Nichelle Mitchem

Help Fight Childhood Hunger

America’s children need your help to fight for funding for much needed feeding programs. The US House and Senate are making decisions about funding for hunger-relief programs.Hunger in America is pervasive. Food security is necessary to lead a productive, healthy, and active life. It has been reported that more than forty-nine (49) million Americans lack reliable access to the food. Childhood hunger is a growing reality in America. In one of the wealthiest nations in the world, the prevalence of childhood hunger is a national travesty and for many a well kept secret.

Approximately, one in four children in America is food insecure. As is aptly stated in the materials by Share Our Strength i “No Hungry Kid”, “…their bodies may not be rail thin, nor their bellies bloated like their counterparts in other countries, but they’re at risk of hunger all the same. They lack the energy to learn, grow, and thrive.” It is a well known fact that proper nutrition is vital to the growth and development of healthy children.

Statistics on Childhood Hunger in the United States: • According to the USDA, over 17 million children lived in food insecure (low food security and very low food security) households in 2009. ii • 20% or more of the child population in 16 states and D.C. are living in food insecure households. The states of Arkansas (24.4 percent) and Texas (24.3 percent) have the highest rates of children in households without consistent access to food. (Cook, John, Child Food Insecurity in the United States: 2006-2008. iii • In 2009, households that had higher rates of food insecurity than the national average included households with children (21.3 percent), especially households with children headed by single women (36.6 percent) or single men (27.8 percent), Black non-Hispanic households (24.9 percent) and Hispanic households (26.9 percent).v

With 46.2 million residents, Poverty, USA, is the largest state in America. Despite recent economic growth more than 43 million Americans -including 14.7 million children – live in poverty, the highest in the more than 50 years that the data has been tracked. Yet a recent Gallup poll found that only 5% of Americans believe poverty and homelessness are important problems for the country. So let’s look at some facts and make our own determination:

Over 25 percent of the children in the US under the age of six live in poverty. The poverty rate among women climbed to 14.5 percent in 2010 from 13.9 percent in 2009, the highest in 17 years. As poverty surged last year to its highest level since 1993, median household income declined, leaving the typical American household earning less in inflation-adjusted dollars than it did in 1997. One out of every six Americans is now being served by at least one government anti-poverty program. Child homelessness in the United States is now 33 percent higher than it was back in 2007. More than 50 million Americans are now on Medicaid, the U.S. government health care program designed principally to help the poor.

According to the National Center on Family Homelessness, 1.6 million American children “were living on the street, in homeless shelters or motels, or doubled up with other families last year”. The percentage of children living in poverty in the United States increased from 16.9 percent in 2006 to nearly 22 percent in 2010. One out of every seven mortgages in the United States was either delinquent or in foreclosure during the first quarter of 2010.

The number of children living in poverty in the United States has risen for four years in a row. There are ten (10) different states where at least one out of every four babies is born to a family living in poverty. 28 percent of all households in America have at least one member that is looking for a full-time job. There are seven million children in the United States today that are not covered by health insurance at all.

Please call your US House Representatives and Senators and ask them to support programs that improve the quality of life for what the Bible terms “…the least of these”. If the line is busy, please redial and call again. Please let your elected officials in Washington know that you care about children and families living in poverty.

Feeding America has drafted a message that you can delivered to your elected officials:

“As your constituent, I ask you to please urge the Senate Agriculture Committee to protect and strengthen hunger-relief programs. My community cannot afford for these programs to be cut.”

We can only make a difference when we take action.

“You may never know what results come of your action, but if you do nothing there will be no result. ~ Gandhi

“Don’t miss your chance to make an impact, dial your elected officials in Washington DC now!

Source(s): Feeding America. Action Alert Voices for Americas Children. Action Alert Bread for the World. St. Vincent de Paul Society. National Center on Family Homelessness.

Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

i In 1984, Share Our Strength, was started by the brother and sister team of Bill and Debbie Shore started the organization with the belief that everyone has strength to share in the global fight against hunger and poverty, and that in these shared strengths lie sustainable solutions.

iiRhoda Cohen, J. Mabli, F., Potter,Z., Zhoa. Hunger in America 2010. Feeding America. February 2010.

iiiNord, Mark, M. Andrews, S. Carlson. United States Department of Agriculture/Economic Research Service, Household Food Security in the United States, 2008.

iv Cook, John. Feeding America. Child Food Insecurity in the United States:2006-2008.

v Nord, Mark, M. Andrews, S. Carlson. United States Department of Agriculture/Economic Research Service, Household Food Security in the United States, 2009.

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Urge Your Members of Congress to Support Background Checks

Gun violence in America has reached epidemic proportions. The evening news is inundated with tragic stories of children, youth, and adults that have lost their lives to gun violence across our nation. Whether on the streets of Baltimore or in the privacy of their homes, gun violence has taken the lives of far too many children, youth, and adults in our cities.

In the week following the Newtown massacre, there were at least a dozen gun homicides in Baltimore, Chicago, Detroit, and St. Louis alone.  In a period of highly publicized mass shootings, inner-city neighborhoods that are plagued by gun violence have continued to be neglected and ignored. According to the Centers for Disease Control, large metropolitan areas account for more than two-thirds of deaths by gun violence each year, with inner cities most affected.  The majority of the victims are young, ranging in age from their early teens to mid-20s, and are black.  The leading cause of death among Black teens ages 15 to 19 in 2008 and 2009 was gun homicide.  For White teens 15 to 19 it was motor vehicle accidents followed by gun homicide in 2008 and gun suicide in 2009.  The most recent analysis of data from twenty-three (23) industrialized nations shows that eighty-seven (87) percent of the children under age fifteen (15) killed by guns in these nations lived in the United States. 

