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

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  • The forgotten worker

    Homecare aides traditionally receive low wages in an industry with high turnover and great stress during the pandemic. Women of color typically care for their companies' elderly or disabled clients. Cooperative Homecare Associates started in 1985 as a worker-owned cooperative, to be run democratically. It is now the nation's largest co-op, with 2,000 employees, half of them owners. During the pandemic, it partnered with other co-op homecare companies to line up personal protective equipment supplies, one example of how it prioritizes worker safety and satisfaction over profit.

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  • Growing a Just Future in Tulsa

    To mark the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre, in which a white mob killed hundreds of Black residents and destroyed the thriving neighborhood of Greenwood, the Centennial Commission supported a number of initiatives to learn from the past and build a better future. At the base of an ancient elm tree that witnessed the massacre, Up With Trees distributed 100 elm seedlings to children to plant around Tulsa. The commission convinced state education officials to develop a new curriculum on the massacre for K-12 students.

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  • Seminary Built on Slavery and Jim Crow Labor Has Begun Paying Reparations

    The Virginia Theological Seminary is giving cash to descendants of Black Americans forced to work there during slavery and Jim Crow. Annual payments, taken from a fund set to grow at a sustainable rate, will go to the closest direct descendant of each Black worker. Fifteen descendants have received payments so far, but that number will likely grow as genealogists continue to search through records. The payments, along with efforts to build relationships with the families, are the Seminary’s way of acknowledging their role in the exploitation and recognizing the contributions of those forced to work there.

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  • 'A long time coming': House of Tulip puts trans and gender-nonconforming New Orleanians in control of their housing

    House of Tulip is a community land trust that offers affordable housing to transgender and gender non-conforming individuals. After securing seed-funding, the group raised over $400,000 with a GoFundMe campaign that was amplified by social media and national article features. The Trust first rented and later purchased homes to offer zero-barrier housing and office space that serves as a community resource center. The Trust was started by two Black trans women who understood the community’s experiences and the barriers they face. People stay as long as they need and staff helps them pursue other life goals.

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  • The Group Turning Religious Leaders into LGBTQ Rights Crusaders

    Persons Marginalized and Aggrieved in Kenya works with religious leaders over the course of many years to build empathy and understanding towards the LGBTQ community. Faith leaders are often not immediately aware of the goal, but PEMA’s continuous and carefully orchestrated engagement allows them to gradually build relationships, hear personal stories from real people, and learn to preach tolerance. PEMA has worked with 619 religious leaders, 246 of which are currently active, and runs a Training of Trainers program where “converted” religious leaders train their colleagues to increase LGBTQ acceptance.

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  • D.C. police recruits are learning about Black history, go-go music and half-smokes. Leaders think it will make them better officers.

    Unsuccessful at filling its police officer ranks with more people of color from the neighborhoods where they'll patrol, the D.C. police department takes its largely white recruit classes into those neighborhoods for lessons on local history and culture. Residents talk to the new officers about their need for safety but their fear and resentment of police abuses. They also educate them about local customs that outsiders might see as a threat until they have a deeper understanding of the culture.

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  • Can Removing Highways Fix America's Cities?

    One of the first cities to undo the damage that mid-20th-century urban highways did to neighborhoods has filled in a sunken highway and opened streets to new shops, pedestrians, and bikes. After more than two decades of planning, Rochester got rid of part of the Inner Loop that bisected the east side of its downtown during a phase of highway construction that prized suburban commuters' convenience over city residents' homes. The conversion to a thriving neighborhood will take more than just new streets and buildings, but the project serves as a template for dozens of infrastructure projects nationwide.

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  • How Native Americans launched successful coronavirus vaccination drives: ‘A story of resilience'

    Comprehensive COVID-19 vaccination strategies helped some Native American Nations achieve high vaccination rates. Tribal sovereignty gave Nations the flexibility to create their own methods of distributing the vaccine and allowed officials to distribute doses to hard-to-reach areas – even by dog sled in Alaska. They could prioritize who to vaccinate and diversify how vaccines were offered – from private appointments to mass-vaccination events – to ensure broad accessibility. Medical professionals, tribal leaders, and Native youth used social media to share information and encourage people to get vaccinated.

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  • Worker cooperatives prove your job doesn't have to be hell

    In service industries that traditionally pay and treat workers poorly, worker-owned cooperatives serve as a humane alternative. Worker-owners at eight co-ops in four states describe the difference their jobs make in their working conditions and their lives. They also tell how larger collectives and cooperatives pool resources to help smaller co-ops with the funding and expertise they need, especially when confronted by a disruptive event like the pandemic.

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  • Okemos Public Schools is changing its mascot. Belding already did and says they have no regrets.

    Many parents and community members lobbied the Okemos School Board, which approved a name change for the public school's mascot from one that objectifies and stereotypes Native Americans to one that promotes a positive imagery for students of all races and backgrounds. Belding area schools also approved a name change after parents protested an interim solution that allowed the use of the mascot’s name without imagery as not going far enough. The Native American Heritage Fund provided grants to schools wanting to change their mascots to help mitigate the obstacle of the high costs of rebranding.

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