General Resources

Enter the word(s) you are searching for; use quotes for exact phrase

Everything else!

Displaying 251 - 300 of 1338
View by Library Type
Sort by

Black WWII veterans would get G.I. benefits under Seth Moulton bill

Amy Sokolow, Boston Herald
The benefits of the G.I. Bill, often thought of as the path to the middle class for millions of WWII veterans, were largely denied to Black veterans. U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Salem, hopes to change that with a new bill. “Many Black veterans were … denied benefits, denied homes,…

March & Nov 2021 Update of FPL Tables in MassHealth & Health Connector

MassHealth & MLRI
Attached are updated Tables from MassHealth and MLRI showing the upper income levels for MassHealth and Health Connector programs. It is updated to show the cost of living adjustments for 2021 that take effect in MassHealth programs on March 1, 2021. The Health Connector uses the 2020 federal…

What ‘Structural Racism’ Really Means

Jamelle Bouie
Opinion piece, New York Times.

Black Lives Matter, Pandemic Inequalities Drive Use of Racial Impact Statements in State Policy

Elaine S. Povich, USA Today
From the article: More states are trying to assess the racial impact of new laws, as the consciousness of many legislators has been raised by the murder of George Floyd, the Black Lives Matter movement and the pandemic’s disproportionate effect on minorities. In many states, lawmakers…

Land acknowledgments meant to honor Indigenous people too often do the opposite – erasing American Indians and sanitizing history instead

Elisa J. Sobo, Michael Lambert, and Valerie Lambert
Land acknowledgments state that activities are taking place on land previously owned by Indigenous peoples. They’re popular – but they may harm more than they heal, say three anthropologists.

Why Your Chief Executive Officer Should Also Be Your Chief Diversity Officer

Rania Robinson, AdWeek
Rania Robinson advocates for inclusivity to be driven by the topmost leader, and the role of the CEO in maintaining accountability before others become burdened 

Zoning and Equity (Webinar)

A Rappaport Center for Law & Public Policy
Co-Sponsors: Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies; BC Black Law Students Association (BLSA) Sara Bronin, Professor of Planning and Law at Cornell University Amy Dain, Consultant, Amy Dain Research; Participatory Moderator Lydia Edwards, Boston City Councilor, District One Harley Etienne,…

Understanding the Rights of and Unique Challenges Faced by Indigenous Migrants

Immigrant Legal Resource Center
During the webinar, community leaders shared their experiences and perspectives as Indigenous people on Indigenous rights, sovereignty, migration, and ways to better serve Indigenous migrant clients.

Working with clients experiencing Traumatic Brain Injury

Liz Valentin, Suffolk University Law School
While legal aid attorneys have come a long way in embracing trauma-informed advocacy, we still have much to learn about the physical and mental health of our clients. Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs) can produce cognitive and psychological impairments, and not just for professional football players.…

School Hate Crime Resource Guide

Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security
Prepared by Institute on Race and Justice at Northeastern University, American University, and the Anti-Defamation League of New England The goal of this School Hate Crime Resource Guide is to provide information to assist elementary, middle, and high schools in Massachusetts in preventing and…

Why we need to embrace introverted Black women in the workplace

Rene Germain
From the article: “When we aren’t overly talkative, overly expressive and living our lives out loud as they expect, I believe our lack of animation and conversation can be misread as mean, unfriendly, angry, unhappy, and even not engaged. The trouble with this is, this misperception…

Community Voice and Power Sharing Guidebook

John Sankofa, Hannah Daly, and Elsa Falkenburger
The Urban Institute created a guidebook that covers different topics in community-engaged work to aid those who are just beginning these efforts or looking to expand or deepen the work they are already doing. The guidebook includes practical advice for partnership building, community…

The first battle in the culture wars: The quality of diversity

Nicholas Ensley Mitchell, The Conversation
The meaning of words like “equity” and “inclusion” – used often in discussions of diversity – is difficult to grasp until Americans address what they think “diversity” looks like. That’s because the quality of diversity comprises both a political…

Don’t Let Hybrid Work Set Back Your DEI Efforts

Alexandra Samuel and Tara Robertson, Harvard Business Journal
  Hybrid work is likely to exacerbate diversity and equity challenges — and gains — that we saw during the era of remote work. By measuring five aspects of the hybrid workplace — 1) who’s spending time working at the office versus at home; 2) who gets to choose when…

For Black students, unfairly harsh discipline can lead to lower grades

American Psychological Association
Article about a study showing that Black students more likely than white students to be suspended for minor infractions, harming later academic achievement

Fact Sheet: Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program Overhaul

U.S. Department of Education
The Department of Education is announcing a set of actions that, over the coming months, will restore the promise of PSLF. We will offer a time-limited waiver so that student borrowers can count payments from all federal loan programs or repayment plans toward forgiveness. 