Please ask your members of Congress to support gun safety legislation that will save the  lives of countless children, youth, and adults.  In partnership with Mayors Against Illegal Guns, advocacy organizations are working to pass a comprehensive gun violence prevention package with a background check provision. 

Help them to continue to keep the pressure on our Senators to reconsider critical gun safety legislation. Recently, in the House of Representatives legislation was recently introduced to expand background checks.

The Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act of 2013 (H.R. 1565),
This piece of legislation introduced by Congressmen Peter King (R-NY) and Mike Thompson (D-CA), mirrors the bipartisan Manchin/Toomey compromise background check measure that was narrowly defeated in the Senate last month.  While the Senate bill fell five (5) votes short of passage last month due to a procedural hurdle, Senators promise to have another vote soon. With that said, if we hope to have gun safety legislation this year, it is time to work with our House of Representatives members.

Due to loopholes in current law, people are easily able to obtain firearms through private sales and transfers, even though they should be prohibited from doing so under federal law. Research indicates that in excess of six million guns are transferred each year through private transfer. When there is a sale of private guns or there are transfers of weapons, these transactions are not subject to background checks.

The King/Thompson bill would save countless lives each year by helping to keep guns out of the hands of the violent people. Currently, this important piece of legislation has over 160 co-sponsors. This potentially lifesaving legislation needs more support in Congress. With that said, we need to demand prompt action from Congress on the King/Thompson bill. Toward that goal, I am asking that you take at least one of the following action steps:

1. Call your Congress person.
1. Email your Congress person.
2. Post a message on your Facebook Page
3. Tweet
4. Sign the Petition circulating on the Internet
For more information, fact sheets, press coverage, support letters and updates visit http://www.demandaction.org.

Source: NCADV Action Alert, May 17, 2013.

Erasing Hate: The Byron Widner Story

Redemption Song

Former skinhead, Byron Widner, illustrated his hate through a series of derogatory tattoos all over his body. However, with the assistance of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), he was able to “leave the white power movement” and get rid of his inked imprints as said by the SPLC. The Southern Poverty Law Center monitors hate groups and other extremists throughout theUnited States as well as exposes their activities to law enforcement agencies, the media, and the public.

MSNBC ran a documentary entitled “Erasing Hate” which detailed Byron Widner’s road to redemption. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, this film provides viewers with an account of “his life within the white power movement, the decision that led him and his wife to leave it, and the procedures he received.”

Research indicates that thousands of people every year are victims of hate crime. For every reported case of hate violence, there are countless unreported incidents of hate based violence. The hate crime phenomenon presents complex and agonizing problems to communities nationwide. The problem has become more visible as federal and state officials increasingly track hate violence.

American communities have learned that failure to address bias crimes can cause an isolated incident to result in widespread tension. Hate crimes are unique because they have a special emotional and physical impact that extends beyond the original victim. Bias crimes intimidate others in the victim’s community, causing them to feel isolated, vulnerable, and unprotected by the legal system. By making members of a specific group fearful, angry and suspicious, these crimes polarize cities and damage the very fabric of our society.

While hate violence makes headlines, the positive actions of people across the country are creating a different story. These people include but are not limited to a movement called Not In Our Town. Like other groups battling hate based violence, Not In Our Town highlights communities working together to stop hate. Not In Our Town videos and broadcasts highlight and celebrate people who have developed creative anti-bias programs and responses.  The stories chronicled by Not In Our Town have served to motivate many others to develop their own innovative initiatives which overpower the hateful actions and voices in their communities.

The non-profit sector offers information, education, and activism against hate violence. This list contains a few of the organizations that offer resources or help communities respond to hate activities. Many of the national organizations have local chapters. A brief list of national organizations battling hate based include but is not limited to:

National Organizations

American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
Web: http://www.adc.org
Combats media stereotyping, defamation, and discrimination against Americans of Arab descent through legal action and education.

American Jewish Committee
Web: http://ajc.org
Published, What to Do When the Militia Comes to Town

Anti-Defamation League
Web: http://www.adl.org
Combats anti-semitism and racial supremacist ideology, published Hate Crimes Laws: A Comprehensive Guide.

Asian American Legal Defense & Education Fund
Community education, legal counseling and advocacy on behalf of victims of anti-Asian violence.

Center For Democratic Renewal
Web: http://www.thecdr.org
Published When Hate Groups Come to Town: A Handbook of Effective Community Responses.

Center for New Community
Web: http://www.newcomm.org
Publishes special reports on anti-immigrant groups.

Choosing to Participate
Web: http://www.facing.org/
Traveling exhibition featuring events in time when individuals and communities made decisions affecting the course of history.

Connect America
Points of Light Foundation
Web: http://www.pointsoflight.org/sponsors/connectamerica.cfm
Sponsors national “Join Hands Day”

Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
Web: http://www.cair-net.org
Published, Law Enforcement Official’s Guide to the Muslim Community.

NAACP
Web: http://www.naacp.org
Combats racisms and fights for civil rights.

National Council of Churches
Web: http://www.ncccusa.org
Organized nationally to rebuild burnt churches in 1996.

National Gay & Lesbian Task Force
Web: http://www.thetaskforce.org
Fights hate crime; monitors attacks on civil liberties.

The National Urban League
Web: http://www.nul.org
Increasing civil rights, educational and financial opportunities for African Americans through programs and research.

Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG)
Web: http://www.pflag.org
Support for families of Gays and Lesbians with hundreds of local chapters.

Political Research Associates
Web: http://www.publiceye.org/
Think-tank monitoring the full spectrum of hate organizations.

Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund
Web: http://www.saldef.org/default.aspx?zone=misc.faq
Legal assistance and educational outreach for Sikh Americans. Civil rights advocacy.

