As we look toward Thanksgiving, we feel deeply thankful for the many wonderful people across the state who worked hard to ensure local community members were ready to vote in this year’s elections! – knocking thousands of doors through rain and snow in a nonpartisan effort to share information about options for voting by mail, early in-person, and at the… Read more →
This week the Legislature will take a vote on passing the state budget while debating two items that will have a big impact on voting rights. Take Actions to protect voting rights Monday, the Legislature will vote whether or not to override the Governor’s veto of LB 75. Introduced by Sen. Justin Wayne, LB 75 would end the arbitrary two-year… Read more →
There’s one more hurdle to overcome to protect voting rights for thousands of Nebraskans. Thursday afternoon, Governor Ricketts vetoed LB 75, a bill that would end the arbitrary two-year waiting period for someone to vote after they complete a prison sentence or probation. Will you call or email your State Senator today? Urge them to vote to override the veto… Read more →
Nebraskans like you have a great chance today to stand up for voting rights. LB 75, introduced by State Sen. Justin Wayne, has passed two rounds of debate and will be up for a Final Reading vote on Monday. This bill would end the arbitrary two-year delay before Nebraskans are able to vote after completing a felony sentence or probation.… Read more →
Note: Part of fighting for positive change in our communities means getting to work with outstanding, like-minded volunteer partners who share our goal of expanding justice and opportunity in Nebraska. Periodically, we will feature individuals and organizations with whom we have been fortunate to work to build a brighter future in our state. This is a guest post from Appleseed… Read more →
Note: This is a guest post from Appleseed intern Lee Kreimer. As a 22-year-old college student, I can’t tell you how many times I have been informed of my naivety and my wishful thinking about the importance of voting. “It does nothing.” “My vote won’t matter anyway.” Or, my favorite response: “Why should I give my opinion about politics? The… Read more →
Today, the Nebraska Legislature voted down LB 111 – an unnecessary and harmful voter suppression bill that would have been a barrier to vote for many eligible Nebraska voters. This action will protect the right to vote for many of our friends and neighbors including people with low incomes, people who move frequently, college students, and people with disabilities. Please… Read more →
This is your weekly Nebraska Legislature update. Committee Hearings last week Appleseed testified on several bills during Legislature committee hearings last week. LB 12 – A bill to streamline the Medicaid process for eligible Nebraskans who enter and leave the criminal justice system. This bill will improve health care access while saving costs in the corrections system. Appleseed testified in… Read more →
***For Immediate Release*** January 23, 2015 Contact: Jeff Sheldon Communications Director, Nebraska Appleseed Office: (402) 438-8853 Mobile: (402) 840-7289 jsheldon@neappleseed.org LINCOLN — Today, Nebraska Appleseed Executive Director Becky Gould issued the following statement on the proposed voter ID bills LB 111 and LB 121 heard by the Legislature’s Government, Military, and Veterans Affairs Committee this afternoon. “LB 111 and LB 121… Read more →
Immigrant and Latino leaders in six Nebraska counties celebrated an election season filled with new outreach to voters of color this year. Community volunteers in six counties reached more than 9,600 voters with basic information about the voting process through door-knocking, phone-banking, and mail. “We were excited to reach out with information about where and when people could vote,” said… Read more →
Note: This is a guest blog post from a group of Union College students who worked with Appleseed staff this fall to create a project designed to encourage Nebraska college students to vote in this election. This semester the Practice III class at Union College hosted a service learning project where students had the opportunity to work alongside an organization.… Read more →
Tomorrow is your chance to help make hard work pay in Nebraska by voting FOR Initiative 425 to raise Nebraska’s minimum wage to $9.00 per hour! Voting for Initiative 425 will reaffirm the value and dignity of hard work for thousands of Nebraska families who have fallen behind despite working full-time jobs. Click here to find your polling place Our… Read more →
With the November 4th election quickly approaching, Appleseed staff have been busy traveling across the state to encourage Nebraskans to vote. We caught up with our organizer, Alex Gibilisco, to find out what is motivating Nebraskans to go to their polling place this fall, many of them for the first time. Q. What sort of work has Appleseed been doing to… Read more →
