation attended to our nation's anti-racism policy needs and that now we simply have to deal with individual attitudes and occassional enforcement issues. When race-based disparities are as egregious as they are on death row-- where approximately 41% of inmates are African American (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2006)-- it is apparent that policy changes are needed. Here is one state's attempt to remedy an aspect of structural racism.


By WHITNEY WOODWARD Associated Press Writer

Posted: May. 27, 2008

RALEIGH, N.C. — Spurred by the recent release of three black men from death row, judicial reform advocates called on lawmakers Tuesday to give defendants in capital murder cases the right to challenge their prosecution on racial bias grounds.

The North Carolina Racial Justice Act has sat dormant in a Senate committee since the House voted 68-51 to approve the measure last year. The proposal would allow death penalty defendants to use statistics to claim their conviction or sentence was driven by race.



Click here for the full article

Friday, June 6, 2008

News Item: Racism Exists

GLA is embarking on the exciting work of planning "Catapult 2011," a training initiative aimed at "catapulting" our work to eliminate racism and empower women to its furthest, most transformative end. YW advocates may have thought the the original language of the YWCA One Imperative was bold. In 1971, we proclaimed that the YWCA will thrust its collective power toward the elimination of racism, wherever it exists, and by any means necessary.

This radical statement was only the beginning. Now, in 2008, we are practically and strategically aiming to fling ourselves miles further.

In preparing background materials for this initiative, we needed common language about our core values to get us started. At our absolute foundation, YWCAs share a belief that racism exists. This may sound obvious, but we've all heard the disclaimers and counter arguments-- sometimes from our own colleagues, board members, and families. Indeed, one YWCA staffer recently discussed a conversation she had with an individual who tried to tell her that "Sexism is real. Racism is just a concept."

The NAACP's Research Department has a slew of Fact Sheets that describe conditions for African Americans in Education, Health, Criminal Justice, and Economic Empowerment. In addition, their November 2007 report "State of Emergency: Stemming the Tide of Injustice Against African Americans" gives some of the starkest evidence that the playing field is not even where race is concerned.

If we are to go boldly forward, thrusting our collective power all the way, there will always be some for whom proof is needed. I'm sure many have favorite resources that pin down some of the most egregious manifestations of racism-- feel free to leave a comment with yours.

--Rebecca

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Economic Downturn Stories Needed

YWCA USA is a member of the Coalition on Human Needs (CHN), which works on funding human needs programs and budget and tax issues, including the federal budget and appropriations process. CHN is one of the organizations leading the Half In Ten: Poverty to Prosperity Campaign with former U.S. Senator John Edwards.

CHN and the YWCA are working together to collect stories from people who can speak first-hand about how the economic downturn impacts service providers and their clients. The goal of this campaign is to put a human face on the rising economic needs.

We are hoping you or someone in your association will be willing to participate in this easy but important effort. Two types of stories are needed: 1) Stories describing the importance of human needs programs and how unmet needs, cutbacks, or proposed cuts impact communities, and 2) stories of the importance of human needs programs and how unmet needs, cut backs, or proposed cuts will harm or have harmed YWCA associations or clients. Examples include stories on cuts to programs, having to limit the clients served, having to layoff staff, rising co-pays, and longer waiting lists. Programs of interest include Medicare, Medicaid, housing assistance, violence against women programs, child care, child support and Head Start.

To give a 10-15 minute “interview” for this project, or to get more information, please email Randi Schmidt, YWCA USA Senior Advocacy Associate.

For more on Half In Ten see the related post from May 2008.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

S.F. schools take on racism, classism

There have been so many conversations in GLA this year about structural racism's most tenacious problems, including race-based disparities in education and in the criminal justice system. While the road to undoing these conditions will undoubtedly be paved with trial and error, and with policies that may only scratch the surface, it is heartening to see a school district working strategically and intentionally to topple educational racism and classism.

_____________________________________

Jill Tucker, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, May 28, 2008

San Francisco Superintendent Carlos Garcia took a first stab at putting his mark on city schools Tuesday with a plan that pushes the district to face racism and classism head on.

The district's strategic plan adopted by the school board 6-0 Tuesday night focuses on reversing the typical academic outcomes for black, Hispanic and poor students.

