There Was a Time When Ending Hunger Was a National Goal for Republicans and Democrats

Dorothy Samuels
The New York Times – Opinion

The House Agricultural Committee recently approved a bill that would cut food stamp programs by $20 billion over the next ten years, much to the chagrin of Democrat Representatives. With the 2009 temporary food stamp assistance ending in November, this bill would exacerbate poverty rates across the country, eliminating vital programs, such as free school lunches for children. Dorothy Samuels contrasts today’s party politics surrounding the issue of poverty with how it was in the past, when Republican and Democratic leaders pursued a unified campaign to end hunger. Richard Nixon declared in May 1969 “that hunger and malnutrition should persist in a land such as ours is embarrassing and intolerable.” Samuels argues that the nation needs to restore its bipartisan fight against poverty.

Advocates Struggle to Reach Growing Ranks of Suburban Poor

Pam Fessler
NPR

As the population of the suburban poor has been rising since the 2000s, advocates are just now shifting their focus from primarily urban areas towards this demographic. The suburban poor bore the brunt of the Great Recession, with the housing crisis, mass layoffs, and lower wages, which plagued even the more affluent regions, such as Montgomery County, Md. Since then, social welfare organizations have set up community centers and other resources that make social services more accessible for those who need it and may not be used to seeking benefit programs. However, the stark reality of these communities must reach the radar of more advocates  in order to curb the rate of suburban poverty.

Arizona Desert Swallows Migrants on Riskier Paths

Fernanda Santos and Rebekah Zemansky
The New York Times

The number immigrant deaths while crossing the US-Mexican border has drastically increased in recent years. Pima County, in Tuscan, Arizona, has the “nation’s largest collection of missing-person reports for immigrants who have vanished.” This alarming statistic sheds light on  the severe human rights violations immigrants are currently facing and the desperate need for comprehensive immigration reform legislation .  As border security has tightened in recent years, immigrants have resorted to riskier routes that involve harsher climates and more dangerous smuggling arrangements. In an effort to facilitate the identification of the bodies, the Medical Examiner’s Office in Tuscan obtained a mapping database that stores information about these deceased immigrants. Although the database has made it easier to piece together a person’s remains, identifying the bodies for friends and families continues to be a challenge.

Organization: National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)-Baltimore
Seeking: Program Specialist- Criminal Justice
Mission: The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was established in the early 1900’s to combat racial prejudice and promote a more inclusive environment for all individuals, regardless of race. Since its foundation, the NAACP has continued to fight to eliminate the widening income and privilege disparity in our society. Furthermore, they have fought on behalf of individuals and communities experiencing discrimination in areas such as voting, housing, education, incarceration, and employment. The NAACP is recognized for its dedication to maximizing and protecting these rights and ensuring a brighter future that reflects the diversity of all its members.

Organization: The Opportunity Agenda- New York City
Seeking: Director of Development
Mission: The Opportunity Agenda was established in 2006 with a mission to break down discriminatory barriers and promote opportunity and resources for all individuals. In a Nation where opportunity and resources are often scarce, The Opportunity Agenda seeks to address these barriers and flaws in our government by seeking to implement policy and government regulations that are more beneficial to its members

“Labor Secretary Nominee Perez Clears Early Hurdle in Confirmation”- Washington Post-May 16^th, 2013

Thomas Perez’s nomination to become the next U.S. Secretary of Labor has been cleared to reach the Senate Floor for a vote in the upcoming weeks. Washington Post reporter Josh Hicks noted that The Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee vote of 12-10 along party lines depicts the partisan manner of this particular nomination. Democrats in the Senate, such as Senator Harkin, D., Iowa, applauded Perez on his intellect and leadership in ensuring that labor laws are effectively implemented and “that every American has a fair opportunity to pursue the American dream.” However, many Republican members have been vehemently opposed to his nomination and have taken strides to block his confirmation, following a pattern obstruction against many Obama administration cabinet and judicial appointments.

“White-collar Workers are turning to Labor Unions”- Los Angeles Times- May 16^th, 2013

Labor unions are seeing an increase in membership coming from white-collar professionals, ranging from lawyers to insurance agents to paralegals who share a mutual determination to obtain workers’ rights and greater representation within their fields of work. Los Angeles Times reporter Alana Semuels discusses how in recent years these white-collar workers have dealt with lower salaries, longer hours, and frequent layoffs as a result of the staggering economy. These factors, like never before, have prompted many unions to rebrand themselves and tailor their methods to address the problems white-collar professionals are facing.

Driver’s Seat- Op-Ed from The New York Times- May 15^th, 2013

Controversial Arizona Sheriff Arpaio is now experiencing a backlash because of his extreme position on immigration, and could possibly be on the verge of facing a recall, if recent fundraising letters are any indication. One recipient of these letters was New York Times contributor Linda Greenhouse, who finds humor in these turn of events, given that  has been an opponent of these extreme anti-immigration laws. Greenhouse notes the hopeful change in attitudes and tone of immigration reform at both the federal and state level and attributes this change to “the rising power of the Latino vote.”

Watch the short video below to understand how Section 5 works and why it is still an important tool to protect the right to vote.

