CLARIFICATIONS: Mayor Jaime Kinder was not the coauthor of the report mentioned, and her office was not the source of the interviews with 700 residents. Story has been reworded accordingly. (10:12 a.m. MDT, Nov. 18. 2023)
A small, rural Pennsylvania community has taken a proactive approach to an area many small towns struggle with: grant funding.
The City of Meadville collects property taxes, but needs additional resources for some projects.
Meadville Mayor Jaime Kinder sought assistance from Allegheny College, which developed a grant-writing course. The students hone their skills by working with organizations and government agencies.
Kinder, along with a student and the Family and Community Christian Association, penned a grant proposal aimed at screening for lead poisoning.
"The first grant we wrote in this partnership, we got it. We got $25,000," Kinder explained. "That also allows for $4,000 to $5,000, to go to administration, from the city. It's a beautiful thing, when the first one you go after is a win."
Kinder added before the grant-writing partnership, the city lacked the capacity to pursue a grant which could have provided up to $500,000 in assistance to homeowners.
Kinder assisted with a 2023 Rural Policy Action Report. It provided recommendations for the federal government to help eliminate barriers hindering small communities like hers from getting essential funding. She pointed out even when grants are accessible, having the funds to administer them is crucial.
"It's great to have the money, but if we can't find or pay a person to do it [go after the funding], we can't go after it," Kinder emphasized. "The federal government should be able to put in those stipulations -- 20 hours a week for six months, for somebody to write the grant; 20 hours a week to administer. We can use that same person to do multiple grants."
Kinder said before she was in office, 700 interviews were done with people living in Meadville, which indicated that residents there want transparent government and leadership. She said it's crucial to engage with those who are often unheard and amplify their voices in order to have stronger and more resilient communities benefiting everyone.
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As today begins National Farmworker Awareness Week, North Carolina boasts the sixth-largest number of farmworkers of any state.
More than 150,000 people in the Tar Heel State are farmworkers or dependents of them.
Quirina Vallejos, executive director of the North Carolina Farmworkers Project, said the issues facing farmworkers include exposure to pesticides, inadequate housing and wage theft. But Vallejos pointed out the most pressing problem remains helping farmworkers know and defend their rights.
"Even if the workers know what their rights are, it's very challenging for them to speak up for themselves, defend their own rights," Vallejos explained. "Because if they're undocumented, they're afraid of being reported to ICE, and I've heard of employers threatening that very thing in order to get people to do what they want."
Farmworkers in North Carolina help harvest numerous crops, including tobacco, cucumbers, apples and bell peppers. In 2022, the U.S. Department of Labor's National Agricultural Worker Survey found more than 40% of agricultural workers were not authorized to work in the U.S.
Vallejos argued strong enforcement of existing regulations would best help farmworkers. One sort of policy lawmakers in many states could initiate, Vallejos suggested, would be the passage of laws to protect them from extreme heat.
"Workers are out there sunrise to sunset. That's a long time to be out in the fields and not get any breaks, not have time in the shade," Vallejos contended. "Employers should be required to be educated on emergency response to heat stress and heat-induced illnesses because that would save lives."
Carolina consumers who wish to support farmworkers, Vallejos added, could try to purchase produce from companies with strong labor standards.
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Nationwide, it is estimated about one-third of Americans either adhere to Christian Nationalist ideals or sympathize with them.
Groups working for social justice in Washington state are organizing to counter what they see as a movement harmful to democracy.
Aaron Scott, author of "Bring Back Your People: Ten Ways Regular Folks Can Put a Dent in White Christian Nationalism," is the keynote speaker at this weekend's Peace and Justice Action Conference in Spokane.
It is estimated 16% of people in Washington support Christian Nationalist ideas and although it is hardly a majority, Scott said the movement should not be disregarded.
"We can't afford to say, 'Well, we're not going to really deal with that stuff, that's a side conversation,'" Scott explained. "Because clearly we are now in a moment where it is not a side conversation. It is the central conversation."
Scott noted white Christian Nationalist groups embed in rural areas, building churches and securing funds to win local elections. Their beliefs often appear as anti-immigrant and anti-LGBTQ. He pointed out the ideology thrives where voter suppression and disengagement are high and encouraged people to stay engaged in their communities.
Christian Nationalists want the U.S. to be declared a Christian nation, with laws based on their far-right values. Though the ideas can seem threatening, Scott stressed arguing with strangers is usually not an effective way to change someone's mind. Instead, he suggested having direct, thoughtful conversations within trusting relationships, reinforcing their values of honesty and compassion.
"You can do things like point to the way this person lives their lives and the values that you know they hold, and highlight, like, 'This does not seem aligned with this,'" Scott advised.
Scott, who also works with the Episcopal Church, emphasized the core of Christianity runs counter to the ideas of Christian Nationalism. He added many Christian groups recognize the movement provides cover for white supremacy and are concerned about the threat it may pose to their religious communities as well as democracy. Scott acknowledged it takes time and commitment to counter extreme ideologies.
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In a nationwide movement, Latinos are being urged to boycott retail stores tomorrow that have curtailed programs promoting fair hiring practices.
The diversity, equity and inclusion framework has been a cornerstone for many large retailers for several decades but attacks by President Donald Trump and the GOP have led such giants as Walmart, Target, McDonald's and others to scale back their DEI initiatives.
Caroline Tso Chen, associate professor of taxation at San Jose State University, said one person might not be able to make a huge difference but if 20% of people joined "Latino Freeze Day," the effect would be substantial.
"By basically telling those companies, we do not approve of what you are doing and we will take our money and we will spend it elsewhere," Tso Chen explained.
The annual purchasing power of Latinos in the U.S. continues to grow, now topping more than $3 trillion. New Mexico is among the top 10 states with the largest Hispanic/Latino buying power, which has increased due to population growth, labor force participation and educational attainment.
DEI programs have been around since the 1960s and are meant to promote the fair treatment and full participation of all people, particularly groups historically underrepresented or subject to discrimination. As an Asian woman, Tso Chen noted she knows what it is like, but added Friday's boycott would need to be just the beginning.
"You can't make this just February 28," Tso Chen stressed. "In order to make any sort-of significant economic impact to any of these retailers, it is going to have to be for an extended period of time."
The Latino Freeze Movement is encouraging supporters to find alternative ways to purchase what they need at other retailers, including local stores, swap meets, farmers markets, secondhand stores or negotiating trades.
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