Although that sounds almost like a reworked version of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, district officials say they are working off a corporate model that puts everyone - from school board members to custodians - under the microscope in different ways.

A new grading system will expose schools - even the popular, high-scoring ones - that are failing to address the institutional racial inequities within their walls.

Click here for the full article from the San Francisco Chronicle

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Elkhart cross burning investigated by FBI

Today GLA hosted the final dialogue conference call it its "Racism and. . ." series. During the call a YWCA staff member from Indiana shared information about a recent incident in Elkhart Indiana where a cross was burned on the front lawn of an interracial couple earlier this month. (If you follow the link, spend a few moments reading the comments posted there, which may provide a stark reality check about how the work to end racism is going.)

In reflecting on this particular incident, I am aware that it can be a challenge for racial justice advocates to find our way in this kind of situation. For the most part, our expertise is in helping community members "unpack their invisible knapsacks," moreso than taking on the KKK.

In a previous job, I worked for an organization called BRAVO (the Buckeye Region Anti-Violence Organization), where I was one of 3 staff people who worked to respond to all kinds of violence in the lives of lesbians, gay men, bisexual and transgender people. Because we were a small staff, even though I coordinated the domestic violence program, answering the hotline was everyone's job. In an average year, we took approximately 200 calls from individuals who had been threatened or harmed where anti-lgbt bias was the only reason for the violence they experienced. During my time there, I attended trials and court hearings with the family members of drag queens who had been murdered, college students whose dorm rooms had been vandalized with anti-gay hate speech, and rural couples who came home to find death threats, dead pets, and other tangible evidence of purposeful intimidation from their neighbors.

When we stand up and declare that we are advocates for racial justice, it is important to acknowledge that this can mean a lot of different things. The skills and tools needed to ask the local news to stop unfairly depicting African Americans in its media coverage, or to train a group of teens to recognize hidden personal biases are different than the ones needed to comfort a family whose lives have been threatened and safety has been compromised. These skills are different still from the ones needed in order to push a state legislature to enact hate crimes legislation or enforce laws that are already on the books. We need to be clear about what kind of anti-racists we are. We need practical skills as advocates and interveners, and we need the courage to stand up to systems that have failed to protect us or members of our communities.

To take a positive step in this direction, try writing a sentence on a piece of paper that starts with "I will advocate for racial justice by. . . " and then fill in the blank. The things that are innate to you or to your organization will suggest the tools and skills that are needed to get there.

posted by rebecca

Friday, May 23, 2008

Postville Raid Brings Sexual Violence Against Immigrant Wokers to Light

Many racial justice and immigrants rights advocates have been following news of the raids at Agriprocessors Inc. in Postville Iowa last week. On May 12th 697 people were arrested by federal agents in the biggest single-site immigration raid in U.S. history.

Among the many dimensions of human rights abuses that advocates seek to remedy through comprehensive immigration reform, sexual and economic exploitation of undocumented workers is rarely brought to light. According to the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault, "it is estimated that 80% of undocumented females who cross into the United States experience sexual assault and/or rape."

Many YWCAs offer programs and services to immigrant women and to survivors of violence. As advocates for an end to violence against women and for full racial equity, these issues are our issues. If we are going to prevent immigrant women from experiencing future sexual exploitation, we must advocate for their full rights and enfranchisement.

It is certainly not news to those involved in the movement to end violence against women that conditions of isolation like language barriers, lack of "legitimate" legal status, and economic dependence are the fastest incubator for exploitation and violence.

Does your YW have programs, resources, or expertise on these issues? If so, please share thoughts and ideas for action in the comments section.


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The article below from the Des Moines Register describes the conditions of women workers in Postville:

Advocates: Workers allege sexual abuse
By JENNIFER JACOBS • jejacobs@dmreg.com • May 20, 2008

Reports that there was an expectation of sexual favors at Agriprocessors Inc. are beginning to emerge from workers at the Postville meat processing plant, and advocates for immigrants are trying to document the stories.Sister Mary McCauley, a Roman Catholic nun at St. Bridget's Catholic Church in Postville, said workers have said that "there was sexual abuse, that there's propositioning."