Southern Poverty Law Center
Web: http://www.splcenter.org
Reports on hate crime and advances the legal rights of victims of injustice. Home of Klanwatch.)

StudyCirclesResourceCenter
Web: http://www.studycircles.org
Helps communities and organizations begin small democratic, discussion groups that can make significant progress on difficult issues including race.)

100 Black Men of America
Web: http://www.100blackmen.org
Helps young African Americans to overcome financial and cultural obstacles through mentoring, anti-violence, education and economic development programs.

Source(s): Southern Poverty Law Center; American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee; American Jewish Committee; Anti-Defamation League; Asian American Legal Defense & Education Fund; Center For Democratic Renewal; Not In Our Town; Center for New Community; Choosing to Participate; Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR); NAACP; National Gay & Lesbian Task Force; The National Urban League; Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG); Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund; Study Circles Resource Center; 100 Black Men of America.

Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

Silent Saviours

Given their sacrifices for our nation, the number of veterans that are either homeless or at risk of homelessness is as my grandmother would say “a sin and a shame”. Here in the United Sates there approximately 1.5 million veterans that are at risk of homelessness due to poverty, lack of support networks, and dismal living conditions in overcrowded or substandard housing. According to the Departments of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) there are over 67,000 homeless veterans on any given night.[i] Over the course of a year, approximately twice that many experience homelessness.[ii] Only eight percent of the general population can claim veteran status, but nearly one-fifth of the homeless population are veterans.[iii]

Why are veterans homeless?
In addition to the complex set of factors influencing all homelessness – extreme shortage of affordable housing, livable income and access to health care – a large number of displaced and at-risk veterans live with lingering effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance abuse, which are compounded by a lack of family and social support networks.[iv]

A top priority for homeless veterans is secure, safe, clean housing that offers a supportive environment free of drugs and alcohol. Although “most homeless people are single, unaffiliated men… most housing money in existing federal homelessness programs, in contrast, is devoted to helping homeless families or homeless women with dependent children,” as is stated in the study “Is Homelessness a Housing Problem?”[v] (Understanding Homelessness: New Policy and Research Perspectives, Fannie Mae Foundation, 1997).

What services do veterans need?
Like most homeless persons, veterans need a coordinated effort that provides secure housing, nutritional meals, basic physical health care, substance abuse care and aftercare, mental health counseling, personal development and empowerment. Additionally, veterans need job assessment, training and placement assistance. Service providers assert that all programs to assist homeless veterans must focus on helping them obtain and sustain employment.

What can you do to help homeless veterans?•
Determine the need in your community. Visit with homeless veteran providers. Contact your mayor’s office for a list of providers, or search the National Coalition for the Homeless.
•Engage Friends/Family: Involve others. If you are not already part of an organization, align yourself with a few other people who are interested in attacking this issue.
•Help: Participate in local homeless coalitions. Chances are, there is one in your community. If not, this could be the time to bring people together around this critical need.
•Donate: Make a donation to your local homeless veteran provider.
•Advocate: Contact your elected officials. Discuss what is being done in your community for homeless veterans.

Relevant Legislation in Congress:
United States House of Representatives
H.R. 136 – To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow taxpayers to designate a portion of their income tax payment to provide assistance to homeless veterans, and for other purposes.
Sponsor:          Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY)
Status:             Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, in addition to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs (Jan. 1, 2011)
•Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow individual taxpayers to designate on their tax returns $3 of income taxes ($6 in the case of joint returns) to provide assistance to homeless veterans.

H.R. 287 – Homes for Heroes Act of 2011
Sponsor:          Rep. Al Green (D-TX)
Status:              Referred to the Committee on Financial Services, in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means (Jan. 12, 2011)
•Expands the supply of supportive housing for very low-income veteran families.
•Authorizes an annual budget increase needed to provide 20,000 additional rental vouchers each fiscal year.
•Extends VA-supported housing, which is currently limited to homeless veterans with chronic mental illness or chronic substance use disorders, to all homeless veterans.

H.R. 806 – End Veteran Homelessness Act of 2011
Sponsor:          Rep. Bob Filner (D-CA)
Status:             Referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs (Feb. 18, 2011)
•Increases GPD authorization to $200 million in FY 2011.
•Changes GPD reimbursement from a “per diem” to an annual cost of providing services.
•Requires each VA medical center providing case management services through the HUD-VASH program to hire a specialist to handle housing issues, including: ◦Outreach to landlords.
◦Mediation of veteran/landlord disputes.
◦Establishing and maintaining a list of available rental units.

•Authorizes $100 million by FY 2014 for supportive services for very low-income veteran families in permanent housing.
•Promotes awareness of VA programs to assist homeless women veterans and homeless veterans with children.

H.R. 1133 – Helping Our Homeless Veterans Act of 2011
Sponsor: Rep. Bob Filner (D-CA)
Status: Referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Subcommittee on Health (April 1, 2011), as well as the Committee on Financial Services, Subcommittee on Insurance, Housing and Community Opportunity (April 4, 2011)
•Authorizes VA to enter into agreements with organizations to collaborate in the provision of case management services to veterans in the HUD-VASH program.

H.R. 4287 – To expand the definition of homeless veteran for purposes of benefits under the laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Sponsor:          Rep. Janice Hahn (D-CA)
Action:             Referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs (March 28, 2012)
•Expands VA’s definition of “homeless veteran” – for the purpose of benefits eligibility – to include a veteran of veteran’s family fleeing domestic or dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or other dangerous or life-threatening conditions in the current housing situation, including where the health and safety of children are jeopardized, there is no other residence, and there is a lack of resources or support networks to obtain other permanent housing.

