Economic Justice - Nebraska Appleseed

“Know Your Rights” Video Premier!

Economic Justice / By Sierra Salgado Pirigyi / 08/11/2009

[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 […]

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Valuing Work, Valuing Workers

Economic Justice / By Sierra Salgado Pirigyi / 08/03/2009

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

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Op`portu”nity, noun; pl. Opportunities

Economic Justice / By Sierra Salgado Pirigyi / 07/27/2009

Opportunity is a crucial word for Nebraska Appleseed. It is central to our mission for the Low-Income Self-Sufficiency Program. Part of our fundamental purpose is to grow the vision of opportunity for all in Nebraska and to work towards opening the doors to basic needs, education, and job opportunity in our state. This summer, we

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“The arc of history is long, but it bends towards justice.” MLK Jr.

Economic Justice / By Sierra Salgado Pirigyi / 07/21/2009

In the next few months, it will be my job to tell people about a recent Nebraska Appleseed “win.” This year, Nebraska Appleseed, along with Senator Harms from Scottsbluff and numerous advocates and supporters, worked to pass LB 458, legislation that allows families that participate in the Aid to Dependent Children (ADC) program to pursue

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Hidden Heartache in Nebraska’s Unemployment Numbers

Economic Justice / By Sierra Salgado Pirigyi / 07/13/2009

Nebraska newspapers recently reported that our state has the lowest unemployment rate in the nation at 4.4%. Certainly, this is a positive sign for Nebraska’s economy – and it’s good that we are not seeing the record breaking unemployment rates of over 10% in Nevada, Oregon, Michigan, and California. However, in our role as an

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Being the Change

Economic Justice / By Sierra Salgado Pirigyi / 07/07/2009

What does a good public assistance program look like? From the Appleseed point of view, basic principles would apply: Folks would have all the information they need to make good decisions, clients would have opportunities for choice and self-determination, and all people would be treated with dignity and respect. Our legal and public policy reform efforts continually

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I Left My Heart in Scottsbluff County

Economic Justice / By Sierra Salgado Pirigyi / 06/29/2009

Visionary. Strategic. Innovative. These are a few of the words I would use to describe the folks that attended our Town Hall meeting in Scottsbluff, Nebraska http://www.wehavejobs.net/ last week. Scottsbluff may be considered a small community by some, but the leaders I spoke with had big ideas for their community and for the state. The

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Multiple Choice

Economic Justice / By Sierra Salgado Pirigyi / 06/22/2009

One in ten Nebraska adults does not have a High School Diploma or General Equivalency Diploma (GED). Startling, isn’t it? In our evolving, knowledge-based, technology-driving economy, the lack of basic skills is a real barrier – not only for workers in need of jobs that pay family supporting wages, but also for employers in need

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What’s for dinner?

Economic Justice / By Sierra Salgado Pirigyi / 06/15/2009

This apparently simple question is deceptively complicated. Families everywhere grapple with “the dinner question” on a daily basis. What’s in the fridge? When is Mom getting home from work? Can the vegetable hating seven-year-old be convinced to eat something with tomato sauce? And, increasingly, is there enough money in the checking account to stop at

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Nebraska Values: Community, Work Ethic and – Hope?

Economic Justice / By Sierra Salgado Pirigyi / 06/08/2009

Summertime in Nebraska brings with it some pretty wonderful things: corn on the cob, road trips down I-80 to lakes and campgrounds, and baby farm animals getting big enough to run and play. I don’t care if talking about how much I love this wholesome Nebraska summertime stuff makes me sound like your Grandma. The

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