Blog - 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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Immigration Court Craps Shoot

Immigrants & Communities / By Sierra Salgado Pirigyi / 08/07/2009

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

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Health Care Reform – What’s in it for me?

Health Care / By admin / 08/07/2009

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

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Fostering Connections for Nebraska’s Children

Child Welfare / By admin / 08/05/2009

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

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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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The Need for Equity in Health Care

Health Care / By Sierra Salgado Pirigyi / 07/31/2009

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

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Child Death Case Underscores Need for Transparency and Accurate Investigations

Child Welfare / By admin / 07/29/2009

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

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The Color of Equality – Is there Justice for all?

Immigrants & Communities, Voting & Elections / By Sierra Salgado Pirigyi / 07/28/2009

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

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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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Failure is Not An Option

Health Care / By Sierra Salgado Pirigyi / 07/23/2009

Senator Reid announced this afternoon that the Senate would not be able to have a full vote on a health care bill before August. This is extremely disappointing. The delay means that our families must wait even longer for the health care they need, must struggle harder to afford their coverage, and more people will

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