Padres Unidos is a multi-issue organization led by people of color who work for educational excellence, racial justice for youth, immigrant rights and quality healthcare for all. Jóvenes Unidos, the youth initiative of Padres Unidos, emerged as young people became active in reforming their schools, ending the school to jail track and organizing for immigrant student rights. Both Padres and Jóvenes Unidos build power to challenge the root cause of discrimination, racism and inequity by exposing the economic, social and institutional basis for injustice as well as developing effective strategies to realize meaningful change. As part of the Freedom to Learn Campaign, parent members of Padres & Jóvenes Unidos called on Denver Public Schools to improve access to nutritious food and ...
Car-free, open street events otherwise known as Ciclovias, are expected to be held at new locations throughout Los Angeles County. According to StreetsblogLA, several cities have partnered with the non-profit group CicLAvia to host these events. At least two dozen communities in the metro area applied for funding through the Metro transportation agency, and half of those are expected be funded. Metro will prioritize funding by supporting one event per city, before sponsoring multiple events. They expect to invest $2 million per year during 2015 & 2016. According to StreetsblogLA, most of the planned events coincide with Metro's rail system. As stated in Los Angeles County Supervisor, Zev Yaroslavsky's blog, thanks to Metro's grants, smaller towns are able to sponsor open ...
More folks in Honolulu will be able to purchase affordable fruits, vegetables, and whole grains at farmers' markets, thanks to new EBT machines at a handful of markets in the area, including the People's Open Market (POM) sites . EBT machines make it possible for food assistance recipients to use their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits at the market. 15% of SNAP participants in the United States are Latino. The City and County of Honolulu currently has four market sites accepting EBT: On Tuesdays, at Waipahu District Park and Wahiawa District Park; on Friday, at Ewa Beach Community Park and on Saturday, at the Kalihi Street parking lot at (Kalakaua District Park). Hawaii participation in SNAP is currently at a historic high. An average of 94,649 ...
Every kid deserves easy access to parks and safe places to play! That's why the Trust for Public Land (TPL) collected city park and demographic information, to learn more about how US cities rank in terms of public parks. Of the 60 largest cities that were included in the analysis, Minneapolis (10.5% Latino) ranked first, followed by New York (28.6% Latino), San Francisco (15.1% Latino), and Portland (9.4% Latino). Other cities like Tampa (23.1% Latino), Corpus Christi (59.7% Latino), Detroit (6.8% Latino), Honolulu (5.4% Latino), and Phoenix (40.8%) also made the list, and tied for 28th place in the rankings. According to a Tampa Bay Times article, this was the first time that Tampa appeared on TPL's Park Score index. In the article, Tampa's mayor Bob Buckhorn said ...
In efforts to preserve The San Gabriel Mountains and expand recreational opportunities for residents of Southern California, lawmakers are seeking to designate the state's San Gabriel Mountains as a National Recreation Area (NRA). According to a blog post from The City Project, Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA 27) said, “This has been a community effort from the very beginning. The vision of this NRA began with the community and it will be realized by the community.” For more than a decade, local governments, environmental groups, and non-profit organizations, have sought to preserve the land. In January of 2003, then Congresswoman Hilda Solis introduced a bill that required the National Park Service (NPS) to conduct a study to determine whether the region should be designated as a ...
Kids in Seattle can now take advantage of the city's new "Play Streets" program. The pilot program which was launched in May of 2014 allows schools and neighborhood groups to apply for permits to close streets off and bring more "play space" to children. In a StreetsblogUSA article, Jennider Weiland, manager of Seattle DOT's Public Space Management Program, said the city already had a similar policy in place to allow neighbors to host block parties. Now, at the request of local residents, the city has launched its Play Streets Campaign. As part of this new initiative, locals ask for non-arterial roads to be temporarily closed and once approved, children are able to participate in activities such as bicycle rodeos, relay races, basketball, badminton hopscotch and ...
Highland School in Wallingford CT planted the first of their 24 garden beds in 2012. They revamped an underused tennis court to make room for the school garden, which would be used as an educational tool and to introduce students to growing their own produce. Students spend time planting, nourishing, and harvesting the garden throughout the school year, with the help of teachers who incorporate plant growth into their lessons. The garden was founded by food services director Sharlene Wong, who wanted the garden to benefit both the school and the community. Soon after implementation, Wong became increasingly busy with other school activities and was unable to maintain upkeep on the garden. Fortunately students and staff have remained vigilant in the growth and ...
In Wenatchee, Washington, where the population is 29.4% Latino, doctors have started handing out "hiking prescriptions" to patients. According to a NW Newsnetwork report, The Columbia Valley Community Health (CVCH) center, who offers health services to a large number of migrant farm workers, partnered with the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust to raise awareness among patients about the importance of exercise for preventing chronic disease. In the NW news article, Marlen Mendez, outreach manager for Columbia Valley Community Health, said: "You definitely see a lot more younger families using the trails." Through the partnership, the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust, who previously led a campaign to preserve the 3,000 acres of foothills that sit right outside of Wenatchee, worked with CVCH to ...
Farmers' Markets are popping up everywhere, from rural towns to bustling big cities. However, some areas are still lacking that fresh, local access to fruits and vegetables---and especially at affordable prices. Realizing a neighborhood farmers' market was missing, food justice advocates in South Bronx began planning their own farmers' market that could serve the highly Latino and somewhat low-income residents in the area. Their hard work is paying off. Starting Saturday, June 14th, Bronx residents will have a brand-new, convenient way to access fresh, affordable food. The South Bronx Farmers Market will be open every Saturday from 10 A.M. to 4 P.M. until November 22. In addition to its convenient hours of operation, the South Bronx Farmers Market is in a key location with ...
