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By Ashish Valentine, National Public Radio, July 5, 2020 When the urban planner Robert Moses began building projects in New York during the 1920s, he bulldozed Black and Latino homes to make way for parks, and built highways through the middle of minority neighborhoods. According to one biography , Moses even made sure bridges on the parkways connecting New York City to beaches in Long Island were low enough to keep city buses — which would likely be carrying poor minorities — from passing...

You are invited to join a free 1 hr. webinar on Tuesday , July 28 from 12:30-1:30 pm Pacific Time (3:30-4:30 pm ET) on the new ITRC Mental Wellness and Resilience Policy Click here to register for the free webinar What is the Need for a New Climate Change Mental Wellness and Resilience Policy? Climate science indicates that global temperatures will, in the not too distant future, rise above the 2.7-degree F. temperature threshold that unleashes civilization-changing impacts. The U.S. is...

By Richard E. Besser, USA Today, June 30, 2020 California and Texas show the folly of viewing this pandemic through a political lens. The two most populous states are seeing record numbers of COVID-19 infections amid other concerning trend lines. The Golden State was hit early on by this pandemic and had taken a cautious, calibrated approach to reopening, while the Lone Star State was one of the first to reopen and until this past week had greeted the virus with Texas swagger. Both are now...

By Jennifer B. Nuzzo and Joshua M. Sharfstein, The New York Times, July 1, 2020 The way states lifted social distancing restrictions imposed to fight the coronavirus sadly demonstrates our priorities. Officials let bars, restaurants and gyms open, despite warnings from public health experts that these environments pose the greatest risk for spreading the disease. Yet political leaders seem to have paid scant attention to safely reopening schools. The consequences of those backward priorities...

By Cathy Cassata, Healthline, June 30, 2020 Lorenzo P. Lewis was born while his parents were incarcerated. At birth, his aunt was declared his legal guardian. When he was 10 years old, his father died from substance use. “My being born in prison was a symptom of generational trauma. Across both sides of my families, I have several family members who were incarcerated and who had substance abuse. I believe trauma evolves over generations and doesn’t just happen to one person,” Lewis told...

By Andrew Van Dam, The Washington Post, July 2, 2020 State by state, neighborhood by neighborhood, black families pay 13 percent more in property taxes each year than a white family would in the same situation, a massive new data analysis shows. Black-owned homes are consistently assessed at higher values, relative to their actual sale price, than white homes, according to a new working paper by economists Troup Howard of the University of Utah and Carlos Avenancio-León of Indiana...

As Americans, we have grown accustomed to calling 911 when we are in trouble. We pick up the phone, talk to an operator, and fully expect first responders to appear as if by magic and save us. However, there is a darker side to this privilege. The hidden problem of what happens to the mental health of first responders when they answer calls for accidents involving kids or, god forbid, a school shooting.

6/29/20, positiveexperience.org Today’s post is based on an interview with Victor Sims, an active advocate for children in foster care. Victor works as a case manager supervisor at SailFuture , won a 2020 Casey Excellence for Children Award , and is an American Bar Association Reunification Hero . Please introduce yourself and your work for our blog readers. My name is Victor Sims. I’ve lived in Florida my whole life, primarily in Polk County. I have been a child welfare advocate since I was...

Is this a good time to contribute your skills and wisdom to an interdisciplinary Community of Practice for adults who are important in the lives of young children? Early Childhood Learning & Wellness 6 Month Pilot, Community of Practice (online) Please invite others! Anyone who is important in the lives of young children, has access to a computer and the internet is welcome to join. Due date to commit: July 15th @Gail Kennedy (PACEs Connection Staff) @Christine Cissy White @Carey S. Sipp...

Elementary school nurse, Anne Young, created a series of videos for her students and parents to help reduce the stress and disruption of COVID-19. Nurse Young's Corner is a delightful collection of informative videos that translate the ever-evolving pandemic information families are grappling to understand. Look for Nurse Young's "magic box," something that all school nurses need in our health offices! Explaining COVID-19 to Children And Helping Them Overcome the Fear of Face Masks Photo by...

Have you ever seen something that was a bit comical and sad at the same time? That was the video opener for an orientation I participated in recently. In the clip, an African American male is out and about and runs into a friend, who happens to be a Caucasian female. They are attempting to have a conversation but are finding that at every turn they have broached a topic that they “ probably shouldn’t talk about .” After the clip is over, the people participating in the orientation were given...

Click here for Evite info for The Shape of Stories, Tuesdays in July These programs are part of a series of Coping Cafe, which provides artistic tools to help people manage life changes and sparks meaningful dialogue about truth, fiction, and transformation. It is "essential" that we consume uplifting content now. Behind the racism and trauma are inadequate stories. Time to take a look... On July 7th at 4:00pm EDT - We will explore narratives, their impact, and how stories influence societal...