In 2020, both our state and our nation face unprecedented challenges, yet the words of educator and activist Mary Mcleoud Bethune articulated almost 100 years ago still resonate, “The progress of the world will call for the best that all of us have to give.” We strive to heed those words at Kids Forward, where our mission is to inspire...
Divestment and Race in Kenosha
The nation’s recent protests sparked by tragic and inexcusable police shootings of unarmed Black men are consequences of centuries old racism, enforced too often by the violence and oppression of institutions such as police forces. This seemingly unrelenting violence against Black and Brown communities is inextricably tied to existing...
The Least They Could Do and Still They Refuse
Last Thursday we asked you to contact your elected representatives and Speaker of the Assembly Robin Vos. The ask of them was simple: “Do your job to protect Wisconsinites.” In this context that meant engaging in the emergency legislative session to discuss a series of bills to address police accountability and transparency. As part of...
Tell our Lawmakers Enough is Enough: We Demand Action Now
Faced with yet another incident of police brutality leaving Jacob Blake paralyzed and his three children with unimaginable trauma and the subsequent murder of two protesters, we demand immediate change and accountability to policing in Wisconsin. We support the Governor’s call for an emergency legislative session to address...
We Should All Answer the Door for Census Takers
In a time when we don’t answer our phones if we don’t recognize the number and we don’t answer our doors if we aren’t expecting visitors, Census Takers are taking on a challenging but important job. Starting July 30, census takers will begin interviewing households in Eastern Wisconsin. Click here to see if your community is included. ...
Following Federal Deregulation, 100,000 Wisconsinites Have Junk Insurance
A report from the House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce found that enrollment in short-term health insurance plans increased about 27 percent from 2018 to 2019, and Wisconsin is among the ten states with the highest enrollment. Short-term plans do not have to cover the basic health care services required under the...
Trump Administration’s Latest ACA Sabotage Threatens Transgender Rights
Since its passage, opponents have tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act and failed. President Trump’s administration has taken many steps toward undermining the health law that brought access to health insurance for 22 million people. The ACA worked to reduce racial disparities in access to insurance, and enacted consumer protections...
Working Towards an Anti-Racist Future
Kids Forward staff is angry, devastated, and distraught by the killing of George Floyd, another victim of brutality, in a long line of callous and violent disregard for Black lives in this country, in our state, and in our home city of Madison, Wisconsin. The perpetrator of this brutality is white supremacy and the extraordinarily rigid...
Progress Amidst the Crisis
Last month, we shared some of the ways that youth in custody and the staff who serve them are more vulnerable to COVID-19. We also urged Wisconsin officials and administrators to follow guidelines from Youth Correctional Leaders for Justice to reduce the risk of infection in juvenile detention facilities. The guidelines included best...
State Lawmakers Must Protect Workers and Families as Wisconsin Reopens
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 21, 2020 CONTACT: Ken Taylor, Executive Directorktaylor@kidsforward.org, 608.206.5237William Parke-Sutherland, Health Policy Engagement Coordinatorwparkesutherland@kidsforward.org, 608.284-0580 x317 PDF Version MADISON, WI – More than twenty-five state organizations representing a broad cross-section of...
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