Hearing in Kansas City part of national series to examine state of voting challenges, successes and opportunities for election reform Nebraska voting rights advocates were among the testifiers at a hearing Monday in Kansas City organized by the National Commission on Voting Rights (NCVR). Voters, community leaders and advocates testified at the hearing about the accessibility of elections in Nebraska,… Read more →
The History The Voting Rights Act was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965 (during the Jim Crow era) to protect minority voters against discrimination and practices meant to make voting more difficult, such as poll taxes, literacy tests, and intimidation at the ballot box. The legislation gave the federal government, and specifically the Department of Justice,… Read more →
Voting is an American right – and making voting harder is not a Nebraska value. LB 381 mandates a restrictive and unnecessary voter identification system, puts a greater burden on our already overburdened election workers, and undermines our democracy by creating barriers to voting for many older Nebraskans who no longer drive, young voters and students who move frequently, people… Read more →
LB 381, a voter suppression bill that restricts voting access, will be heard by the Government, Military, and Veterans Affairs Committee today. Voting is an American right – and making voting harder is neither Constitutional, nor a Nebraska value. This bill mandates a restrictive and unnecessary voter identification system, puts a greater burden on our already overburdened election workers, and… Read more →
Last year, the decision to close 166 polling places in Douglas County impacted the ability to vote for thousands of Nebraskans. At the time, Nebraska Appleseed joined with several groups to call on the Douglas County Election Commissioner to restore the closed polling places and take steps to ensure voters are not disenfranchised in future elections. Thursday, Appleseed testified in… Read more →
Tuesday, nearly 800,000 Nebraskans cast a vote in the general election. We are proud that so many people in our state made their voices heard and exercised one of the fundamental rights in our country. However, there were many people in our state that found difficulty when it came to casting their ballot. Confusion around the number and location of… Read more →
It’s Election Day, and Nebraska Appleseed is celebrating with community leaders who have been helping to ensure that new American voters across the state had the voting process information they needed to fully participate in the democracy. We worked with community leaders in six communities – Columbus, Crete, Grand Island, Lexington, Schuyler, and South Sioux City – to coordinate volunteer… Read more →
In this October edition of “Appleseed in Action”: Affordable Care Act community forums in Omaha & Lincoln Nebraska Student Organizing Conference: Oct. 20-21 Meet our law clerks! Nebraska’s emerging public interest leaders More than 325 people celebrate at the Good Apple Awards Stand Up For Justice: A Poster Show Benefiting Nebraska Appleseed Affordable Care Act community forums in Omaha… Read more →
Nebraska Appleseed recognized several courageous Nebraskans Thursday night whose work has contributed to the fight for justice and opportunity for all at the 2012 Good Apple Awards. More than 300 people attended the Good Apple Awards at the Omaha Livestock Exchange Building ballroom. Thursday’s event was the fourth such awards celebration for Nebraska Appleseed and drew its largest crowd ever.… Read more →
Appleseed’s annual Good Apple Awards is less than one week away and Appleseed is excited to highlight our final honoree. The Milo Mumgaard Emerging Leader Award, named after Nebraska Appleseed’s founding executive director, recognizes young, emerging leaders who have a vision for the best of what Nebraska can be and, through initiative, hard work, and dedication, are pushing to make… Read more →
This is one of a series of posts from Appleseed’s summer law clerks discussing their experiences at Nebraska Appleseed Over the course of the summer, I was able to assist the Nebraska Appleseed office attorneys in a number of areas. The main project I worked on over the summer dealt with child welfare litigation. My office brought a class-action suit against… Read more →
In just two weeks, Appleseed will celebrate Nebraskans who stand up for justice and opportunity for all at the 2012 Good Apple Awards Make your reservations today. Individual tickets are $50. Young professionals tickets are $35. Tickets for students, seniors, and fixed-income are $20. 100% of your purchase directly supports Appleseed’s efforts fighting for justice and opportunity for all. Join… Read more →
Throughout the year, Nebraska Appleseed is fortunate to work with exceptionally bright young advocates through our intern and law clerk program. These students provide valuable support sharing their energy, creativity, and passion for social advocacy. This summer, Appleseed was fortunate to have eight public interest-minded law students clerk in our office: three from the University of Nebraska College of Law,… Read more →
