As the child of immigrant parents, there are certain unspoken promises you make to them. You promise to do well in school, stay out of trouble, go to college, and get a good job. You promise to fight through the systemic barriers and racism to achieve the American Dream they so longed for. You promise to make their sacrifices worth it.
Archives: Voices
411 groups tell Congress: Enact House-proposed spending levels in FY 2023 Appropriations
More than 411 local, state, and national groups signed a letter delivered today to every House and Senate office calling on Congress to agree to House-proposed spending levels for domestic and international (non-defense) discretionary programs in an omnibus funding bill needed by December 16. A copy of the letter, along with the 411 signers, is available here.
Wishes for Paul Pelosi’s quick recovery
The news of the attack on Paul Pelosi, husband of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, fills us with dismay. We wish him a speedy and complete recovery, and want Speaker Pelosi to know we are holding her and her family in our thoughts and prayers.
COVID-19 Watch: Tracking Hardship, October 28, 2022
The invest in education edition. This week, the largest standardized test results in years came out, and we received another snapshot of just how far behind the pandemic has left many students. The National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) – the “nation’s report card” — tested hundreds of thousands of fourth and eighth graders across the country. Reading scores are down and math scores plummeted by the largest margin in the history of the NAEP program, which began in 1969.
Across the country, support is building for expanding the Child Tax Credit.
Across the country, support is building for Congress to once again expand the Child Tax Credit, with an increasing number of local media outlets taking note of the growing rise in hunger among families with children since the additional CTC payments were halted last December.
Friday, October 28 is Vote Early Day
CHN believes in the power of mobilizing everyone to get involved in democracy, whether it’s ensuring that those who can vote do vote, encouraging people to support democracy in as many activities as possible beyond casting their own ballot, (like election protection or poll greeting). As part of this effort, CHN is promoting Vote Early Day, which this election cycle falls on Friday, October 28, the Friday before Halloween. CHN’s partnership with Vote Early Day encourages current and potential voters to register to vote and make a plan to vote early – studies show that people who make a plan to vote are much more likely to do so.
Vote Forward: Voter engagement with a more personal touch
The Coalition on Human Needs does not, and by law cannot, endorse candidates for partisan office. This is because, like many of the groups we partner with, our nonprofit tax status does not allow it. But what we can do, In keeping with our mission to lift up low-income and other vulnerable populations, is to encourage people to vote. And so CHN is a proud partner of a broad-based national effort to encourage voter turnout by participating in Vote Forward, a campaign to recruit volunteers to send millions of letters to potential voters in underserved communities in key states.
COVID-19 Watch: Tracking Hardship, October 14, 2022
The “twindemic” is coming edition. Health care professionals are bracing for a quadruple whammy this winter that is expected to severely test hospitals across the country. Already, flu cases are on the upswing throughout the U.S., and public health experts warn this could be the worst flu season in years. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of new COVID-19 cases continue to be reported daily. And on top of all this, many hospitals, particularly children’s hospitals, emergency rooms and pediatric units are dealing with what in some states is a flood of children sick with respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV.
Extending free school lunch for millions: ‘All that is lacking is political will’
Since I was a kindergartner up until I graduated high school, I ate free school lunch every single day. My single mother worked two jobs to keep me and my sister afloat. She would leave early in the morning and wouldn’t come back till late in the evening. Free school lunch was our lifeline. Growing up, I was unaware of the economic hardships my mother worked through. The only thing I knew is that I could go to school, and I could eat. My mother relied on the knowledge that for one meal of the day, she didn’t have to worry about paying or having the time to prepare it. She knew that while her daughters were at school, they were not going hungry because of free school meals.
First Focus report: Federal spending on children rose sharply in 2021, but now has regressed
A child needs more than just food to grow. When children are deprived of food, shelter, and extracurriculars they fall behind their peers. How is a child who is going to bed hungry going to have the energy to pay attention in school? How is a child without a warm bed going to get enough sleep? How is a child not going to notice their crying parents at the kitchen table desperately trying to figure out how to survive?
The U.S. purchased 171 million COVID-19 booster shots. Where are the takers?
A new study released this week revealed some sobering news. The study, which was conducted by the Commonwealth Fund and Yale School of Public Health, found that if booster vaccinations continue at their current low pace, the U.S. could see a fatality rate approaching 1,200 deaths per day by March. That’s about three times the current rate.
Revive the Child Tax Credit. Our children deserve no less.
I like to think I’m an American success story. I was born into homelessness, grew up in the foster care system, and suffered unthinkable domestic abuse as an adult. Now I’m on track to graduate with a Master’s degree in social work next spring. But don’t mistake my story for the “pull yourself up by your own bootstraps” trope that conservative lawmakers like to call the American Dream. That idea is mythical, and my own success story proves it.