Blog

In America, we seem to have a limitless fascination with watching miserable people forgive their oppressors: We fetishize endurance, the survival of injustice. When I see this fascination trained on marginalized people who have survived violence enacted on them by someone in power, I often wonder what the point is. When the grieving survivors forgave a remorseless Dylann Roof , days after he walked into their church and murdered nine people, much was made of their forgiveness; it was written...

Climate change is an “ unseen driver ” behind the thousands of Guatemalan, Honduran and Salvadoran migrants heading toward the U.S. border, one recent article suggested. Food insecurity and poverty in Central America come not just from violence and corruption but also from worsening droughts and changing weather patterns. And Hurricane Michael in early October, perhaps the most powerful storm to hit the United States since 1969, is another stark piece of evidence that our world is fast...

Massachusetts already has the nation’s strongest gun laws and lowest firearm death rate. But its lawmakers recently boosted the state’s commitment to an emerging form of gun violence prevention, providing $10 million for programs specifically designed to stem the bloodshed in communities where shootings are most common. Moved in part by gun-related tragedies over the past year, the state legislature approved a funding bill in October that included initiatives that seek to prevent...

PIJIJIAPAN, Mexico (AP) — On the 15th day of their journey, Joel Eduardo Espinar and his family were hurting. And they still had a country to traverse before they got to the United States. A little more than two weeks before, they had fled Honduras and joined the migrant caravan of Central Americans snaking toward the border. Now, they assembled in the 3 a.m. darkness by a southern Mexico highway. Jason, 11 years old, complained of stomach pains as he lay on the highway’s shoulder. His...

Introducing Forsyth County (North Carolina) ACEs Connection , one of the newest communities in Southeastern U.S. region , the geographic area I support for ACEs Connection. Forsyth County ACEs Connection is a team of community partners from all sectors working towards collaborative, intentional and integrated trauma informed care in our county. The new site manager for Forsyth County ACEs Connection is is Laneita Williamson, who is an inpatient rehabilitation compliance coordinator and a...

Introducing Rockingham County ACEs Connection , one of the newest communities in Southeastern U.S. region , the geographic area I support for ACEs Connection. KidsReadyNC-Rockingham Initiative seeks to engage the community in a conversation about ACEs to raise awareness of their impact in early childhood, and hopes to provide the community the space to develop an understanding of ACEs and a framework to support building resilience starting at birth. The ACEs Connection site manager is Daphne...

It doesn't feel like work when it's a passion, a calling, a soul-pull.

Here's what they tell you: Work hard in school. Love yourself. Get enough sleep. Say no to drugs and tobacco. Don't consume sugary drinks. Use a condom. Don't let yourself be pressured into sex. Accept your body. Get a career before you have children. Eat five fruits and vegetables a day. Breathe! Don't bully. Dream big. Here's what they don't tell you: If you grew up poor, there is a much higher than average chance that you will have children outside of marriage, and this fact, more than...

Imagine a school system where some of our country's most underserved students have limited access to grade-level math and science courses, pass rates for those classes are significantly lower than those of their peers in nearby schools, and accurate enrollment information is only available for a fraction of eligible youths. And in that system, 44 percent of youths are black . This describes the education system experienced by students attending school while incarcerated in juvenile...

When young children are playing on smartphones, many parents have low expectations for what’s on the screen: bright colors, loud noises, a general lack of any greater moral lesson. A study released earlier this week , unfortunately, adds to that list: It found that the most frequently downloaded apps aimed at children ages 5 and under—even those categorized as “educational” and even ones that cost money—contain loads of advertising. After testing 135 apps, the researchers, most of whom are...

A new research hub based at UC Berkeley’s Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (IRLE) and the Institute for Women’s Policy Research in Washington, D.C., will explore the health effects of income and workplace policies. Its research focus will be minimum wage laws, state and federal tax benefits, paid leave policies, work schedules, and other policies that help working parents, especially the most vulnerable. The effort is supported through Policies for Action , a research program...

Great ideas can start with one Tweet! April 28, 2018, Tonja Frank , aka School Nurse T sent this tweet asking "Who wants to have a #schoolnursechat? Let's share our experiences. Who's in?" It was a tweet heard through the Twittersphere and before we knew it, the #SchoolNurseChat was born. The original pioneers with me in this adventure were Tonja, Lisa Kern , and Chris Amidon , all colleagues who connected through the magic of social media. A Twitter chat is a public Twitter conversation...