In this September edition of “Appleseed in Action”: New data on poverty in America UNMC report reveals Medicaid expansion would cover 90,000 uninsured Deferred Action Forum: a new opportunity for DREAMers Appleseed files petition for hearing on meatpacking worker health & safety Join us at the Good Apple Awards on October 4 New data on poverty in America On Wednesday,… Read more →
We have some exciting news to share: Appleseed is going to the Maha Music Festival on August 11! Each year, the nonprofit and volunteer-led Maha Music Festival in Omaha brings the community together around great local and national music. As Maha puts it, “It’s about being in Omaha and loving every second of it. In the plainest sense, Maha is… Read more →
The temperature hasn’t been the only thing heating up in Nebraska the past few weeks. The debate on whether Nebraska will take the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion – and expand health care coverage to at least 50,000 uninsured Nebraskans – has been heating up as well. In spite of the heat, Appleseed has been out and about in the… Read more →
“The salvation of the state is watchfulness in the citizen.” These words are engraved over the entrance to Nebraska’s state capitol. They have added meaning here in Nebraska, the only state in the nation with a Unicameral Legislature. Today, a new report from the OpenSky Policy Institute, “Looking for Clarity: An Overview of Nebraska Budget and Tax Policy” was released.… Read more →
Here’s a great opportunity to learn more about engaging in advocacy on issues you care about from the great folks at the Center for Rural Affairs. We have a few spots left – RSVP today. You can help us spread the word by forwarding this email to friends, family and neighbors who might be interested. Grassroots Advocacy Training –… Read more →
In this edition of “Appleseed in Action”: Health Reform: Quality, affordable and constitutional health care for all; Arizona’s SB1070: Socially toxic and unconstitutional; Lilly Ledbetter in Omaha: One Woman’s Battle for Justice; You’re Welcome in Omaha!; Take Action: Opportunity for DREAMers Read more →
On Wednesday, The Reader published an in-depth feature story detailing the Omaha communities impacted by the decision to close 166 polling places in Douglas County. The Reader conducted weeks of comprehensive analysis that was reviewed independently and confirmed by Nebraskans for Civic Reform. The findings are startling. The data shows that the closures had a disproportionate effect on certain communities… Read more →
The end of the 2012 Nebraska legislative session finished with a flurry of activity on prenatal care, child welfare, and a number of Appleseed’s priority bills passing. You can read about these successes and other recent efforts in the latest edition of our bi-annual newsletter “At the Core.” Download a printable copy of “At the Core” Inside you can read… Read more →
Save the Date! Nebraska Appleseed’s 2012 Good Apple Awards Thursday, October 4, 2012 Livestock Exchange Building Ballroom 4920 S. 30th Street Omaha, NE Cocktails & hors d’oeuvres: 6pm Program & ceremony: 7pm honoring Senator Kathy Campbell Jim Wolf Equal Justice Award This year, Appleseed is proud to recognize Senator Kathy Campbell with the Jim Wolf Equal Justice Award for her… Read more →
Today, Nebraska Appleseed and Nebraskans for Civic Reform wrote a letter to Nebraska Secretary of State John Gale formally requesting an investigation concerning the practices and procedures of Douglas County Election Commissioner Dave Phipps. Earlier this year, Phipps announced he will eliminate half of Omaha’s polling locations in spite of the closings having a disproportionate impact on low-income and minority populations’… Read more →
There has been a good deal of activity at the Legislature on Appleseed’s priority issues since the last update. Here is a quick summary: “Green Lights” In the Capitol’s legislative chamber, there is a large sign listing each Senator’s name. When a Senator votes in favor of a bill, a light next to their name turns bright green. “Green Lights”… Read more →
THURSDAY, March 22, 2012 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Douglas County Election Commissioner’s Office 225 N. 115th Street & Davenport, Omaha The Douglas County Election Commission has announced it will close almost half of the longtime polling places in Omaha which will have a disproportionate effect on North and South Omaha, the elderly, the disabled, and people who do not have… Read more →
This is the inaugural edition of Nebraska Appleseed’s Legislative Update, our regular look at the Unicameral’s work on issues impacting working families, immigrant Nebraskans and the communities where they live, children in foster care, access to health care, voting rights, and more. We are sending you this edition because you have already subscribed or we hope you will after reading this update.… Read more →
