We are reliving one of America’s darkest moments by detaining immigrant children in former Japanese American Internment Camps
When I first learned about how my grandparents were imprisoned in WWII’s Japanese American Internment Camps, I was embarrassed, hurt, and unwilling to accept history as truth. Now ,as President…
Growing Up Poor in America Was My Political Education
I remember, as a ten-year-old, tearfully watching former New York Governor Mario Cuomo and presidential candidate Jesse Jackson give impassioned speeches at the 1984 Democratic National Convention on my family’s…
Transforming Pain into Power a Year After a Mass Raid
Around 150 people were gathered and said “Presente” after the names of each of person deported a year ago was read out loud. This was a gathering in early April…
We Are Called to Deeply Listen to Those Impacted by Police Violence
Hearing families who have been impacted by police violence speak is always a transformative and powerful experience for me. While I have been working with impacted families since 2009, the…
Column: Voices of Everyday Leaders
Why we vote I’ve been asked a lot lately “why I knock on doors” to encourage people to vote. Mainly because of my background in social justice work. I’ve used…
Women Arrested for Kavanaugh-Related Protest at Manchin’s Office
Despite being led into the street in the middle of the night in handcuffs, a West Virginia woman says speaking up on behalf of sexual assault survivors like herself…
By Supporting Kavanaugh, Rubio and Scott Are Betraying the Women They Represent
How much more are women expected to endure from the Trump administration? It’s not enough to have a president in power who was caught on tape bragging about committing sexual…
Hate Has No Home Here
Last week was the anniversary of the deadly Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville and the neighborhoods of Washington, D.C. were tense. I was tense. The group of white supremacists…
As a social worker, my heart breaks for the children in our detention camps
For 18 years, I worked in the Child Welfare System. I witnessed firsthand the trauma and harm children who were separated from their parents suffered from. Today, when I see…
The forced trajectory of Trinita Farmer, mother of police homicide victim, Tashii Brown
“He was very creative,” said Trinita Farmer about her son, Tashii Brown, during an interview in her home on March 4, 2018. Farmer was eager to exhibit his work, which…