United States Senate
S. 411 – Helping Our Homeless Veterans Act of 2011
Sponsor:          Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Status:             Referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs (Feb. 17, 2011)
•Authorizes VA to enter into agreements with organizations to collaborate in the provision of case management services to veterans in the HUD-VASH program.

S. 1060 – Honoring All Veterans Act of 2011
Sponsor:          Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)
Action:             Hearing held by Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs (June 8, 2011)
•Changes GPD reimbursement from a “per diem” to an annual cost of providing services.
•Extends enhanced protections for service members relating to mortgages and mortgage foreclosure.

S. 1148 – Veterans Programs Improvement Act of 2011
Sponsor:          Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA)
Action:             Hearing held by Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs (June 8, 2011)

Reauthorizes critical programs such as the following:
◦DOL-VETS Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP).
◦VA Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program (GPD), as well as the related Special Needs grant program.
◦VA Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Program.
•Orders VA to study and restructure the GPD reimbursement rate.
•Expands the VA Special Needs grant program to include male homeless veterans with minor dependents, as well as allowing dependents of all veterans in those programs to receive services directly.

S. 3049 – To expand the definition of homeless veteran for purposes of benefits under the laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Sponsor:          Sen. Mark Begich (D-AK)
Action:             Referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs (May 9, 2012)
•Expands VA’s definition of “homeless veteran” – for the purpose of benefits eligibility – to include a veteran of veteran’s family fleeing domestic or dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or other dangerous or life-threatening conditions in the current housing situation, including where the health and safety of children are jeopardized, there is no other residence, and there is a lack of resources or support networks to obtain other permanent housing.

Source(s):        http://www.govtrack.us. http://www.congress.org. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. Understanding Homelessness: New Policy and Research Perspectives, Fannie Mae Foundation, 1997).

Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

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[i] National Coalition for the Homeless

[ii] National Coalition for the Homeless

[iii] National Coalition for the Homeless

[iv] National Coalition for the Homeless

[v] Understanding Homelessness: New Policy and Research Perspectives, Fannie Mae Foundation, 1997).

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House Blocked Paycheck Fairness Act Vote

Late last week, the United States House of Representatives blocked a vote on the Paycheck Fairness Act. This was a blow to all of people who have worked so hard on policies to help close the wage gap in pay for men and women.

But it’s not over yet. There is a way to FORCE a vote on the Paycheck Fairness Act. Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro put forward what’s called a “discharge petition” and all we need to do is get 218 Representatives to sign it in order to release the bill for a vote.

Data indicates that working women in the United States are paid an average of eighty (80) cents for every dollar paid to men. Because women earn less, on average, than men, they must work longer for the same amount of pay. The pay gap is even larger for most women of color; on average, black women earn about seventy (70) cents, and Latinas about sixty (60) cents, of every dollar paid to all men.

In 1996, Equal Pay Day was established by the National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE) as a public awareness event to illustrate the gap between men’s and women’s wages. For the past thirty-one (31) years, the National Committee on Pay Equity has been working diligently to eliminate sex-and race-based wage discrimination and to achieve pay equity.

In 1979, the National Committee on Pay Equity was founded as a coalition of women’s and civil rights organizations; labor unions; religious, professional, legal, and educational associations, commissions on women, state and local pay equity coalitions and individuals working to eliminate sex- and race-based wage discrimination and to achieve pay equity.

9 to 5 shared that a woman has had to work an extra three months this year to match a man’s income in 2010. As we think about the work women have done for equal wages, help is needed in the fight for the next step toward pay equity. It reminds us of the continuing problem of sex- and race-based wage discrimination and the need to achieve pay equity. The alert reads as follows:

When the Equal Pay Act passed nearly 50 years ago, a woman earned an average of 59 cents for every dollar a man made. Today, she makes 77 cents. The annual gap between men and women’s median annual wages is a staggering $10,849. With more and more families relying on women’s wages to support them in an ailing economy, shortchanging women nearly $11,000 a year is inexcusable.

Solution:
The Paycheck Fairness Act is an important step in the continuing struggle for women’s rights. Blocked in the Senate in 2010, when a minority of Senators prevented the bill from moving forward, the Act was reintroduced by members of Congress in the House where it was blocked.

The Paycheck Fairness Act would take several steps towards closing the wage gap, including: clarifying acceptable reasons for differences in pay between men and women; prohibiting retaliation against workers who inquire about or disclose information about employers’ wage policies and their pay rates; making it easier to file class action lawsuits based on equal pay; and requiring the EEOC to survey current pay data and obliging employers to submit pay data identified by race, sex and national origin of employees.

Action Needed:
Help 9 to 5 and other advocacy organizations to make this very necessary change: Contact your U.S. Senators and U.S. Representative and urge them to support and sign on to the Paycheck Fairness Act ‘s discharge petition. Women have waited too long for equal wages. We, as a nation, cannot afford to wait any longer.
—9 to 5

Official Summary
The following summary was written by the Congressional Research Service, a nonpartisan arm of the Library of Congress, which serves Congress.8

4/13/2011–Introduced.

