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My best friend in kindergarten, Eddie Linton, did not live in one of the spacious houses on the hill in the Boston suburb where I grew up in the 1980s and 1990s, Belmont, which is best known for its stellar schools and abundance of Harvard professors. Eddie, who is black, lived instead in a brownstone in the South End of Boston, alongside his two American-born sisters, plus grandparents and aunts and godparents from Barbados, the country where his parents were born. Every morning, Eddie...

Standing sometimes waist-deep in seawater on the shores of the Bay of Bengal in Bangladesh, they work to find bricks, dig them out of the sludge and cart them to the side of the road to sell. The job is new, a result of devastating storm surges a little more than a decade ago. In 2007, and then again in 2009, cyclones battered the coastline just south of Kuakata, destroying homes and structures and drowning entire villages. The storms submerged forests of mangroves and left 99 local...

“Collaborating for Successful Reentry: A Practical Guide to Support Justice-Involved Young People Returning to the Community” from the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice is a resource to help practitioners reform how youth reenter society and connect with their community. Traditionally, the justice system has used remedies that require youth to go to several classes, complete community service and have frequent meetings with different case managers. This system of reentry can be...

Public health crises. Climate change. Refugee trauma and violence. Human rights groups face daunting tasks that often require swift action, yet they also need to ensure that those actions are informed by scientific fact. “One of the things I’ve told human rights organizations when I’ve worked with them is without the data, you’re just a person with an opinion,” says Mary Gray , a statistician and lawyer at American University. That’s where the American Association for the Advancement of...

"Representation of racial and ethnic minority psychologists is of special importance to the field of health psychology. Members of racial and ethnic minorities experience health disparities that are closely linked to social, economic, and environmental disadvantages." "A lack of diverse faculty was also identified as a barrier. Minority faculty serve as role models for young minority students. " "The nation is diversifying, and so should the field of health psychology to meet the nation’s...

Haze Mabry has much to teach us when it comes to leading a happy life. An 80-year-old janitor comes to work expecting to clean. Instead, nearly 800 students sing him… April 1 Haze Mabry, who works as a janitor at an elementary school in Georgia, walks into the building every day and… www.washingtonpost.com A few days ago this story by Allison Klein, editor of Washington Post’s Inspired Life, appeared there and has since gone viral. “Haze Mabry”, writes Klein, “who works as a janitor at an...

By K. Hecht , A. Hosack , and P. Berman I want my mommy! Davy was tired after school. On the long bus ride home, he kept thinking about getting a story from his mommy. Now, he as he stepped off the bus and eagerly looked around- she wasn’t there, it was just Mr. Carson. Claire had put Davy on the bus like she had for months but had forgotten to tell him that Mr. Carson would be getting him from now on. She had been so nervous a b out going to her own school that she had put all her energy in...

"The Kids and Teens in Court program is one of the many programs at the Chadwick Center designed in accordance with the agency’s mission to provide prevention, intervention, and education programs to children and their families. The program assists children, teens, and their families for the courtroom experience by 1) teaching relaxation skills; 2) providing education about the court process and their rights and; 3) introducing the courtroom and offering an opportunity to participate in a...

"So yes, colonial mentality—particularly skin-whitening—has been on many Filipinos’ minds lately. But as Philippines Vice President Leny Robredo acknowledged when I asked her about it, it’s a centuries-old issue, and there’s been plenty of work on it, going as far back as Jose Rizal! Indeed, many folks have documented and shared their painful stories, struggles, confusions, and heartaches about colonial mentality throughout the years." Based on the CMS, there seem to be at least five...

In this data snapshot, the Annie E. Casey Foundation examines how placements for young people in foster care have changed from 2007 to 2017. Using data from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Casey finds that child welfare systems are doing a better job of placing kids in families. At the same time, racial disparities persist for kids of all ages and progress eludes teens in care. To push for further progress, the four-page snapshot tells how states can leverage the federal Family...

Editor’s note: This story discusses sexual assault, including a first-person account. Individuals triggered by this article or in need of help are encouraged to seek support. The Maui Sexual Assault Center can be reached at 808-873-8624 (24-hour hotline) and Childandfamilyservice.org. Chances are, you know a victim of sexual assault. Sexual assault and rape, sometimes referred to as a silent epidemic, impacts an untold, large portion of society. According to the National Sexual Violence...

Cissy's note: I admire the work of this parent-led and parent-focused organization. I read everything they post. For those not familiar with what they do, this is a recent interview with three staffers and gives a really good look at what and how they work to support families and make systems change. Here's an excerpt. The full piece is here. To read more of this piece recently published in Rise Magazine, go here.