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

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  • A GOP Governor and BLM Activists Agreed on Restoring Voting Rights to Felons. Will It Last?

    More than 3,000 Iowans voted in the 2020 presidential election thanks to an executive order signed by the Republican governor after a protest campaign by activists to erase Iowa's permanent ban on voting by people with felony records. But that number was just a fraction of those newly eligible to vote, due to limitations in the order and a lackluster effort to inform the public. Iowa has a disproportionately high number of disenfranchised Black citizens who could be helped by a more permanent constitutional fix. That fix has now been stalled by the choice to act by executive order.

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  • Could offering a training program boost the number of substitute teachers?

    The Substitute Teacher Training Program in Rhode Island is helping to fill a need for substitute teachers, as well as helping those looking for a job a quick way to find employment. The program is completely free, self-paced, available online, but rigorous nonetheless. Over 1,200 people enrolled in the program when it opened late 2020, and so far 200 people have completed the program and 140 have found employment.

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  • The Tribe that's Moving Earth (and Water) to Solve the Climate Crisis

    The Yurok Tribe is tackling climate change through the use of a carbon-offset program, sustainable forestry principles, watershed and river recovery methods, and even beaver restoration practices. Over the years, the Indigenous community has worked to restore their territory using sustainable land management initiatives and because of their efforts, they were awarded the Equator Prize from the United Nations Development Programme in 2019.

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  • By Telling New Stories, Youngstown's Historical Society Is Reinventing Itself for the 21st Century

    The Mahoning Valley Historical Society reached a broader local audience "by asking tough questions and reshaping itself for the 21st century," bucking the traditional historical-society model of focusing only on white pioneers' history. The society has thrived, even in the face of its region's dramatic population drop amid industrial decline, because it embraces discussions of uncomfortable topics concerning racial and ethnic diversity and neglected histories. It partnered with other local groups to focus on African American history topics, which has helped draw crowds and donations.

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  • How grass-roots efforts by Georgia's Latinos helped tip the Senate races

    Black and Latino organizers with the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights (GLAHR) knocked on over 300,000 doors in between the general election and Senate runoffs. Canvassing in predominantly Latino neighborhoods, they also reached out to ineligible voters to encourage them to urge their U.S. born family members to vote in their family’s interests. Latino support of Democratic candidates increased in the Senate runoffs adding to narrow Democratic victories. GLAHR also helped elect the first Black sheriff of Gwinnett County, who quickly ended a program that allowed the county jail to collaborate with ICE.

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  • Minneapolis Is Funding Artists' Community Healing Projects With Police Dollars

    Through its Creative CityMaking program, the city of Minneapolis pays artists to use their skills to promote healing and community-building in projects they design on their own. The program had existed for seven years when the George Floyd case roiled Minneapolis. The city council carved $150,000 out of the police budget to add to its artist-led community healing work. One of the 10 most recent grantees, Rising From the Ashes, produced a series of online gatherings for local queer artists and artists of color, concluding with an online exhibit of art made during the 2020 uprising.

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  • With Car Heists At Record Levels, Citizen Sleuths Take To Facebook To Find Their Stolen Rides

    The Chicago Stolen Car Directory is a Facebook group that helps people find their stolen cars and makes the police aware of abandoned cars that may have been stolen. The recently formed group, with 14,400 members, has helped recover more than 200 cars at a time when auto theft and carjackings in Chicago have risen substantially. While the group's effect on the crime rate is unknown, it has encouraged more aggressive enforcement efforts while reuniting people with their property.

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  • Cleveland saw a decrease in unsheltered homelessness in 2020: Can that continue?

    During 2020, the city of Cleveland reduced the rate of people experiencing homelessness by 30% due to provisions put in place to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. Using eviction moratoriums for those at risk of losing their homes, and hotels for those who were unhoused, the agencies responding to homelessness along with the city and county were able to better engage with the community's needs.

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  • How steel might finally kick its coal habit

    Boston Metal is transforming how steel is made by replacing coal with electrons. Instead of using the fossil fuel in furnaces to melt iron ores, the Massachusetts-based company uses electric currents to heat the ore, which doesn’t create any greenhouse gas emissions. So far, the company has made only several tons of steel, but it recently received investor funding to expand its work.

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  • ‘Make no mistake': Drag queens are leading a racial reckoning in Chicago's famous LGBTQ neighborhood

    The Chicago Black Drag Council launched after a series of protests that called on Chicago’s LGBTQ neighborhood to address racial discrimination and oppression. A handful of businesses quickly agreed to a live-streamed town hall to discuss ways to increase inclusivity. As a result, a prominent host of popular drag shows was ousted for racial discrimination and the business chamber dropped the neighborhood’s nickname, “Boystown,” from marketing materials because it is not inclusive. The Drag Council has also raised tens of thousands of dollars in cash and supplies to support Black- and trans-led initiatives.

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