St. Louis creates LGBTQIA+ Advisory Board to guide city initiative

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Problem

Across the country member of the LGBTQIA+ community experience discrimination, have their basic rights violated, and face healthcare disparities. It is important that these communities are empowered and have more representation and to advocate for the resources they need.

Solution

St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones established an LGBTQIA+ Advisory Board council to help increase the community’s representation and empower their voice. The council will provide resources and attention to issues directly related to and affecting LGBTQUIA+ communities, as well as policy work aimed to target discrimination and transgender advocacy. The Advisory Board will also develop reports on the disparities and make recommendations for the city to take action to implement the solutions they identify.



Michigan Creates Racial Disparities Task Force

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Problem

In 2020 Michigan health experts noticed African Americans were being infected and dying by the Coronavirus at an alarmingly higher rate than the overall population. This health disparity is not limited to the Covid-19 pandemic, but has been ongoing for decades.

Solution

Responding to the historic health disparities in African American communities highlighted by the pandemic, Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist created the Michigan Coronavirus Racial Disparities Task Force. The task force identified several issues leading to poor health outcomes including, the limited health insurance options, few accessible primary care physicians, and the lack of access to reliable broadband which leaving Michiganders with no access to telemedicine services. The task force and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services have partnered to create and release recommendations to address the inequalities facing Black Michiganders. A budget proposal of $20 million was approved to help reduce the disparity for the present and future health crises. These funds will provide and maintain testing infrastructure in marginalized communities, promote primary care connection to decrease the amount of uninsured and underinsured individuals, and also develop equity workshops.

Education Investments to Change Lives

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Last Friday, Vice President Kamala Harris joined NewDEAL Leader Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and other elected officials to launch The Generation Fund, a $50 million investment in the lives of low-income babies and students aimed at breaking the cycle of poverty. The Generation Fund will provide $500 college savings accounts for all babies from low-income families, with a target of creating accounts for 10,000 babies by 2035. In addition, the funding will pay for scholarships of $1000 a year for all low-income public school students pursuing a college degree or a trade certificate with a target of providing scholarships for 20,000 students by 2035. This investment builds on Mayor Schaaf’s long-standing work to invest in vulnerable students through her groundbreaking Oakland Promise program, which address challenges from cradle to college and career. A group of NewDEAL Leaders will have the opportunity to see Oakland’s education work up close, as NewDEAL joins Mayor Schaaf in Oakland on August 29 to talk about quality career pathways and broadband access and discuss lessons learned, best practices, and ideas. Keep your eyes open for posts and takeaways from our trip!

A Model Job-Training Program

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This week, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh visited San Antonio, where he praised NewDEALer Mayor Ron Nirenberg’s Ready to Work program. The $200 million program has a goal to train 28,000 low-income residents for better paying jobs by the end of 2025. The program formally launched in May, and so far nearly 6,000 people have applied. During his visit, Secretary Walsh said “We need to be more intentional about investing in workforce development, and we need to be doing it with cities…Programs like Ready to Work should be replicated around the country.” Read more about the program here, and also check out the Labor Department’s Good Jobs Initiative, which is seeking to improve job quality nationwide.

Phoenix’s Route to Relief Program Supports Students to Enter New Careers

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NewDEAL Leader Phoenix, Mayor Kate Gallego has launched the Route to Relief program, a partnership with 10 local community colleges aimed at helping students impacted by the pandemic enter high-wage careers. The program will provide training in growing industries such as childhood development, health care, and semiconductor chip manufacturing. Using federal American Rescue Plan (ARP) dollars, the program will provide eligible students with assistance to help cover living expenses, including free tuition and books, a monthly stipend, and employment assistance upon completion of the program. Read more about the story here.

Expanding Black History Education

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This week, the Tennessee governor signed a bill co-sponsored by NewDEAL Leader Senator Raumesh Akbari, expanding multiculturalism in the K-12 curriculum with special attention to Black history instruction. Scheduled to be enacted in the 2025-26 school year, the law will help ensure that “students get a well-rounded education that includes every contribution [to American history], whether it’s from someone who’s Black or white, of Mexican heritage, or Asian heritage,” according to Senator Akbari. Read more details about the bill, which comes on the heels of last year’s passage of a law that banned “critical race theory” and the discussion of racial or gender privilege in schools.

Expansion of Voting in Massachusetts

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A committee co-chaired by NewDEAL Leader Massachusetts Senator Barry Finegold recently brokered a deal in both the House and Senate to pass a package of voting reforms that include permanent mail-in voting, increased ballot accessibility for voters with disabilities and overseas service members, and updated election administration procedures for the state. The reforms also make voter registration windows more flexible, allowing voters to register as late as 10 days before an election rather than the original 20 days. “This landmark legislation will empower voters and strengthen our democracy,” Finegold said. Read more about this important legislation, and keep an eye out for more from the NewDEAL Forum on solutions to protect voter access and build election integrity as the new Democracy Working Group ramps up.

Advancing Restorative Justice

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Problem

Despite the fact that cannabis is decriminalized in twenty-seven states and the District of Columbia, the Last Prisoner Project estimates that there are 40,000 cannabis inmates in the country today. Nearly 600,000 individuals were imprisoned for cannabis offenses in 2017, and despite broad legalization, cannabis arrests are on the rise in various areas throughout the country. Furthermore, re-entry into the job market is a major problem for previously imprisoned people. Therefore, released inmates have a tough time finding and keeping work following re-entry. Additionally, due to residential instability, previously imprisoned people may end up homeless after being released since strict housing laws make it more difficult for them to find stable housing.

Solution

Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx announced that her office has expunged more than 15,000 non-violent possession cannabis convictions over the past three years. When cannabis use became legalized in Illinois in 2020, Foxx worked to bring relief to individuals who had paid their debt to society by removing past convictions from their records. Having a clean record can help these individuals with employment and housing opportunities. 

 

 

Fostering a Welcoming Community for Immigrants

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Problem

The Kaiser Family Foundation has identified that immigrants often feeling unwelcome in the United State. For example, fear and anxiety run high among immigrant families, including those with legal status. Additionally, due to heightened anxiety and uncertainty, their daily living can become more challenging, and some parents have stated that finding work in the present atmosphere is more difficult, putting additional financial stress on families. Furthermore, after the 2016 election, parents and physicians reported a dramatic increase in acts of racism and prejudice. 

Solution

Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird released Lincoln’s Immigrant Welcoming and Belonging Plan. This effort aims to provide targeted supportive services to help immigrants and refugees grow and prosper together with their new community. The plan includes expanding existing services, such as legal resources and education support, as well as developing new programs, such as establishing a welcome center with dedicated staff to provide support for housing, health, and economic opportunity.

 

Kansas City Initiative to Appoint more Women to Boards and Commissions 

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Problem

In partnership with United WE, the Institute for Leadership Studies at the University of Kansas, identified that women are marginalized on numerous civic boards and commissions. Across 164 towns and cities in Kansas, women were equally represented in only two boards or commissions on libraries and housing, and underrepresented in parks and recreation, zoning boards, and planning boards, making up 38 percent of the appointees for parks and recreation, 25 percent of zoning boards, and 24 percent of planning boards.

Solution

In partnership with the National League of Cities, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas reveals their intention to expand the number of women on boards and commissions through United WE’s Appointments Project. The Appointments Project assists women to acquire positions on civic boards and commissions at the city, county, and state level and, so far, has helped more than 180 women be voted onto civic boards and commissions. Moreover, the project also highlights the expanding racial equity on civic boards and commissions among women, with women of color representing 37% of applicants. Today, women’s representation on Kansas City boards and commissions is higher than 51 percent.

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