It all began when Trisha Thompson landed an internship here at Nebraska Appleseed. “I started interning on the intake line at Appleseed last summer and pretty much fell in love with it,” said Trisha. After graduating with her B.S. in psychology from Peru State College, Trisha is happy to be officially on board at Appleseed serving as our new Intake… Read more →
The 2012 Legislative session is off to a fast and furious start. We are already a third of the way through this short (60 day) session and Nebraska Appleseed is working on more bills than ever before. We’d like to highlight some of the key issues we are working on in our programs and give you an opportunity to get… Read more →
“I’m here … because I think that voting rights are the basis of our democracy. When I see voting rights come under attack I feel personally attacked and my heart goes out to people this bill will affect,” said Claire Hillan when asked why she gathered with over 70 other Nebraskans at the State Capitol Wednesday to lobby state senators… Read more →
This summer, I met up with Omaha graphic designer Justin Kemerling of The Match Factory to discuss an idea for an Appleseed art exhibit. We’ve worked with Justin on a number of Appleseed projects – most recently our Voices from Fremont poster exhibit chronicling how residents witnessed a sense of division, hostility, and suspicion in Fremont since the town passed a restrictive immigration ordinance in 2010. Justin’s work… Read more →
Nebraska Appleseed is honored to announce that Karen X. Gómez & Maria Dávila of Columbus, Nebraska, will be one of the inaugural recipients of the Roots of Justice Award. Karen and Maria truly embody the vision of this award. Unsung grassroots heroes, these two are quietly working to build important nonprofit infrastructure in rural Nebraska and to do their part to create strong,… Read more →
It has become cliche to talk about the children as our future. It is more likely to conjure up a 1980s ballad rather than the obvious truism that underlies the statement. But John Cavanaugh and Building Bright Futures (BBF) have recognized the basic truth that if we create or leave in place barriers to a good and productive future for… Read more →
In 1996, Nebraska Appleseed’s founder Milo Mumgaard developed a vision for a public interest law firm that could take on the toughest issues facing low-income and marginalized Nebraskans. He started small with a one person operation run out of his basement and through hard work, dedication and skill, grew the organization to twelve staff in eleven years. Part of the… Read more →
Nebraska Appleseed is excited to announce that Pastor Janet Goodman-Banks of Lincoln will receive the inaugural Roots of Justice Award. Janet, a nurse and former coal miner, has been one of Appleseed’s strongest community allies in the historic push for comprehensive health reform. Janet’s story of being diagnosed with stage II breast cancer and struggling with her health insurer to… Read more →
Earlier this spring, a number of us at Appleseed got to talking about how fortunate we’ve been these past fifteen years to work alongside so many great community volunteers who push for a more just and equitable Nebraska. Many of our best community education and legislative efforts have succeeded in concert with grassroots volunteers all across our state – expanding… Read more →
Today, Nebraska Appleseed celebrates its 15-year anniversary! Fifteen years ago, our founders incorporated Nebraska Appleseed with the mission that, like Johnny Appleseed, we would “sow the seeds of justice” across the Great Plains – advocating fairness, opportunity, and equal justice for all people. These core values continue to drive our staff, interns, volunteers and supporters to address systemic problems at… Read more →
I was recently asked by my law school alma mater (University of Nebraska College of Law) to reflect on my choice to pursue public interest law in Nebraska and how law school had prepared me for that task. As I wrote out my answers, I realized how lucky I was to stumble upon Nebraska Appleseed almost nine years ago. I… Read more →
I love Thanksgiving. My Dad (my favorite farmer) cooks for us, and this year, I have not one but two beautiful nieces to giggle with at the table.  This is what valuing family means to me. I am grateful for a good meal, for family, and even for the baby drool and stuffing that will inevitably end up on my… Read more →
Nebraska Appleseed, ACLU Nebraska, and NAACP Lincoln Branch have been hosting a series of conversations on racial justice, discussing life in Nebraska post-424, the ballot initiative that banned affirmative action in our state. The conversations are an opportunity for the community to gather together to learn about and discuss issues surrounding racial justice. We’ve used several starting points, including health… Read more →