And while it may not seem apparent for an environment group to take up the cause of immigration reform, Brune and Chin explain how the issue aligns with the organization’s mission:

For the Sierra Club and the environmental movement to protect our wild America, defend clean air and water, and win the fight against climate disruption, we must ensure that the people who are the most disenfranchised and the most affected by pollution have the voice to fight polluters and advocate for climate solutions without fear.

This isn’t the first time that the Sierra Club has taken a stand on a critical issue. In 1993, the Club opposed the North American Free Trade Agreement, a controversial position, but one that has proven to be the right choice. We did not think it would be good for workers or the environment, and it hasn’t been. In fact, NAFTA has been a major driver of undocumented immigration into the U.S. from Mexico and Central America.

During the Rally for Citizenship, civil rights, faith, labor and immigrant rights leaders addressed the crowd as immigration reform activists waved signs with phrases such as “Ya Basta de Deportaciones!” or “Enough Deportations!” and shouted “Si se puede!” while standing or marching under the hot sun. The people at the rally truly represented the diversity of this nation – Black, White, Asian, and Latino Americans all stood together to demand a change to the current immigration system. Benjamin Jealous, president and CEO of the NAACP, delivered the keynote address. “Now is the time to fix our nation’s broken immigration system,” he said. Jealous emphasized that immigrants come from many different backgrounds, and that our communities across the nation rely on the contributions of hard working aspiring citizens.

The rally was hosted by local organizations CASA de Maryland and SEIU 32BJ and supported by prominent local and national organizations including the Alliance for Citizenship and the Center for Community Change. It was part of a week of action in which dozens of events were held in communities across the country to urge immediate action to address the nation’s immigration crisis.  Many people took action with The Leadership Conference staff at the rally by taking pictures holding signs explaining why they believe now is the time for immigration reform, and continuing the conversation online via #timeisnow on Twitter.

Now that the “Gang of Eight”  – a bipartisan group of senators working together to draft legislation that at least 60 members would support — has introduced legislation, and  the Senate Judiciary Committee has held a hearing on the bill, the civil rights community remains hopeful that this reform would eventually put undocumented immigrants on the road to citizenship, address the use of racial profiling, and promote alternatives to cruel and expensive detention policies. A growing number of supporters across the country are calling for immigration reform by signing a pledge to support a comprehensive immigration reform bill that ensures a roadmap to citizenship and upholds the civil and human rights of every person in the United States.

“Our immigration laws are unjust, outdated, and unworkable,” said Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, in a press release. “By any standard, it is simply untenable to have 11 million people living outside of the scope and protections of our laws and society. That’s why all Americans deserve a common sense immigration process that includes a roadmap for people who aspire to be citizens.”

By Scott Genzink

On the morning of April 18^th, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee convened a hearing to examine the nomination of Tom Perez for the U.S. Secretary of Labor position.  Perez is the current Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the Department of Justice and he has previously served as the Secretary of Labor for the state of Maryland.

A supremely qualified candidate for the position, Perez enjoys bipartisan support from a broad range of stakeholders including 82 civil and human rights organizations, a bipartisan group of attorneys general, and from members of the education community.  Perez also receives support from both the business and labor communities, a rare feat and a testament to his great work as the Maryland Secretary of Labor.

During his testimony, Perez clearly laid out the approach to leadership that made him such a successful Secretary of Labor at the state level.  “I’ve always tried to listen more than I talk; to approach contentious issues with an open mind and basic respect; to build broad coalitions of business leaders, labor unions and others in pursuit of constructive solutions to tough problems and to disagree without being disagreeable,” he said. This contemplative and consensus-building approach is what has allowed Perez to have such a successful and impressive career up to this point.

Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, has spoken in strong support of Perez’ nomination, saying, “Tom Perez’s outstanding career in public service makes him eminently qualified to take on the responsibility of ensuring the well-being of our nation’s workforce.”  Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO has also come out in support of Perez’ nomination: “At a time when our politics tilts so heavily toward corporations and the very wealthy, our country needs leaders like Tom Perez to champion the cause of ordinary working people. And working families need and deserve a strong advocate as their Secretary of Labor.”

Up next in the confirmation process for Perez is an executive session scheduled to be held on Thursday, April 25^th where the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions committee will deliberate and vote on his nomination. Should the committee approve his nomination, Perez will then be considered by the full Senate where a majority vote, if allowed to proceed, would make him our nation’s next Secretary of Labor.

For updates on Tom Perez’s confirmation and to find out who supports him, visit confirmperez.org.

On April 9, the civil rights community embraced a formidable coalition of more than 175 entertainers, athletes, elected officials and other notable figures who organized a rallying cry against mass incarceration and the War on Drugs in favor of prevention and rehabilitation. In a letter to President Obama spearheaded by hip-hop legend Russell Simmons, the coalition thanked his administration for directing more funds toward drug prevention  and  local re-entry grants and made recommendations for combating the problems that drive the vicious cycle of “incarceration, broken families, juvenile delinquency, violence and poverty.”