“Paycheck Fairness Act – Amends the portion of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) known as the Equal Pay Act to revise remedies for, enforcement of, and exceptions to prohibitions against sex discrimination in the payment of wages. Revises the exception to the prohibition for a wage rate differential based on any other factor other than sex. Limits such factors to bona fide factors, such as education, training, or experience. States that the bona fide factor defense shall apply only if the employer demonstrates that such factor: (1) is not based upon or derived from a sex-based differential in compensation, (2) is job-related with respect to the position in question, and (3) is consistent with business necessity. Avers that such defense shall not apply where the employee demonstrates that: (1) an alternative employment practice exists that would serve the same business purpose without producing such differential, and (2) the employer has refused to adopt such alternative practice. Revises the prohibition against employer retaliation for employee complaints. Prohibits retaliation for inquiring about, discussing, or disclosing the wages of the employee or another employee in response to a complaint or charge, or in furtherance of a sex discrimination investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, or an investigation conducted by the employer. Makes employers who violate sex discrimination prohibitions liable in a civil action for either compensatory or (except for the federal government) punitive damages. States that any action brought to enforce the prohibition against sex discrimination may be maintained as a class action in which individuals may be joined as party plaintiffs without their written consent. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor (Secretary) to seek additional compensatory or punitive damages in a sex discrimination action. Requires the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to train EEOC employees and affected individuals and entities on matters involving wage discrimination. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to eligible entities for negotiation skills training programs for girls and women. Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of Education to issue regulations or policy guidance to integrate such training into certain programs under their Departments. Directs the Secretary to conduct studies and provide information to employers, labor organizations, and the general public regarding the means available to eliminate pay disparities between men and women. Establishes the Secretary of Labor’s National Award for Pay Equity in the Workplace for an employer who has made a substantial effort to eliminate pay disparities between men and women. Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to require the EEOC to collect from employers pay information data regarding the sex, race, and national origin of employees for use in the enforcement of federal laws prohibiting pay discrimination. Directs: (1) the Commissioner of Labor Statistics to continue to collect data on woman workers in the Current Employment Statistics survey, (2) the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to use specified types of methods in investigating compensation discrimination and in enforcing pay equity, and (3) the Secretary to make accurate information on compensation discrimination readily available to the public. Directs the Secretary and the Commissioner of the EEOC jointly to develop technical assistance material to assist small businesses to comply with the requirements of this Act.”

Source: GovTrack. 9 to 5. The National Committee on Pay Equity. The Paycheck Fairness Act.

Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

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Equal Pay Day 2013

Equal Pay Day 2013 is fast approaching. April 9, 2013 is Equal Pay Day.  According to 9 to 5, for the first time in many years, the weekly earnings gap is widening for all women. As a result, this year’s Equal Pay Day is even more important than usual. To make real advances in closing the gap, we must strengthen enforcement of existing anti-discrimination laws and pass new laws that give women the tools they need to get the pay they deserve.

As stated by 9to 5’s executive director, pay discrimination is a real and persistent problem that continues to shortchange American women and their families. Research indicates that progress on closing the gap has slowed significantly since the 1980s and early 1990s. Women are continuing to earn less than men in every state and region of the country. Since 2001, the gender pay gap has narrowed by only about one percentage point. With that said, it will take another forty-five (45) years for women to earn as much as men.

In 2011, women earned seventy-seven (77) cents for every dollar earned by men. For women of color, the pay gap is even wider. According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, in 2011, African-American women earned only sixty-nine (69) cents and Latinas just sixty (60) cents for every dollar earned by all men.

 Here are several reasons why the pay gap exists:
1. Women and people of color are overrepresented in undervalued and underpaid occupations such as child care and home health care and waiting tables.
2. Discrimination exists and limits access to opportunities for women in particular women of color. Even when working in male-dominated fields that pay more, such as engineering or computer programming, women often still earn less.
3. Many working women are penalized financially for caregiving at home because they lack access to basic policies like paid sick days and family leave.

Pay inequity not only harms individual women but it also harms their families. And since women make three-quarters of family-purchasing decisions, it means less money is spent in our local economies. Over the course of their professional careers, women lose hundreds of thousands of dollars or more. That means less money to make ends meet and achieve economic security for their loved ones.

Relevant Laws that Support Working Families:

The Healthy Families Act
It would give workers the right to earn paid sick days. No one should fear losing their job because they needed to take a day away from work to care for a sick child or an elderly parent. Especially in this unforgiving economy, we, as a nation, need legislation that helps workers and their families to stay healthy.

“First introduced in 2004 by Congresswoman DeLauro and Senator Edward M. Kennedy, the Healthy Families Act would enable workers to earn up 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, up to (7) seven days’ worth of paid leave. Currently, 40 million Americans are without paid sick days, meaning they cannot take time off work should they fall ill or need to care for ailing child or elderly relative. Two-thirds of lower-income private sector workers do not have a single paid sick day, and the percentage is even higher amongst workers in certain industries.”

The Paycheck Fairness Act
The Paycheck Fairness Act would take several steps towards closing the wage gap, including: clarifying acceptable reasons for differences in pay between men and women; prohibiting retaliation against workers who inquire about or disclose information about employers’ wage policies and their pay rates; making it easier to file class action lawsuits based on equal pay; and requiring the EEOC to survey current pay data and obliging employers to submit pay data identified by race, sex and national origin of employees and empower women to better negotiate salary and benefit increases.

The afore-referenced legislation was introduced in 2009 and then again in 2010. It was defeated by a minority of senators. It was reintroduced in the current Congress in January.

Action Needed:
Help 9 to 5 and other advocacy organizations to make this very necessary change: Contact your elected officials and urge them to support and sign on to the Paycheck Fairness Act.

Women have waited too long for equal wages. We, as a nation, cannot afford to wait any longer. With that said, as aptly stated by Linda Meric, “this Equal Pay Day, let’s fight for fair public policies that value women’s work, honor their contributions to their families and spur a thriving economy.”

Source(s): govtrack.com “On Equal Pay Day, let’s honor women”, Linda Meric, Anchorage Daily News,  April 8, 2013. http://www.adn.com/2013/04/08/2856327/on-equal-pay-day-lets-honor-women.html#storylink=cpy

Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

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Bullying Online Has Led To The Loss Of Life

With the growing prevalence of the Internet and online social networks, cyber bullying, cyber stalking, and cyber harassment have become ever growing phenomena. For some, it took the tragic deaths of countless victims such as Phoebe Prince, Hope Witsell, Ryan Halligan, Tiffany Barwick, Tyler Clementi, and Megan Meier to bring these issues into the public conscientiousness. This post will focus on cyber bullying. Cyber bullying occurs between minors. When an adult is harassing children or teenagers, it is known as cyber harassment or cyber stalking. As the Internet becomes more popular and online communities become more close-knit as well as more prevalent, online misconduct is occurring at an ever increasing rate in cyber space.