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Women Rarely Receive Domestic Violence Services in Welfare Offices

Women in welfare offices rarely receive domestic violence services, according to a recent University of Washington analysis of the implementation of the Family Violence Option (FVO) (see Taryn Lindhorst, Marcia Meyers, and Erin Casey, Screening for Domestic Violence in Public Welfare Offices: An Analysis of Case Manager and Client Interactions, VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN, Jan. 2008, available at http://vaw.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/14/1/5). High rates of domestic violence are known among welfare recipients, and the welfare office is a vital location for providing women with resources toward financial independence.

A state option in the 1996 federal welfare reform law, the FVO helps domestic violence survivors move from welfare to work. The FVO allows states increased flexibility in applying the requirements of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program to families affected by domestic violence without states being penalized financially. When states adopt the FVO, they are agreeing to
  • screen applicants and recipients of TANF for domestic violence while maintaining confidentiality;
  • provide referrals to counseling and supportive services;
  • and make good-cause waivers from TANF program requirements.

Waivers are to be granted where the requirements would make it harder for TANF recipients to escape domestic violence or where the requirements would unfairly penalize past, present, or potential victims of domestic violence. Program requirements that may be waived include the 60-month lifetime limit on receiving TANF assistance and mandatory work requirements.

See the full article from the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law.

Coalition On Human Needs partners to Reduce Poverty

The message below comes from the Coalition on Human Needs-- a YWCA USA national coalition partner. GLA is eager to join the Half in Ten Campaign!

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Cutting poverty in half in the US over the next decade is an achievable goal.

The Coalition on Human Needs is proud to have joined with three vitally important organizations and with former Senator John Edwards in a new campaign to turn that goal into reality.

On May 13, CHN joined with The Center for American Progress Action Fund, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, and ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) to introduce Half in Ten: From Poverty to Prosperity, a campaign chaired by Senator Edwards and coordinated by the four organizations.

Half in Ten will seek federal and state solutions to cut poverty in half within ten years. Meeting in Philadelphia with many ACORN members as well as leaders from community action agencies, anti-hunger groups, children's advocacy organizations, labor, leaders from the faith community, and other advocates, Senator Edwards called poverty "a moral cause facing every single one of us," and the imperative of reducing poverty "a question of fundamental fairness that this country was founded upon." He has been in touch with the three major presidential candidates about making commitments to the half in ten goal. You can read about their poverty positions at the Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity website.

Drawing upon a report principally authored for the Center for American Progress by CHN's Public Policy Committee Chair and Board member Mark Greenberg, the campaign will focus on federal and/or state efforts to raise the minimum wage, expand tax credits so they reach more poor families and individuals, increase the availability of quality child care for low-income families, expand Unemployment Insurance so it reaches more low-income workers who lose their jobs, and protect people from foreclosure and other forms of predatory lending.

Half in Ten: From Poverty to Prosperity is off to a very promising start. But we know that the four organizations, even with the exciting participation of John Edwards, cannot by ourselves achieve our goal. We will seek every opportunity to work with organizations in Washington and around the country, many of whom are already hard at work on important anti-poverty initiatives - such as Catholic Charities USA, the Center for Community Change, the Community Action Partnership, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, Sojourners/Call to Renewal, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), the National Women's Law Center, and Food Research and Action Center (FRAC). Well - I am getting into trouble because there are so many organizations we will work with and upon whose expertise we depend. Those include all of CHN's members, and many more besides.

We urge you to check out the new Half in Ten website. . .and the press release announcing Half in Ten... and the Philadelphia Inquirer story following the launch event.

We believe that the recession, the failures of the current Administration, and the leadership of many committed organizations and public officials have all contributed to a new desire for practical solutions to poverty - and a recognition that persistent poverty hurts all of us. This is an exciting time.

More to come!

Deborah WeinsteinExecutive Director, Coalition on Human Needs

NY Times Articles on Women Running for Office

On Sunday May 18 the New York Times had a few articles examining the Clinton campaign and the impact it will doubtlessly have on the future for women and politics. While GLA does not endorse any candidate or political party, we advocate for women and people of color to fully engage in civic life through voting, volunteering, and running for offices of their own.

