California’s legislative session came to a close on September 11th and with it, news and updates on various bills that will have impacts on our work to ensure that communities like South Los Angeles aren’t left behind when it comes to support, resources, and our on-going work to build a climate conscious community. The work…
Continue Reading Three Questions About Poverty the Republican Presidential Candidates Should Answer
The Center for Community Change asked me, along with long time SCOPE member and grassroots leader, Pat Jones, what we would like to see the Republican candidates debate. This piece continues a campaign at TalkPoverty.org where advocates and people struggling to make ends meet will ask 2016 presidential candidates about how they would significantly reduce…
Continue ReadingSouth L.A. has its sights set on the Air Resources Board
As the legislature session wound down last week, finalizing which bills would pass this year, we saw that California is at a pivotal moment. Our state legislators are forging a climate-conscious path that will shape our economy, health and environment in the decades ahead. While much work is still needed to extend and increase our…
Continue ReadingLA Wage Theft Coalition Looks to Past to Continue Fighting for Future or Workers
On August 18th, the Los Angeles Coalition Against Wage Theft held a worker assembly to review the new law they won with coalition members and to plan for next steps. Starting in July of 2016, the cities minimum wage will increase in increments until 2020 when the full $15 an hour will take affect. In…
Continue ReadingTen Years After Katrina, Low-Income Communities Are Still Vulnerable to Disaster: Here's Why
Hurricane Katrina survivors wade through water on the street on Aug. 31, 2005, two days after the storm made land fall. Photo Credit: News Muse, flickr It’s been 10 years since my mother lost the only house she’s ever owned. A warehouse worker in Jackson, Mississippi, one of the poorest American cities, my mother lost…
Continue ReadingA Vision for Ferguson, Baltimore, L.A. and Everywhere
This month, the nation will acknowledge two political milestones. On Aug. 9, we mark the one-year anniversary of the unrest in Ferguson, Missouri. Two days later, we mark the 50th anniversary of the uprising in Watts. A third civil disturbance, located in time between these two, offers lessons learned from the failures of 1965. It…
Continue ReadingWhy LA is the Country’s Fulcrum for Change
July kicked off to a great start when my colleague and fellow-organizer Marqueece Harris-Dawson was sworn in as 8th District City Councilman. It reminded me of the incredible political opportunity in Los Angeles. Here in L.A., we are at a pivotal moment and that could mean big things for California and the country. We all…
Continue ReadingFostering a Space to Support the Social Justice Movement with Rea SJ
Envisioning a sustainable social justice movement comprised of grassroots groups, community based organizations, and researchers; the Resource Alliance for Social Justice (Real SJ) fosters a space in which networking and collaboration come together to strengthen the capacity of those fighting for social justice. As a SCOPE initiative with the UCLA Labor Center, Advancement Project, Research…
Continue ReadingInvesting in South Los Angeles
South Los Angeles has endured drastic changes over the decades, from its pre-World War II prominence as one of the most desirable neighborhoods to live in to the violent segregation residents faced through illegal housing practices. Continued disinvestment in public resources over the years coupled with rampant institutional racism that denied people of color access…
Continue ReadingThis Mother’s Day, Honor Your Mother’s Commitment to Putting Your Family First
Growing up in Jackson, Mississippi, I remember seeing my mom, a single mom, struggle to support us three kids by working multiple jobs, mostly manual labor in shipping and receiving at large warehouses. My mom worked incessantly, but because of abysmal wages, those long hours never paid off. We still relied on government assistance to…
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