Unemployment Realities - 12/05/11

Last weeks news reported that employment in the US is lower. There are problems with this report. One is that there is an under-count in unemployment and also poverty.

The under-counts are in groups such as Chicanas and Chicanos, African Americans, Native Americans, and others. Elders are also under-counted. Importantly youth are under-counted. All of these people can be considered invisible Americans.

One thing that we don't talk about in the US is the health impact of unemployment. Being laid off is unhealthy, being under-employed is unhealthy, and being unemployed for a long time is unhealthy. Being a young person without work for a long time is also unhealthy. In England, Sir Marmot calls is a public health crisis.

Because its Time! By Aine Brazil

Because it is time for politicians to truly represent the people. It has been long enough that the public has had to choose between the better of two evils. It should not be like this. We as hard working people, deserve to vote for a party who we can actually count on to fight for us, and who we are proud to endorse. It is time for unity as working class people to come together and ask for what we need to nourish the education, heath care, economy, and environment of our community.

Beyond Elections Part 3

This video is inspiring. What is most amazing is that some of the most "progressive" voices in the US do not ever discuss opening up democracy. Instead they usually talk about multiple parties acting as "spoilers." If they were truly progressive and truly democratic they would work toward widening and deepening our democratic foundations.

Albuquerque Youth Health Summit 12/4/10

The Albuquerque Youth Building Health Communities project held their Youth Health Summit today. Representatives of La Raza Unida, Young Women United, SWOP and other groups were there to discuss health from a youth perspective and also talk about solutions.

The group will continue to process the information and look for a project to follow through on. It was very exciting to discuss health from a social justice perspective. These youth may truly be the future!

Speak Your Vote NM

This is an important project that promotes youth voter participation. Speak Your Vote NM is an excellent example of youth media that promotes youth empowerment.

Youth Food Action Project

This youth oriented project is important because access to healthy food has been interrupted by corporate food production. In order to build healthy communities we all need access to quality calories. Many of us only have empty calories or calories without nutrition because of our budgets. Check this project out - the Youth Food Action Project.

Everyone deserves the opportunity to access healthy food. With the growth of corporate, mass-produced food we will need to gain the skills to grow our own. We have a couple of members who are great growers and we will report on their home food production.

Need to Keep Organizing

Here are a couple of good short posts from Wellstone.



Grassroots vs Astroturf


"If it wasn't before, it's obvious now that the right still knows how to organize. And with powerful channels of message dissemination (see: Fox News) sending misinformation, anti-reformers are riling up a small but vocal group that could dismantle the best shot at real reform we've ever had.

That's why it's not enough for progressives to just dismiss the vocal minorities we're seeing in the news and wait for the political backlash. We have to turn our anger and frustration into action. So, don't just get mad--get organized."

Same Day Registration Increases Youth Vote

"The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) just published a report on election law reform and its connection to youth voter turnout. More specifically, they found election day registration (EDR) is key to increase the youth vote.

In the nine states that currently have EDR, youth are 41% more likely to vote than youth in other states. In addition, five of the eight states with the highest youth vote, Minnesota, Iowa, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, and Maine, all have EDR. Although CIRCLE acknowledges that EDR is not beneficial for all ages or even all youth, it is an important step in encouraging youth to be active citizens."

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La Raza Unida will be encouraging people to support the "Public Option" and push for Universal Health Care as the follow-up!

To Pledge or Not

Since fourth or fifth grade, I've chosen not to participate in the pledge of Allegiance, for a number of reasons. First off, through La Raza Unida Youth Cmte. I learned of what the conquistadores, and other European voyagers did to the people who lived on this continent.

Mostly it was that my father, a veteran, taught me that freedom of speech meant that I had a choice. It was not mandatory. He made sure we learned our history, our rights, and our responsibilities.

Also, the response that teachers had made me more determined to practice my freedoms. Here they are supposed to teach me to be an active member of society and they would tell me that the pledge was mandatory. In fact it is not. My parents would have to meet with principals and teachers almost every school year. My father would often just tell them, "This is her freedom of speech and you are not forcing her to do something she doesn't want. Kids are forced to do too many things already."

This fighting spirit is what makes our communities great. It helped me get through school. And it makes me who I am.

Speaking through Art

Art is a great way to let your thoughts be known. Some of us are good at speaking, some of us are good at writing, and some of us are good at expressing ourselves through forming our thoughts into visual pieces. I really admire artists, because I myself do not have the ability to express myself freely like that. My way of expression is through written words.

I also think it's a good way to engage young people. After all, we are a very visual generation. Not all of us have the patience to sit through a speech or read an article.

(Photo by: Jule_Berlin on flickr.com)