DEI: How to Address Microaggressions in the Workplace

Mckenzie Cassidy
Addressing and eliminating microaggressions should be part of your Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) strategy to ensure the improvement of company culture. Microaggressions are thinly veiled, everyday instances of racism, homophobia, or sexism. Often, they surface as small comments, gestures,…

The Roles of Suspensions for Minor Infractions and School Climate in Predicting Academic Performance Among Adolescents

Juan Del Toro and Ming-Te Wang, University of Pittsburg
The present study shows that more African American youth are suspended for minor infractions than White youth. In addition, these suspensions predicted poor school grades and school climate perceptions for African American youth. These findings raise concerns about school adults’ discretion in…

DEI: How to Address Microaggressions in the Workplace

Mckenzie Cassidy
Addressing and eliminating microaggressions should be part of your Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) strategy to ensure the improvement of company culture. Microaggressions are thinly veiled, everyday instances of racism, homophobia, or sexism. Often, they surface as small comments, gestures,…

Coerced Debt - Presentation for Community Providers

On September 29, 2021, the Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission sponsored a presentation for community advocates in Massachusetts about dealing with debt resulting from intimidation, bullying, and domestic violence - also known as coerced debt. Kristen Bor-Zale, Equal Justice Works fellow…

From Seed to Harvest: A Toolkit for Collaborative Racial Equity Strategies

Leah Obias and Emi Yoko-Young, Race Forward
A guide to racial equity practices within your community-government collaboration for sustainability and renewable energy policies and programs. With this toolkit, you will learn a process for cultivating your plan, program, or policies through three steps: Preparation Planting…

Why Data Disaggregation is key during a pandemic: A digital transformation toolkit

Pan American Health Organization
From the author: When a pandemic occurs, an appropriate and efficient response requires that we identify and characterize the factors that slow or accelerate transmission and the populations that are most vulnerable. High quality, accessible, trusted, timely, open, and reliable disaggregated data…

What Does "Latinx" Mean, Exactly? Everything you need to know about the gender-inclusive term.

Irina Gonzalez
A go-to guide for the meaning of "Latinx." While the difference between "Latinx" and "Hispanic" largely comes down to how you self-identify (more on that, below), "Latinx" has typically been adopted among people who are looking for a more inclusive and…

5 Do’s When Someone Accuses You of Racism and Bonus: 5 Don’ts

Dr. Aradhana Mudambi
5 tips when confronted with being called a racist. "Every so often, I hear stories from indignant people about how someone called them racist.  These indignant souls are looking for me to affirm for them that the accusation is not true.  Unless the accuser thinks that the active…

Reparations: Issues, Challenges, and Opportunities

Boston College Law School's Rappaport Center for Law and Public Policy
Sponsored by the Rappaport Center for Law and Public Policy Co-Sponsor: BC Law Black Law Students Association (BLSA) Featuring: Jeffery Robinson, Founder and Executive Director, The Who We Are Project; Participatory Moderator Robin Rue Simmons, Former Alderman, Evanston, IL; Founder and Executive…

Still Running Up the Down Escalator: How Narratives Shape Our Understanding of Racial Wealth Inequality

Natasha Hicks, Fenaba R. Addo, Anne E. Price and William A. Darity, Jr
This paper provides up-to-date estimates of the magnitude of racial wealth inequities, explicitly focusing on Black and White populations, and highlights how personal responsibility, bootstraps, and anti-black narratives have distorted society’s understanding of racial wealth disparities and…

Fighting Poverty with SNAP: Reassessing the Tool Kit for a Unified Movement for Economic Justice

The Othering & Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley
Countless organization. communities, and social movements across the United States are fighting for a more just and equitable future. Alongside their work, this report envisions a future where hunger is recognized as an issue of poverty and not simply a lack of food and thus where poverty…

Building a Relational Culture

City of Seattle Race and Social Justice Initiative
Use this resource for reflection and action, a guide toward building practices for ourselves, on our teams and across our organizations that create changes that are part of a larger movement that’s committed to liberation for all. Each manifestation of relational culture contains practices…

Appendix B - Sample Certification Policy - .docx (word)

Alexandra Bonazoli, Julie Dahlstrom, Emily Leung, Sarah Leidel, Jennifer Ollington, Ashleigh Pelto, Jamie Sabino
Attached please find Appendix B Sample Certification Policy - .docx (word), which is part of "A Guide for Certifiers: MGL 258F Certification for Victims of Violent Crime and Human Trafficking." 