What constitutes Cyber bullying?
Cyber bullying has been defined by some experts as a willful and repeated act where a child or teenager is harassed, humiliated, embarrassed, threatened or tormented through the use of digital technology such as computers, cell telephones, and other electronic devices. It is not limited to the Internet; cyber bullying also encompasses bullying done through such methods as text messages. It is important to reiterate that experts state that cyber bullying can only occur between minors. Research data indicates that cyber bullying can be just as devastating as bullying in real life. In some cases, cyber bullying is an extension of bullying already endured by the victim at school.

Cyber bullying is often a systemic attempt to cause another person to experience emotional pain as the result of an electronic communication or a series of communications. Traditionally, it occurs more than once, and includes but is not limited to: creating disturbing blog and website posts; leaving demeaning messages on victim’s Facebook or MySpace page; spreading gossip or rumors through instant messaging and text messaging; uploading embarrassing photos of the victim; and/or sending defamatory tweets on Twitter. Bullies have demonstrated that there are countless methods to humiliate and threaten a child or teen online. Because the damage is often psychological, and carries over into the real world, the threats posed by cyber bullying can be devastating for the victim. There have been cases where cyber bullying has been linked to severe depression, self-harm, and even suicide.

Prevalence of Teens and Cyber bullying
Research indicates that electronic dating violence and teens is a significant social problem. The Cyberbullying Research Center reported that an online survey of teens sponsored by the Liz Claiborne company revealed that 36% of teens say their boyfriend or girlfriend checked up on them as many as 30 times per day and 17% reported that their significant other made them afraid not to respond to cell phone calls, email, or text messages. Another recent poll spearheaded by MTV and the Associated Press found that 22% of youth between the ages of 14 and 24 who were involved in a romantic relationship said that their partner wrote something about them online or in a text message that was not true. (Cyberbullying Research Center) This same survey reported that 22% of youth felt that their significant other checked up on them too often online or via cell phone. (Cyberbullying Research Center). The results of these studies referenced on the Center’s website illustrate that electronic dating violence is occurring across a meaningful proportion of youth in our nation.

In response to this pressing problem, the Obama administration has taken important and necessary measures to combat bullying. His administration is directing resources for the express purpose of reducing bullying in schools and to raising awareness around its ramifications, and, of course, to countering its negative impact. Toward that end, the White House convened a conference on preventing bullying, on Thursday, March 11, 2011. The Obama administration also launched a new website, http://www.stopbullying.gov, devoted to bullying prevention.

For further information on bullying and/or cyber bullying prevention and intervention strategies, there are several websites you can visit including but not limited: http://www.fightcrime.org; http://www.bullypolice.org; http://www.healthline.com; http://www.cyberbullying.us; http://www.stopbullying.org; http://www.stopbullying.gov; http://www.isafe.org; and others.

Source(s): White House website, §2 – C.18A:37-13.1 §1 – C.18A:37-13.2 §16 – C.18A:37-15.3 §§17; http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2010/Bills/AL10/122_. PDF. Fight Crime.org; Bully Police USA, Inc.; Healthline.com; Politics Daily; MyFoxPhilly.com; NJ.com; Cyber Research Center; Stop Bullying, Inc.; i-Safe, Inc.; “NJ Assembly, Senate Passes “Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights’ in Wake of Tyler Clementi’s Death” November 22, 2010, NJ.com; “Rutgers Student Tyler Clementi Commits Suicide After Video Voyeurism”, October 5, 2010, Star Ledger.  Photo credit: Microsoft Clip Art

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National Women Build Week 2013

National Women Build Week is an initiative of Habitat for Humanity which challenges women to devote at least one day to the effort to eliminate poverty housing. National Women Build Week brings together women from all walks of life to address the housing crisis facing millions of women and children worldwide. This year’s, National Women Build Week is being held from May 4, 2013 to May 12, 2013. Habitat indicates that, women build projects are regularly held across the United States and in more than 30 countries.

Women can and do make a difference in their communities by building homes and raising awareness of local housing needs. According to the Habitat for Humanity’s website, this national annual event is typically held the week leading up to Mother’s Day. These dates are significant to many volunteers, as families with children make up a significant portion number of those in need of adequate housing. According Habitat, this national annual event has helped to construct more than 1,800 houses.

During National Build Week, men may still volunteer. This annual event is not about excluding men, but rather including women in being part of Habitat’s tangible and hands-on solution. Volunteer with your local Habitat affiliate. Your support is vital to helping Habitat achieve its mission. As Habitat reminds us, together, we can make safe, decent, and affordable housing a reality for those in need. For further information on this annual event, please visit Habitat for Humanity’s website.

Photo credit: Microsoft Clip Art
Source(s): Habitat For Humanity website.

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Maryland Repeals Death Penalty

This month, Maryland became the sixth state in six years to repeal the death penalty. With that said, the total number of states that have abolished capital punishment is now eighteen (18). For years, Maryland’s Governor, Martin O’Malley has championed the repeal of death penalty in his state. After signing the bill into law, Governor O’Malley said that the risk of executing an innocent person weighed heavily in his dedication to ending capital punishment in Maryland. The success of the repeal effort in Maryland has given momentum to repeal efforts in Delaware where an abolition bill was passed by the state Senate this week. The next step in Delaware is for the legislation to go before the House. The Delaware Governor, Jack Markell, has refused to say whether he favors the legislation.