Here are two items to consider:

THE HILLARY LESSON
Published: May 18, 2008
New York Times
By PEGGY ORENSTEIN

Berkeley ’s Fourth Street is my town’s version of a strip mall: there is little you might need there, but much to want: hand-crafted Japanese paper; diaphanous Stevie Nicks-inspired frocks; wooden toys imported from Europe. One recent morning, as my 4-year-old daughter and I strolled to our favorite diner, she pointed to a bumper sticker plastered on a mailbox. A yellow, viraginous caricature of Hillary Clinton leered out from a black background. Big block letters proclaimed, “The wicked witch of the East is alive and living in New York.”

For the complete article click here: The Hillary Lesson

She Just Might Be President Someday
By KATE ZERNIKE
Published: May 18, 2008

If not her, who?

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton may or may not become the first female president of the United States, but if fate and voters deny her the role, another woman will surely see if the mantle fits.
That woman will come from the South, or west of the Mississippi. She will be a Democrat who has won in a red state, or a Republican who has emerged from the private sector to run for governor. She will have executive experience, and have served in a job like attorney general, where she will have proven herself to be “a fighter” (a caring one, of course).

She will be young enough to qualify as postfeminist (in the way Senator Barack Obama has come off as postracial), unencumbered by the battles of the past. She will be married with children, but not young children. She will be emphasizing her experience, and wearing, yes, pantsuits.

Oh, and she may not exist.

For the complete article click here: She Might Just Be President Someday

New Report on Youth Life Outcomes in Economically Distressed Communities

So many YWCAs have programs focused on helping youth navigate their social circumstances. This new report from CLASP provides useful thinking about youth development and specific ways community organizations can "be bold" in partnering and leading to advocate for youth.
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A Collective Responsibility, A Collective Work: Supporting the Path to Positive Life Outcomes for Youth in Economically Distressed Communities by Rhonda Tsoi-A-Fatt. This paper presents a picture of risk and challenge for youth in distressed communities and outlines how these communities can band together to create a continuum of supportive activities to bolster youth’s success in school and life. As youth grow and develop, individualized support and exposure to new experiences has a significant impact on their life trajectory. Youth in economically distressed communities deserve to have access to these types of opportunities, which are much more readily available to their peers in other communities. This investment in youth can have a positive effect on academic success, future life earnings, family stability, and the livelihood of the community. This paper may be helpful in guiding a community’s thinking about how to get started in creating a sustainable support system for all of its youth. 32 pages. 5/16/2008

Persimmon Electoral Math

If the 56 YWCAs in the Great Lakes Region register and mobilize every staff member, board member, and program participant or client whose life we touch, we will see over half a million voters go to the polls in November.

Many YWCAs have carried out great voter engagement initiatives without dedicated staff or financial resources. To summarize what one local staff person said about her YWCA's voter engagement initiatives recently, "We had a cake to celebrate election day and let our residents know that we would help them get to the polls. It's not rocket science."

For advocates who want to know everything there is to know about voter engagement, GLA is hosting "Voter Engagement Academy" at it's June Staff Leadership Institute in Madison. Visit the Staff Leadership Institute page to learn more.

For those who are looking for a few basic ideas to get you started, the Western States Center has compiled an outstanding guide that is broken down into easy activities that can work with a range of audiences from organizing a "Meet the Candidates" event to holding a "Mock Election" to highlight how the process works and how easily disenfranchised groups can be shut out of the political process.

Building Grassroots Power - Western States Center's 195-page curriculum, Building Grassroots Power: An Introduction to Electoral Politics, is designed to support the eletoral organizing efforts of groups with 501(C)(3) or 501(C)(4) tax-exempt status.

Anonymous Rape Tests Are Going Nationwide

The Associated Press By KRISTEN WYATT – May 13 2008
ELKTON, Md. (AP) — Starting next year across the country, rape victims too afraid or too ashamed to go to police can undergo an emergency-room forensic rape exam, and the evidence gathered will be kept on file in a sealed envelope in case they decide to press charges.
The new federal requirement that states pay for "Jane Doe rape kits" is aimed at removing one of the biggest obstacles to prosecuting rape cases: Some women are so traumatized they don't come forward until it is too late to collect hair, semen or other samples.
Click Here for the complete article from the Associated Press