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CDF-CA Sponsored Bill to End Truancy Penalties on Poor Students Passed Into Law! Great things happen when policymakers listen to youth, parents, and advocates! Our hard work and advocacy to eliminate the double truancy penalty on poor children and families paid off when Assembly Bill 2382, by Assemblymember Steven Bradford (D-Gardena), was signed into law last month. The bill takes an important step to support our poorest students by ending an unfair penalty that destabilized poor families. This key victory is thanks in part to all of you who contacted your legislators in support of the bill and the Governor and our talented youth and parents who advocated to stop punishing poor children. We also want to thank Assemblymember Bradford for his tremendous leadership on this bill, and for leading the charge to help boys and girls of color get what they need to succeed. Walk for Justice with Long Beach Youth On October 11th, dozens of students, parents, community members, and advocates in Long Beach launched a series of precinct walks to galvanize excitement about the upcoming election and garner support for Proposition 47, a statewide ballot initiative that will redirect hundreds of millions from prisons to public schools, victim services, and drug treatment and mental health programs. The action, which will occur every Saturday until November 4th, is part of a larger effort led by the Every Student Matters campaign to promote positive school climate practices, policies, and programs in the Long Beach Unified School District that help students thrive in school and graduate on time. In addition to increasing support for Proposition 47, youth are also gaining valuable experience in grassroots political advocacy, learning how to break down and summarize complex public policy issues, and building relationships with other social justice minded community members. Check out our precinct walkers in action and read our new factsheet to learn what Proposition 47 means for children. Children’s Sabbath: A Weekend of Faith On October 19th, faith leaders, advocates and children gathered at First New Christian Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church in South Los Angeles for the 23rd Annual National Observance of Children’s Sabbath, an annual celebration that unites all faiths under the common commitment to improving the lives of children. Reverend Norman Johnson Sr. opened the special service with a powerful message about the moral responsibility that all people of faith have to care for, protect and advocate on behalf of children. He then invited all the children in attendance to the front of the sanctuary to be recognized by name before the entire congregation. Our Executive Director Alex Johnson closed out the service with a thunderous sermon that charged us to recommit ourselves to addressing the crisis of education, health care, violence and hope that pushes too many children out of school and into the juvenile and criminal justice systems. Compton Unified Steps up for Children The research is clear: children who have access to medical care perform better in the classroom. That’s why we are excited to welcome Compton Unified School District (CUSD) as the newest district to join our School-Based Child Health Outreach and Enrollment Project. From now until June, we will be working closely with student support providers, school nurses, health technicians and community liaisons at CUSD to systematically incorporate child health outreach and enrollment into routine school operations to ensure that all uninsured children are identified and connected with free or affordable health care insurance. Alex Johnson Receives African American Vanguard Award Our Executive Director Alex Johnson was one of 100 young leaders recognized at the 2014 African American Vanguard Awards for his service to disadvantaged populations. The African American Vanguard Awards is annual celebration hosted by the National Action Network (NAN) that recognizes influential change-makers who have made an impact on the city of Los Angeles and beyond. Reverend Al Sharpton, Congresswoman Karen Bass, Supervisor Mark Ridley Thomas and other prominent Black leaders came together on October 16th to honor Alex and his fellow awardees at a special awards ceremony held at the California African American Museum. Additionally, Alex’s name will be featured in a commemorative issue of L.A.’s Most Influential African American magazine this Friday. #CHIPWorks Since its bipartisan beginning in 1997,The Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) has become a critical source of coverage for millions of children in low- and middle-income working families. However, unless Congress acts, funding for CHIP will end in October 2015, leaving 2 million children without health coverage, and forcing millions of parents to pay more for less comprehensive coverage. We must not allow children to lose ground or experience any gaps in or loss of health coverage. Read this great LA Times editorial on the benefits of CHIP and then take action by urging Congress to extend funding for the program for four more years! |
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