The US criminal justice system is based on guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. It’s the foundation of our justice system, built to serve and protect the wrongly accused. But in the case of Troy Davis and countless others on death row, it’s a principle that was defied, ignored, and trampled on. As Troy Davis wrote in a letter when he was facing execution in 2008 :” … no matter what happens in the days, weeks to come, this Movement to end the death penalty, to seek true justice, to expose a system that fails to protect the innocent must be accelerated. There are so many more Troy Davis’. This fight to end the death penalty is not won or lost through me but through our strength to move forward and save every innocent person in captivity around the globe.

With the recent decision to abolish the death penalty in Maryland, we have moved one step closer to dismantling our unjust criminal justice system city by city, state by state and country by country. Amnesty International and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) have been seeking to do just that for decades. Specifically, these organizations have been quite successful in raising awareness about the problems with criminal justice system and the need to end the death penalty. The number of persons supporting their work is growing as demonstrated in the case of Troy Davis. Their petition seeking clemency in the Troy Davis case was signed by almost one million persons. NAACP and Amnesty International have experienced steady progress in this important undertaking to end the death penalty. However, the Troy Davis case reminds us that more work needs to be done to end the death penalty across our nation.

The collective work done on Troy Davis’ case resounded with people all over the world. Next stop for the abolition of the death penalty nationwide is California, a state poised to make history this fall by ending its death penalty through a referendum. The struggle continues. But with each victory, we, as a nation, come closer to a world where human rights are respected, and executions are a thing of the past.

For further information on how you can get involved in efforts to end the penalty nationwide, please visit the websites for Amnesty International and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Equal Justice USA, and the Campaign to End the Death Penalty.

Sources: Delaware Senate approves repeal of death penalty, POLITICO, March 26, 2013, Associated Press. Amnesty International, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Innocence Project. The Campaign to End the Death Penalty.

Photo credit: Microsoft Clip Art

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Say No To The Ryan Budget Plan

This week, the Congress will vote on the Ryan budget plan. Ryan’s Budget Plan severely and disproportionately cuts programs for hungry and poor people. Poverty in America not only affects the millions of people who are deprived of the common necessities to live, but it also affects the idea of progression and hopefulness in this country. The more than 46 million people in America living in squalor, poverty, and hunger are not invisible. Their concerns must be our concerns.

If passed, the Ryan budget plan would strike is a very serious blow to vulnerable children and families far into the future. Millions of children are in danger of budget cuts to vital health and income supports. House budget chair Paul Ryan, in his budget plan would rather the money go to defense spending and tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.

Much of the $4.1 trillion in proposed cuts in the Ryan Budget Plan comes from vital programs, while much of the savings goes to $4.3 trillion in new tax cuts. The members of the house supporting the Ryan budget plan are opting to balance our federal deficit on the backs of the most vulnerable. This proposal fails to create a circle of protection around programs vital for hungry and poor people in our country and abroad.

The Ryan Budget Plan gouges the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamps) by billions, and turns it into a block grant, which would prevent SNAP from responding to economic downturns.  Additionally, the proposed budget cuts the funding levels negotiated by Congress last August, and it eliminates the protections established for all major low-income entitlement programs. It also slashes other crucial programs, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, WIC, and Head Start. International food aid and poverty-focused foreign assistance would also be deeply cut. Cuts to this vital funding would endanger lives and our own national security.

The Ryan plan cuts Medicaid funding by 20 percent next year, gutting a popular program that helps more than 28 million needy children receive care. And Medicaid is slashed by one-third over 10 years. By defunding the Affordable Care Act (health reform), millions more could also lose out on the chance for coverage. Education is hard hit, too, with billions slashed to services kids need to compete in the future. Pell Grants, which help students afford college, would face a budget freeze, and the interest some pay for student loans could double.

As an advocate for indigent children, youth, and families, I see the impact of poverty and need on those that we serve every day. I know first-hand, what poverty and dependence look like and how they destroy lives, hopes, dreams, and aspirations. We pray and cry with children who are hungry and parents who have lost hope. It is what we are, it is what we do.

In spite of the seemingly limitless prosperity that many Americans enjoy, millions of others are going hungry, foregoing medical care, doing without winter coats and gloves, struggling to break free from poverty. Last year, 46.2 million Americans lived below the poverty line – $22,314 a year for a family of four – marking the fourth year in a row that poverty has increased.

With 46.2 million residents, Poverty, USA, is the largest state in America. Today, the unemployment rate stands at 8.6 percent and despite recent economic growth more than 43 million Americans -including 14.7 million children – live in poverty, the highest in the more than 50 years that the data has been tracked. Yet a recent Gallup poll found that only 5% of Americans believe poverty and homelessness are important problems for the country. So let’s look at some facts and make our own determination:

Over 25 percent of the children in the US under the age of six live in poverty. The poverty rate among women climbed to 14.5 percent in 2010 from 13.9 percent in 2009, the highest in 17 years. As poverty surged last year to its highest level since 1993, median household income declined, leaving the typical American household earning less in inflation-adjusted dollars than it did in 1997. One out of every six Americans is now being served by at least one government anti-poverty program.  Child homelessness in the United States is now 33 percent higher than it was back in 2007. More than 50 million Americans are now on Medicaid, the U.S. government health care program designed principally to help the poor.

According to the National Center on Family Homelessness, 1.6 million American children “were living on the street, in homeless shelters or motels, or doubled up with other families last year”.  The percentage of children living in poverty in the United States increased from 16.9 percent in 2006 to nearly 22 percent in 2010. One out of every seven mortgages in the United States was either delinquent or in foreclosure during the first quarter of 2010.

