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

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  • People with disabilities can save for college, life expenses with new Washington state savings plan

    Washington State is pioneering savings accounts for people with disabilities that won't penalize them for saving for financial stability by barring them from essential federal aid programs. The accounts are tax-free and allow participants to save at least $15,000 a year, which can be withdrawn at any time or saved until retirement, with some limitations to who is eligible for the account. As word of the ABLE Savings Plan spreads, the self-supporting program is helping ensure that people with disabilities are not relegated to living in destitution to qualify for federal benefits.

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  • The Battle Over Teaching Chicago's Schools About Police Torture and Reparations

    In response to the discovery that Chicago police officer Jon Burge led a "Midnight Crew" torturing mostly Black men to coerce criminal confessions, the city council's agreement to make cash reparations to the victims included a mandated curriculum in public schools to teach high school students the truth of what happened. Critics called the curriculum, "Reparations Won," anti-police propaganda. But a rare and lengthy observation of one class' experience showed its effects on youth. Not only did they learn the history, but they also learned the possibility of change in the face of systemic injustice.

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  • ‘A Light for Me in the Darkness': For Migrant Detainees, a Bond Forged by Letter

    For migrant detainees in San Diego County's Otay Mesa Detention Center, a recent letter writing campaign from participants at nearby San Diego State University has brought a small form of hope and courage. The university library released hundreds of letters between detainees and university participants, which served to humanize the immigration debate. “In the U.S. our tendency is to really dehumanize migrants,” said Kate Swanson, another geography professor at San Diego State. “We put them in these concrete boxes. This helps them become visible.”

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  • Wiggin Street students learn through play

    Global Play Day for schools is exactly what it sounds like: a full day of supervised but unstructured play. Teachers and scientists say that this kind of play encourages creativity and helps build social skills that kids need like problem-solving and flexibility. Students at Wiggins Street Elementary School play in all classes, including gym and music.

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  • Black Lives Matter Is Making Single Moms Homeowners

    In West Louisville, the local Black Lives Matter is working and crowdfunding to buy homes for low-income single mothers and and transient families - and offering homeowner, where the only expense is taxes and utilities, to those who might not otherwise have the opportunity to own their homes. The organization hopes to address the the historical and institutionalized racism that has made homeownership a distant dream for many African Americans in the highly segregated city.

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  • Staying Connected: Moms Who Pump in Prison

    Riverside Correction Facility in Philadelphia has implemented a program that allows incarcerated new mothers the opportunity to both learn about the benefits of maintaining breast milk supply, and also provide it for their newborns. The lactation program not only carries significant health benefits for the infant and mother, but also encourages crucial bonding between the two.

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  • Justice by the Numbers: Meet the Statistician Trying to Fix Bias in Criminal Justice Algorithms

    Algorithm-based tools are more frequently being used by courts to determine the risk of an alleged offender so judges can better determine whether the person should be detained or not before trial. Although this methodology has shown promise, there are serious limitations when there is not enough data or biased data. One non-profit is working to change this by reevaluating the limitations and advocating for the release of individuals being unjustly detained.

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  • Jail or Bail? There's a New Option

    Between the opposite extremes of jailing too many people unnecessarily before trial or releasing too many unsupervised, New York City judges in 2016 began to use a "supervised release" option. In the first three years, the program's 11,000 defendants showed up for court dates 89% of the time while 8% were rearrested for new felony crimes. The program, which requires people check in regularly with a case manager, helped reduce the jail population by more than a third. The approach tries to balance the needs of public safety with the reality that even a short jail stay carries its own social harms.

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  • Building the Prison-to-School Pipeline in California

    Providing those experiencing incarceration with educational services has shown to reduce recidivism by 28%. While many prisons offer GED or higher education classes, the opportunities are still hard to come by consistently, so organizations like Underground Scholars help recruit individuals after prison to colleges. Looking forward, those pushing for criminal justice reform hope to overturn a 1994 legislation that banned incarcerated individuals from being eligible for Pell Grants, which could help drive more people from prison to school.

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  • What a medical school on a Rwandan hilltop can teach the United States

    In rural Rwanda, a new medical university is offering coursework that understands that health care and health outcomes are deeply intertwined with issues of discrimination and equity. Classes include in-depth looks at history and social justice, and teach the students the skills they need to treat patients in rural areas, without high-tech machines and abundant resources.

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