Issues:
Take Action
Submit Testimony for Jan. 25 Committee Hearing in Support of Senate Bill 60
Senate Bill 60 bill includes increased police accountability, a ban on no-knock warrants, a ban on chokeholds, and de-escalation training for police. A hearing is schedule for 1:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 25. Read more here.
Federal Legislation to Expand Voting Rights: H.R. 1 – For the People Act
On January 4, the House re-introduced H.R. 1, the For the People Act, which will provide much-needed election, campaign finance, and ethics reforms. Sign the petition in support of H.R. 1
Petition to End Armed Intimidation
State and town/city leaders across the nation must take this threat seriously by acting NOW to #EndArmedIntimidation. Sign the petition here.
Not fit for Congress: Expel the coup supporters now
Protect our neighbors with a utility disconnection moratorium now!
Missouri needs food and housing assistance NOW!
Tell senators to include a fifteen percent increase for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). SNAP is an excellent stimulus for Missouri’s economy in addition to reducing food insecurity, so we must change his position on this! Also, with only two days left in the federal eviction moratorium, it is crucial that we secure $100 billion in emergency housing assistance and an extension of the moratorium. Contact Senators Blunt & Hawley here.
Demand stronger workplace health and safety protections for frontline food workers
Frontline food workers still lack the necessary protective gear to keep themselves safe in the workplace and are dying from the virus at alarming rates.In order to protect workers and keep communities safe, OSHA must enact and enforce emergency protections for food workers today. Read more and sign the petition here.
Call on the Missouri Supreme Court to Prevent a COVID-19 Public Health Crisis in Jails by Releasing People
St. Louis County had two jail employees test positive last month for COVID-19 and the County said nothing. We still do not know whether any detainees have been tested. Join Women's Voices in calling on the MO Supreme Court to act. Sign the petition here.
Tell Congress to Pass Emergency Fair Housing Funding NOW!
Call your members of Congress ASAP to ensure we have the adequate resources to respond to discrimination in this time of crisis. Contact your legislators here.
Contact your legislator to support emergency assistance to households with low incomes today!
Congress Must Act Now to Protect Victims and Survivors, Funding for Programs that Serve Them
Victims and survivors of domestic and sexual violence are particularly vulnerable during this time. Congress must act now to protect victims and survivors and all people in America. It must also provide funding for the programs that serve survivors. Read more here.
More Action Alerts here!
Acting on Our Mission
The Politics of Funding Preschool Education
Studies have shown that early childhood education leads to lifelong benefits in health, learning, and employment; it lowers communities’ crime rates and raises wealth, but Missouri has historically underfunded early childhood services. At the January program, Speakers: Linda Rallo, Vice President, Aligned, and Richard Patton former director of Vision for Children at Risk, discussed how advocates can help. Read the full summary here.
Schooling Successfully During and After COVID-19
At the January Lunch & Learn, we heard from Dr. Art McCoy, superintendent of the Jennings School District. COVID-19 demands a new approach to school and learning. Jennings was the only district in St. Louis to resume in-person schooling in July 2020, and it has had no student coronavirus cases. Dr. McCoy shared how his district successfully returned students safely to the classroom and what needs have been highlighted in doing so. Read the program summary here.
Read the WV Statement on the January 6, 2021 events at the U.S. Capitol
Members of Women’s Voices Raised for Social Justice are outraged at the actions of the domestic terrorists who attempted to take over the national Capitol on Jan. 6 and block the peaceful transfer of power to President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice-President-Elect Kamala Harris. Read more here.
Read our Emails
Read the January Women's Voices newsletter, Loud & Clear.
Read our January 14 Keeping Connected email
Where are People Supposed to Live?
Barbara Finch, in her Nov. 25 commentary in the St. Louis Post Dispatch, states that "adequate housing that is accessible and affordable for every citizen is a prerequisite for a healthy community." Read more here.
Racial Justice Committee Tackles Housing, Criminal Justice Reform
Up Next
Racial Justice Book Club
Weds., Jan. 27, 6:30 p.m. *NOTE NEW DATE*
Virtual discussion of Stony the Road: Reconstruction, White Supremacy, and the Rise of Jim Crow by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Read more or register here.
Racial Justice Movie Club
Weds., Feb. 3, 7 p.m., Zoom
Discussion will followed a shared viewing of The Politics of Racial Resentment and the Cost to Health with Jonathan M. Metzl, author of Dying of Whiteness
Read more and register here.
2021 St. Louis Mayoral Primary Candidate Forum
Weds., Feb. 10, 6:30 p.m., Online Event
There are two upcoming St. Louis City mayoral local elections! Voting dates are as follows:
Primary on March 2 and Runoff on April 6. The mayoral forum will feature questions crafted from the Ferguson Commission’s Calls to Action aimed at giving St. Louisans' a sense of how this year's mayoral candidates plan to make St. Louis a more racially equitable city.
Read more and register here.
Liberty & Justice for SOME: Our Broken Public Defender System
Thurs., Feb. 11, 7 p.m., Virtual Program
Read more and register here.
Lunch & Learn with Missouri State Senator Brian Williams
Fri., Feb. 19, noon, Virtual Program
Read more and register here.
Community Programs
Lawyers without Rights: Jewish Lawyers in Germany under the Third Reich
American Bar Association Travelling Exhibit
Exhibit Extended through May 2021, Law Library Association (10 N. Tucker, 13th Floor, 63101)
Read more.
Death by the State: The State of Fatal State Violence in St. Louis
Mon., Jan. 18, 1 p.m.
Read more and register here.
Forward Through Ferguson’s State of Education Reform: Community Conversation
Weds., Jan. 20, 7 p.m.
Read more and register here.
Farming for Food Justice in St. Louis
Thurs., Jan. 21, 10 a.m.
Co-sponsored by the Mirowitz Center and the JCRC
Read more and register here.
Empower Missouri Monthly Friday Forum Series: All Politics Are Local
Fri., Feb. 5, noon
Read more and register here.
The Great Divide: Race in Our Region
Feb. 10, March 10, April 14, May 12
Read more and register here.