The number of children living in poverty in the U.S. has risen for four years in a row. There are 10 different U.S. states where at least one out of every four babies is born to a family living in poverty.  28 percent of all U.S. households have at least one member that is looking for a full-time job. There are seven million children in the United States today that are not covered by health insurance at all.

Hundreds of advocates for families in crisis have called Congress about the proposed fiscal year 2013 budget being debated by the House of Representatives. We have analyzed the budget, and the news is bad for people who are struggling: The proposed budget cuts the highly effective Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program by 17 percent over the next 10 years. This will put millions more American families at risk of hunger. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office reports that the cuts are so severe that most of the government—aside from health care, Social Security, and defense—would cease to exist by 2050.

The budget severely and disproportionately cuts programs for hungry and poor people. Much of the $4.1 trillion in proposed cuts comes from these vital programs, while much of the savings goes to $4.3 trillion in new tax cuts.

The next 24 hours are crucial as the House of Representatives plans to vote on this budget tomorrow, March 29. Please call your representative now. Use our toll-free number, 1-800-826-3688. If the line is busy, please redial and call again. Please let your elected officials in Washington know that you care about children and families.

We can only make a difference when we take action.

“You may never know what results come of your action, but if you do nothing there will be no result. ~ Gandhi

Source(s): Action Alert Voices for Americas Children. Action Alert Bred For the World. St. Vincent de Paul Society. National Center on Family Homelessness

Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

The Impact on Children Being Raised In Single Parent Families

Parents play an integral role in the development of their children either directly or indirectly. In recognition of the important roles played by parents in the lives of their children, we honor and celebrate mothers in the month of May on Mother’s Day and fathers in the month of June on Father’s Day. This year, Mother’s Day was held on Sunday, May 12th, 2013, and Father’s Day is Sunday, June 16th, 2013.

Each year, for the past thirty (30) years, in the United States, on the third Sunday in the month of June, we honor and celebrate the contributions that fathers make in the lives of their children. Dr. Sigmund Freud is reported to have said that, he could not think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father’s protection.

For a growing number of American children, they have not known the love, protection, and guidance of a father. Social science research has shown the devastating impact of fatherless homes on the lives children. Data indicates that children in fatherless homes experience more major challenges in life than those who grow up with a father at home. The following statistics on children in fatherless homes are alarming and should give any father pause when thinking about his children.

“Incarceration Rates. “Young men who grow up in homes without fathers are twice as likely to end up in jail as those who come from traditional two-parent families…those boys whose fathers were absent from the household had double the odds of being incarcerated — even when other factors such as race, income, parent education and urban residence were held constant.” (Cynthia Harper of the University of Pennsylvania and Sara S. McLanahan of Princeton University cited in “Father Absence and Youth Incarceration.” Journal of Research on Adolescence 14 (September 2004): 369-397.)

Suicide. 63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau of the Census).

Behavioral Disorders. 85% of all children that exhibit behavioral disorders come from fatherless homes (United States Center for Disease Control).

High School Dropouts. 71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes (National Principals Association Report on the State of High Schools.).

Educational Attainment. Kids living in single-parent homes or in step-families report lower educational expectations on the part of their parents, less parental monitoring of school work, and less overall social supervision than children from intact families. (N.M. Astore and S. McLanahan, American Sociological Review, No. 56 (1991).

Juvenile Detention Rates. 70% of juveniles in state-operated institutions come from fatherless homes (U.S. Dept. of Justice, Special Report, Sept 1988).

Confused Identities. Boys who grow up in father-absent homes are more likely than those in father-present homes to have trouble establishing appropriate sex roles and gender identity.(P.L. Adams, J.R. Milner, and N.A. Schrepf, Fatherless Children, New York, Wiley Press, 1984).

Aggression. In a longitudinal study of 1,197 fourth-grade students, researchers observed “greater levels of aggression in boys from mother-only households than from boys in mother-father households.” (N. Vaden-Kierman, N. Ialongo, J. Pearson, and S. Kellam, “Household Family Structure and Children’s Aggressive Behavior: A Longitudinal Study of Urban Elementary School Children,” Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 23, no. 5 (1995).

Achievement. Children from low-income, two-parent families outperform students from high-income, single-parent homes. Almost twice as many high achievers come from two-parent homes as one-parent homes. (One-Parent Families and Their Children, Charles F. Kettering Foundation, 1990).

Delinquency. Only 13 percent of juvenile delinquents come from families in which the biological mother and father are married to each other. By contrast, 33 percent have parents who are either divorced or separated and 44 percent have parents who were never married. (Wisconsin Dept. of Health and Social Services, April 1994).

Criminal Activity. The likelihood that a young male will engage in criminal activity doubles if he is raised without a father and triples if he lives in a neighborhood with a high concentration of single-parent families. Source: A. Anne Hill, June O’Neill, Underclass Behaviors in the United States, CUNY, Baruch College. 1993”[i].

If you want to make a meaningful difference in the lives of children and youth in homes where the fathers are absent, you can support the very necessary work of nonprofit organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters and/or Boys and Girls Club. Big Brothers Big Sisters has a 100 year history of providing quality youth mentoring services that have proven to have a measurable impact in the lives of: the youth served, their families and their community.

Boys and Girls Club’s mission is to “…enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.”. Every day, these agencies are changing the perspectives of children and enabling them to see the world around them in a more positive light. With that newfound point of view, they can see their potential more clearly and dream bigger about their future. Get involved in a child’s life.

Sources: Boys and Girls Club’s website. Big Brothers Big Sisters’ website. Indystar.com. “Father’s absence takes heavy toll on children”, Editorial, June 18, 2011. “Statistics on Fatherless Children in America”. Wayne Parker, About.com Guide.

Photo credit: Microsoft Clip Art.

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[i] “Statistics on Fatherless Children in America”. Wayne Parker, About.com

 

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