Em-URGE-ing Voices

Posts Tagged: policy

What About the Families?

One of my professors used to always say “If they start asking ‘What about the children,’ you know they don’t care about the children.” We often see folks in power talk about how they care about families and children. But why not put their money where their mouth is? A recently published study called “Baby’s First Years” says that providing low-income gestational parents with no strings attached money for a year affected the brain activity of their children in ways that could lead to better development of their brains. The study gave random amounts of money to the gestational parents every month after giving birth. Researchers conducting the study found that the children of parents who had received larger amounts of money had better brain development than children whose parents… Read more »

A Triple Threat: My Thoughts on Three California Bills That Champion for Reproductive Justice

On October 8th, Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 453, AB 367, and AB 1171 into law. What does this mean for the fight against sexual violence and the battle for increased access to reproductive healthcare? California is currently at the forefront of protecting reproductive rights for all of its citizens. With the passing of three major bills — AB 453, AB 367, and AB 1171 — comes a major promise of ensuring that voices of victims of sexual assault and period poverty are being heard and listened to. By making stealthing illegal, ending the “spousal rape exception”, and requiring period products to be put in public school bathrooms across California, these radical new laws will close many gaps in ensuring equity that existed previously. These bills could easily be the… Read more »

All or None

It feels as though with every notification of a new Executive Order from Trump, I feel a 20 pound weight being added to an imaginary backpack full of emotional baggage. However, Trump’s Muslim Ban (that’s what I’m calling it, because that’s what it is) really struck a nerve. Placing a hold on refugee resettlement for 120 days, and also banning travel to 7 countries, Trump’s ban is clearly unconstitutional, the result of Islamaphobia, and the US’s resistance to accepting that white men continue to be the number one creator of terrorism in this country. Resisting the urge to stay in and eat ice cream, I decided to attend an immigration rally/protest at the Atlanta airport. Hartsfield-Jackson is the world’s busiest airport. Atlanta serves as a cultural hub and a home… Read more »