Child Poverty

“I am 17 years of age now and I am a victim of having my home ripped apart due to deportation. My father was taken from my home 11 years ago in front of my face. It’s really something you just don’t get over it. I’m still hurt as if it just happened 2 seconds ago” says one of our citizen children. When citizen children’s parent(s) are detained or deported, they lose the love and guidance of a parent who read more…

Over the past several years, especially since January 2017, executive orders that provide for significant expansion of efforts prioritizing the deportation of all undocumented people in the United States have been issued. Currently, there are more than five million children in this country living with at least one undocumented parent. Unfortunately, there aren’t any protections in place to preserve family units when an undocumented parent is deported, which often leads to children being funneled into the child welfare system. The read more…

Reforming the criminal justice system is a concern at the forefront of many activists’ minds. Since its creation, the American criminal justice system has broken up countless families through its harsh sentencings for relatively minor transgressions. There are generations of mothers and fathers, imprisoned for their transgressions against the law. Oftentimes these mothers and fathers belong to minority communities. Whether intentional or unintentional, there is a trend in the population of the incarcerated. The NAACP details the racial disparities in read more…

Over three million American students were given detention in 2012 alone. In other words, students spent millions of hours in detention—hours that could have been spent studying, playing with friends or in the company of family. Most American schools follow a system of punitive justice, where students who misbehave are given some form of punishment that administrators believe fits the crime. Whether the punishment is something as simple as a timeout or as drastic as an expulsion, these methods can read more…

As we work on behalf of our children and families, it’s important to be informed! Here are 5 myths about DACA and Dreamers and why they’re wrong. Myth 1: DACA is a pathway to citizenship DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) is a program that gives beneficiaries a temporary reprieve from deportation, allowing them to stay lawfully in the country, granting work permits and allowing them to obtain driver’s licenses. The program is not amnesty, nor is it a path to read more…

Our government has declared war on citizen children whose parent(s) are undocumented even though they may have lived and worked here for many years. Even the Temporary Protective Status (TPS) granted to those who are victims of a natural and other disaster in their home countries is being revoked. Our government is destroying healthy, self-supporting families. Write or email your Senators and Congresswo(men) today and ask for their support. Tell them that a path to citizenship, rather than so many read more…

The near passage of the Criminal Justice Reform bill in Massachusetts marks a major shift towards a progressive penitentiary system. With an impressive 27-10 vote in favor of the bill, Massachusetts is taking the necessary steps for a brighter future. The repeal of mandatory sentences for minor drug offenses helps avoid dealing out unnecessary charges towards mothers and fathers of poorer communities. Oftentimes, the issue with drug-related sentences arises when law enforcement target lower class communities– communities primarily comprised of read more…

The Affordable Health Care Act or ACA increased affordable health insurance for 20 million people. Many are lower salaried families with children. President Elect Trump and members of Congress, present and future, want to change ACA. ACA was enacted during President Obama’s administration. Some folks don’t want to pay for other people’s health insurance. But minimum wage is so low that many workers have been left in the lurch. Without ACA, they would have to depend on expensive emergency ward care, or read more…

Please contact your legislators locally before April 23rd. Congress is recessed from April 8th to April 23. Phone or email him/her, or send a post card locally. Attend a local meeting with your legislator, if possible. Half of our families earn the median income or less (about $50,000 annually). This is not enough to pay for basic needs. The President’s budget subsidizes childcare for those with high salaries, but leaves those struggling financially with no support.  Also,the republicans talk of read more…

“It’s easier to build strong children than to repair broken men”, said Frederick Douglas more than 150 years ago. Today he would add women. He would know that children are born with millions of disconnected brain cells and that most cells connect in the first five years of life. These connections don’t just happen. The full attention of parents, teachers, and caretakers is required so the infant can become a strong child who can cope with kindergarten and beyond. U.S. read more…