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By Danielle Root, Michael Sozan, and Alex Tausanovitch

The U.S. Senate recently took another step toward passing transformative voting rights and election reform legislation, with Senate Democrats introducing the Freedom to Vote Act on September 14, 2021. This far-reaching reform package would take actions such as reducing the influence of money in politics, ending partisan gerrymandering, and fortifying U.S. elections against foreign interference. But perhaps most importantly, this legislation would also set nationwide voting standards to help counteract anti-democratic laws passed by legislatures in at least 17 states. These state laws are often aimed at disadvantaging historically underrepresented communities, including communities of color, as well as lower-income voters and people with disabilities. Moreover, some of these state laws facilitate a growing threat: that partisan, conspiracy-minded election officials could sabotage legitimate election results. -- CLICK STORY TO READ MORE

By Nick Buffie

Eighty-six years ago last month, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law. Upon giving life to America’s most cherished safety net program, Roosevelt declared:

"We can never insure one hundred percent of the population against one hundred percent of the hazards and vicissitudes of life, but we have tried to frame a law which will give some measure of protection to the average citizen and to his family against the loss of a job and against poverty-ridden old age. … It is, in short, a law that will take care of human needs and at the same time provide the United States an economic structure of vastly greater soundness." -- CLICK STORY TO READ MORE

By Brian Katulis and Peter Juul

Americans will never forget the coordinated terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, against the country’s financial center in New York, its global military headquarters at the Pentagon, and its civilian air transportation system. The images of New York police and firefighters rushing into the burning World Trade Center to rescue those trapped—and the memory of their sacrifices—will not fade from memory. America, its NATO allies, and the U.N. Security Council responded with swiftness and ingenuity to protect its citizens in the immediate aftermath and deployed measures to protect the their citizens, established new government agencies, and undertook numerous military operations overseas intended to eliminate threats and enhance stability. -- CLICK STORY TO READ MORE

From CAPAC

October 15, 2021, Washington, D.C. – Today marks the beginning of Filipino American History Month, which is celebrated throughout October to commemorate the 16th century arrival of the first Filipinos to what is now the United States. Members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) released the following statements to mark the occasion.

Congresswoman Judy Chu (CA-27), CAPAC Chair:

“I am thrilled to be kicking off Filipino American History Month, during which we celebrate and honor the history, culture, and contributions Filipino Americans bring to our nation. Filipino Americans play an integral role in our nation as our soldiers, teachers, engineers, entrepreneurs, essential workers, and healthcare workers who have fought tirelessly against the COVID-19 virus. As Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, I am proud to join my colleagues in recognizing the Filipino American community, their accomplishments, their victories, and their joy.”

-- CLICK STORY TO READ MORE

By Jill Rosenthal

The COVID-19 pandemic has jeopardized Americans’ health and economic well-being, with the greatest impacts on women, communities of color, individuals with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ people. Rebuilding a stronger more equitable future requires investing in the factors that influence health and well-being, from sustainable quality jobs to quality child care and education to food and housing security to healthy environments. These social determinants of health (SDOH)—defined as conditions in the environment where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age—have a wide-ranging impact on people’s health, well-being, and quality of life, contributing to health disparities and inequities.

Health inequities impose significant, often preventable, health and economic burdens on individuals and communities, including poor health, excess medical costs, lost productivity, and economic loss. Racism negatively affects the mental and physical health of millions of people in the United States... -- CLICK STORY TO READ MORE​

By Jonathan Gramling

While the historic oppression and violence against African Americans since 1619 is well-documented, mainstream America is only now just becoming aware of the legacy of slavery and racism fueled by the murder of George Floyd, the Black Lives Matter movement and the observance of historical events like the Tulsa Massacre and the burning of Black Wall Street. And yet the oppression and violence experienced by Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders has remained invisible, except perhaps glaring incidents like the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II and the confiscation and theft of their personal property. Asian Americans have been “invisible” invisible in American society, but their history of oppression and violence is very real. ​-- CLICK STORY TO READ MORE