Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

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  • Millions of People With Felonies Can Now Vote. Most Don't Know It.

    Thirteen states restored the right to vote to millions of formerly incarcerated people in the years leading up to the 2020 elections. An analysis of four of them—Nevada, Kentucky, Iowa, and New Jersey—shows the new rights were rarely exercised, ranging from 4% to 23% of newly eligible voters actually registering. None of the four states required prison, parole, or elections officials to notify eligible voters. Those and other information gaps and barriers teach instructive lessons as the 2022 elections approach.

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  • FS Investments takes its poverty-fighting work nationwide

    Philadelphia Financial Scholars is bringing financial literacy to students and their families as well. Students are taught about credit scores, bank accounts, and budgets, as well as entrepreneurial skills through an experience that could culminate in a $1,000 prize and help starting a business if it wins. Adults are invited to come in on weekends and weeknights to learn the same curriculum. Local companies have financed the program which strives to take the first steps towards bridging the racial wealth gap.

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  • Clearing a Path from Prison to the Bar Exam

    The Formerly Incarcerated Law Students Advocacy Association at City University of New York's law school mentors people whose criminal records serve as a barrier to pursuing a law career. FILSAA is part of a movement to nurture law-practice dreams and make them a reality by knocking down those barriers, including restrictive use of states' "character and fitness" requirements to become licensed to practice. Before that step, mentors can help people prepare for the LSAT and succeed in law school. Advocates say that lawyers with lived experience can serve clients better by earning their trust more readily.

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  • In Egypt, online group Qawem saving hundreds of women from sextortion

    The Egyptian Facebook group Qawem (Arabic for resist) helps victims of sextortion by turning threats around to target the attacker. Sextortion, in which threatened disclosure of a person's nude or other embarrassing photos are used as a tool of extortion, is illegal in Egypt. But women – the typical victims – are often reluctant to report incidents to the police, out of shame or fear. When victims report sextortion attempts to Qawem, volunteers counsel the victims while other volunteers track down the extortionists and threaten to expose them to their family or friends. About 200 cases per week get resolved.

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  • How some college counselors are fighting back against pandemic-induced enrollment decline

    Riverside County launched College Comeback to address the COVID-19 related decline in graduating high school students going to college. Six counselors each spend 25 hours a week reaching out to the high school class of 2020 and holding one-on-one appointments to help students navigate application deadlines, financial aid, and California Dream Act forms, as well as provide information about technical programs and military service. Counselors’ stipends come from money previously allotted for travel, and since they are also trained mental health professionals, counselors provide emotional support as well.

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  • People Fixing The World, Smashing the glass ceiling for young Africans

    A network of mentors is helping young Zimbabweans navigate school and work life in an effort to help students succeed. A student came up with the idea when he realized mentors are most effective when they themselves come from similar backgrounds and are familiar with the obstacles and unique challenges faced by those they are trying to help.

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  • If We Can Soar: What Birmingham Roller Pigeons Offer the Men of South Central

    The Black Country Roller Club and its founder, Cornell Norwood, fostered a subculture in Los Angeles' South Central neighborhoods among Black men who broke the color barrier in competitive pigeon husbandry. Besides the success they found in their hobby of breeding and raising roller pigeons, known for their distinctive aerial acrobatic talents, the young men and boys drawn to this world found mutual support "in times of flux and instability," and a meritocracy that provided meditative benefits: "a more organic form of the Big Brother program, and a culturally sensitive outlet for mental health."

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  • Delivery Apps like Grubhub and DoorDash charge restaurants huge commission fees. Are delivery co-ops the solution?

    Delivery cooperatives are being formed as alternatives by drivers who are pooling their money and charging customers a one-time fee in a subscription-based model. Customers and restaurants alike pay a set monthly fee for delivery services without any extra or hidden costs. Drivers are full-time employees that are eligible for benefits such as medical insurance and profit-sharing options. Restaurants are able to avoid exorbitant commission fees while drivers avoid predatory business practices.

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  • Reflective literature in school can encourage reading and improve literacy. Here's how

    In 2019, close to half, or 45 percent of white students scored proficient or above in reading comprehension, compared to 18 percent of Black fourth graders, and 23 percent of Latinx fourth graders. However, research shows that exposing students of color to books that reflect their culture increases reading comprehension and motivation. In the wake of those disparities, American teachers are beginning to reckon with the lack of diverse authors they teach. Some teachers are launching social justice classes, requiring more diverse books, and challenging norms.

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  • Internet from the moon: Varsity scholar nurtures his concept on inexpensive internet.

    To make internet connectivity accessible and affordable across Africa, Dr. Harold Omondi developed “internet from the moon,” a technology that uses satellite dishes to communicate with transponders placed in the moon several years ago by NASA. The transponders can send and receive information and, since the moon keeps the same side of its surface pointed towards earth, the connection cannot be lost. Still in the piloting phase, the system currently offers free internet at Jomo Kenyatta University, where over 1,200 people login every day, and has another station in South Sudan serving 300-500 people daily.

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