Civics 2/6

Tuesday, February 6, 2024

Share

New to URL Media? Subscribe below to receive our weekly newsletters.

News and information about politics, government, civic participation and engagement from the URL Media network.

Jacqueline Hunter shows a picture of the niece she cares for, Tyana, who "boarded" in the emergency department five times in 2023. Tyana moved to a group home after her last hospital stay. Credit: Aaron Nesheim for Sahan Journal

Why are kids of color in Minn. spending days, weeks and months in hospital emergency rooms that can't treat their problems?: When parents or guardians call 911 for a child in crisis, federal law requires that a hospital emergency department admit the child. And after the call is made, caretakers can feel some relief knowing that the child will soon be physically safe in an emergency room. But what happens when that child has a developmental disorder like autism and ADHD, and the facility watching them doesn't have the resources to care for their complex needs? They may very likely experience "boarding," which Dr. Mary Beth Lardizabal, a child/adolescent psychiatrist who Sahan Journal interviewed for this story, says is a "loose term used for patients who don't require or meet the criteria for acute mental health but end up staying in an emergency room because there's nowhere else to go." Sahan Journal has more here.More: Watch video highlights of community members rebuilding Minn. with support from the City (Sahan Journal)

Black students are targets of anti bias attacks at school, new report shows: While we honor historic figures and important events during Black History Month, we must also confront the harsh experiences many young Black people face in school. A new report by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Uniform Crime Reporting Program examines reported hate crime incidents and offenses in schools over a five-year period across racial makeup. Black Voice News analyzed the report, "Hate Crime at Schools," and discovered that out of the 828 hate incidents in schools motivated by racial bias in 2022, 66% targeted Black students. Read more of their findings from that report here.

The crumbling state of the media affects us all: In one of the largest staff reductions in the paper's history, the Los Angeles Times laid off about 120 journalists last month. In this op-ed, Prism editor-at-large Tina Vásquez reflects on the impact of the paper's decision on the many Black and Brown journalists who were let go and the message it sends to the American public. "If industry leaders do not value quality journalism produced by reporters who reflect the communities they serve, how can we expect the American public to?" Read her full piece here.

Why Marjorie Garcia advocates for recording artists: The only thing Marjorie Garcia wanted to be as a child was a performing artist, inspired by legends like Ella Fitzgerald and Aretha Franklin. But it wasn't until she began touring as a musician that she realized how much she enjoyed the business side of music. The daughter of immigrants from Guatemala and Mexico, Garcia studied music business in college before becoming an entertainment lawyer during what Latina to Latina host Alicia Menendez calls the age of the 'Latin boom.' 🎧 Listen to Garcia's story here.

This week, founder, publisher and editor of Native News Online Levi Rickert joined NPR's Here & Now to discuss his team's priorities for this year's critical elections, including its focus on voter suppression on Native American reservations, while continuing its tenacious coverage of Indian Boarding Schools and "climate emergency" (climate change). 🎧 Listen to the seven-minute segment here. 

More: Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su on jobs report and closing Native American unemployment gap (Native News Online)

Blackness is expansive. From the vibrant global diaspora to the giants of Black history, we celebrate a people who refuse to be limited. Throughout this February, URL Media will be uplifting stories from our partners that reflect the expansiveness of Blackness — from our origins to current times. We hope you will join us in exploring these stories of joy, history, and identity, including the present-day realities of what it means to be Black. Listen to these ten episodes from URL Media partners Immigrant Media, WURD Radio, PushBlack, Epicenter-NYC, LWC Studios’ Still Paying the Price and others. 🎧 Listen here and make this your go-to playlist this #BlackHistoryMonth.

💡 Discover the stories that make a difference in our world. Visit our newly revamped website and be part of the change. Check us out here!