In a press statement, the Drug Policy Alliance said the coalition is urging President Obama to “extend the Fair Sentencing Act to all inmates who were sentenced under the 100-to-1 crack/powder disparity, support the principles of the Justice Safety Valve Act of 2013 (which allows judges to set aside mandatory minimum sentences when they deem appropriate), and supporting the Youth PROMISE Act” (Youth Prison Reduction through Opportunities, Mentoring, Intervention, Support, and Education Act), which confronts violence and gang intervention and prevention work.

Statistics show that almost half of the prison population is made up of drug offenders. According to The Sentencing Project, of those incarcerated for drugs, two thirds are Blacks and other minoritieseven though rates of drug use are comparable among racial groups. According to the Drug Policy Alliance, one in nine Black children have at least one incarcerated parent while one in 57 White children find themselves in that situation. These children not only suffer from the absence of their parent(s) at a basic human needs level, they are also at a higher risk of eventually falling into the juvenile delinquency or criminal justice system.

Over the past forty years, the War on Drugs has not decreased the rate of drug offenses in this country, according to Robert Rooks, director of the NAACP Criminal Justice Program.  Although the drug wars affects a many different communities, law enforcement particularly targets and criminalizes the Black community. This prevalence of racial discrimination as well as the broader ineffectiveness of current drug policies is why the coalition appealed to the president to take action.

Included among the members of the coalition are: Russell Simmons, Dr. Boyce Watkins, Sir Richard Branson, Will Smith, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Scarlett Johansson, Ron Howard, Jennifer Hudson, Demi Moore, Eva Longoria, Michael Moore, Mark Wahlberg, Harry Belafonte, Jada Pinkett Smith, Cameron Diaz, Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Chris Rock, Russell Brand, John Legend, DJ Pauly D, Mike Tyson, Rick Ross, Jon Hamm, Natalie Maines, Ludacris.

April 9^th is Equal Pay Day because on average it takes women more than an additional three full months of hard work into 2013  to make up the difference in salary between themselves and what their male colleagues earned in 2012.

Fifty years after the Equal Pay Act of 1963, women still make an average 77 cents compared to men, and for women of color the disparity is worse. It’s clear that workplace discrimination is a problem when the National Women’s Law Center reports that in 2011, African-American women only earned approximately 64 cents and Latinas only 55 cents for each dollar earned by a White man.

The Leadership Conference sent a letter to President Obama asking him to sign an executive order  combating pay discrimination by prohibiting federal contractors retaliation against employees of for discussing or asking about their wages. The Leadership Conference also joined the ACLU and more than 100 organizations in a separate letter making the same request.

The Paycheck Fairness Act (PFA) was first introduced in 2009 in an effort to close the loopholes of the Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA), which made it illegal for employers to pay unequal wages to men and women who perform substantially the same work. PFA would prohibit employer retaliation against employees who disclose or discuss their salaries while also allowing individuals to compare themselves to similarly situated employees to determine whether wage discrimination exists.

Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D. Md., and Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D. Conn., reintroduced the bill in January 2013, specifying that employers should be required to prove that “the pay disparity is truly related to job-performance – not gender.”

Civil rights activists, women’s rights advocates, and economic justice organizations continue to push lawmakers to take action, despite Congress’ failure to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act on two occasions.

“In today’s economic climate, women’s wages are even more critical components of working families’ struggle to make ends meet,” said Nancy Zirkin, executive vice president of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. “Yet women are often forced to raise their families on incomes lower than male colleagues performing the same jobs. These senators have sent the message to American women that they should be ineligible for an honest day’s pay to perform an honest day’s work. What could be more antithetical to the American Dream than that?”

A Shockingly Sensible Plan
The Los Angeles Times
Editorial

Progress towards comprehensive immigration reform legislation continues following a recent agreement concerning visas for nonagricultural workers between the AFL-CIO, the country’s largest labor union, and the Department of Commerce. The agreement may provide continued momentum as Congress amplifies efforts to draft comprehensive legislation, especially since previous attempts at reform (most recently in 2007) were unable to reach a similar agreement. This move may provide leverage for ongoing negotiations, and may speed up the introduction of legislation.

Immigrants in Solitary
The New York Times
Editorial

For detainees currently being held in relation to immigration cases, a lack of consideration for civil and human rights represents a disconnect between the ideals and practices of the American justice system. Proper due process is absent in most cases, and the extreme punishment of solitary confinement is being used arbitrarily on detainees.

As The Times states:

“The homeland security secretary, Janet Napolitano, has promised a review of solitary-confinement policies. If she doesn’t fix this, then Congress should step in, and now is the perfect time. Lawmakers are preparing a sweeping overhaul of immigration so that it meets the country’s economic needs. They should do just as much to bring the system in line with American values.”

New York City Public Housing as a ‘Penal Colony’
New York Times
Editorial

New York City’s stop-and-frisk program, which has been identified as perpetuating the practice of racial profiling, is especially disruptive for the city’s public housing projects. While security in these areas is a priority, the physical and emotional effect of this policy on the residents is detrimental, according to community leaders. The New York Times is therefore calling on the city to settle the suits “and ensure that police policies adhere to Fourth Amendment guarantees of freedom from unreasonable search and seizure.”