Today many children across the state don new backpacks, sharpen their pencils, and begin the giddy walk to the first day of school. Thinking about the first day of a new school year always makes me remember the nervous feeling I would have in my stomach on the first day, accompanied by a series of […]
Back to School Breakfast Read More »
When I started as a law clerk for the Health Care Program at Nebraska Appleseed, I saw the summer as an opportunity to delve into what was sure to be an interesting, if somewhat technical, debate over health care reform. I did not expect those outside of the health care or political fields to become
Civil Health Care Debate, We Hardly Knew Ye… Read More »
[kaltura-widget wid=”o1s82qbvqo” width=”400″ height=”365″ style=”margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 5px;” addpermission=”” editpermission=”” align=”right” /]Recently, I attended a great event entitled “Tools for Education” at an organization that is doing excellent work in Nebraska, the Center for People in Need. In addition to sharing backpacks and notebooks to prepare kids for the upcoming school year, the Center for
“Know Your Rights” Video Premier! Read More »
Just over a year ago, images from the Postville, Iowa, immigration raid shocked Americans and caused many to question how this could possibly be coming out of the American legal system. We saw large groups of detainees shackled together in the National Cattle Congress livestock fairground, denied access to legal advice, and processed in group
Immigration Court Craps Shoot Read More »
It goes without saying that meaningful health care reform is essential to provide coverage for the tens of millions currently uninsured. But what do the reform bills currently moving through Congress do for the far greater number of people who already have insurance? Insured Americans are already bearing a huge burden of out-of-pocket costs that
Health Care Reform – What’s in it for me? Read More »
In June, I blogged about the long-term outcomes for children who “age out” of foster care and the opportunity presented by the new federal Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act to extend foster care to children up to age 21. While a number of important provisions in the Act focus on improving outcomes
Fostering Connections for Nebraska’s Children Read More »
In recent months, the economic downturn has strengthened the value that Nebraskans place on a hard day’s work. Now, more than ever, we recognize and appreciate the opportunity to earn a living to support our families. This is, in part, why we can celebrate the recent minimum wage increase from $6.55 to $7.25 which will
Valuing Work, Valuing Workers Read More »
On Wednesday night in Omaha, the members of the Nebraska Health Care for America Now coalition hosted a community conversation on health disparities among minorities. This was the third in a series of conversations about the health disparities that currently exist in our system and how and why those disparities should be addressed in national
The Need for Equity in Health Care Read More »
The recent death of a 12 year old boy in Omaha, allegedly at the hands of his mother, who had called HHS seeking information about placing him in foster care, has raised questions about the state’s investigation of child abuse reports. Not only had the boy’s mother called HHS, but family members reported that they
Child Death Case Underscores Need for Transparency and Accurate Investigations 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
The Color of Equality – Is there Justice for all? Read More »