A Guide for Certifying Agencies: MGL 258F Certification for Victims of Violent Crime and Human Trafficking

Alexandra Bonazoli, Julie Dahlstrom, Emily Leung, Sarah Leidel, Jennifer Ollington, Ashleigh Pelto, Jamie Sabino
This guide provides information to certifying agencies about the new law, M.G.L. 258F Certification for Victims of Violent Crime and Human Trafficking, which went into effect on July 1, 2021. The law provides victims of violent crime and human trafficking equal access to justice throughout the…

Appendix G Sample Tracking Spreadsheet (.xlsx - excel)

Alexandra Bonazoli, Julie Dahlstrom, Emily Leung, Sarah Leidel, Jennifer Ollington, Ashleigh Pelto, Jamie Sabino
Attached please find Appendix G Sample Tracking Spreadsheet (.xlsx - excel), which is part of the "Guide for Certifiers: MGL 258F Certification for Victims of Violent Crime and Human Trafficking."

Appendix D Sample Designated Certifier Letter - .docx (word)

Alexandra Bonazoli, Julie Dahlstrom, Emily Leung, Sarah Leidel, Jennifer Ollington, Ashleigh Pelto, Jamie Sabino
Attached please find a .docx (word) version of "Appendix D Sample Designated Certifier Letter," which is part of the "Guide for Certifiers: MGL 258F Certification for Victims of Violent Crime and Human Trafficking."

Supporting the Economic Security and Health of Older Women of Color

Justice in Aging
From the introduction to this Issue Brief: Women of color confront systemic discrimination–on the basis of race, gender, and other characteristics like sexual orientation, gender identity, immigration or disability status–throughout their lives. It is important to understand that…

Fear of the Black Child

Kristin Henning
We live in a society that is uniquely afraid of Black children. Americans become anxious — if not outright terrified — at the sight of a Black child ringing the doorbell, riding in a car with white women, or walking too close in a convenience store. Americans think of Black children as…

Building Partnerships & Community Connections

COVID Eviction Legal Help Project
  Tenants who face housing insecurity do not always know about free legal aid or where to find it. Many have trouble accessing free legal aid once they know it is available.  This toolkit offers legal aid organizations ideas they can use to connect with tenants — both directly…

The Fruits of the Past The Unfair Consequences of Excluding Massachusetts Farmworkers from State Labor Law Protections and How the Fairness for Farmworkers Act Will Remedy That Injustice

The Fairness for Farmworkers Coalition
Farmworkers across Massachusetts plant and harvest fruits and vegetables, raise livestock, and tend to orchards and nurseries.It is both highly skilled and often back-breaking work. Yet, Massachusetts law excludes farmworkers from important labor protections afforded the rest of the…

Race Equity in Legal Advocacy: Moving from Theory to Practice (Webinar)

Columbia Legal Services
A panel of Columbia Legal Services (CLS) advocates share their experiences on the journey towards race equity.

Building Racial Equity into Emergency Rental Assistance Programs An Equity Checklist for Program Administrators

Urban Institute
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the disproportionate housing stability challenges faced by Black, Latinx, and Indigenous people, and its health and economic effects made those disparities even worse. State and local governments are now distributing the almost $47 billion in emergency rental…

These 4 phrases are sabotaging your DEI efforts

Mita Mallick
While these commitments are critical, the hard work of building inclusive cultures comes down to the conversations happening every day in boardrooms, in virtual team meetings, and in one-on-one interactions. The language we use when discussing our DEI efforts matter. The words and phrases we use…

Personal Self-Assessment of Anti-Bias Behavior Worksheet

Anti-Defamation League
Link to a checklist for assessing individual attitudes and behaviors for bias.  As “unlearning” prejudice is a life-long process, it is useful to periodically reflect on our attitudes and behaviors regarding issues of bias.

Perceptions of Unfair Treatment or Judgment Due to Race or Ethnicity in Five Settings (Brief)

Dulce Gonzalez, Genevieve M. Kenney, Marla McDaniel, Laura Skopec
This paper looks at  the extent of perceptions of unfair treatment or judgment due to race and ethnicity across five domains during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Most Adults Who Feel Treated or Judged Unfairly by Health Care Providers Report Adverse Consequences (Fact Sheet)

Laura Skopec, Dulce Gonzalez, Genevieve M. Kenney
From the introduction to the report: Black and Hispanic/Latinx adults report experiencing discrimination when seeking health care at higher rates than white adults, which raises the question: How might these reported experiences adversely affect health care? The Urban Institute’s…

Socioeconomic and Demographic Characteristics of Both Inpatients and Outpatients with Positive Testing for SARS-CoV-2

Jason H. Wasfy et al, Journal of General Internal Medicine
From the article: Positive SARS-CoV-2 tests are highly correlated with race and poverty. Black and lower income patients tested positive more than double the proportion of White and higher-income patients. Patients in zip codes with higher proportions of service sector workers had more than…

4 Types of Racism

Race and Social Justice Initiative (RSJI) & Seattle Office for Civil Rights
Definition of basic concepts of racism such as interpersonal, institutional, structural and internalized racism. 

Hispanic LGBTQ Individuals Encounter Heightened Discrimination

Lindsay Mahowald, The Center for American Progress
The 2020 CAP survey shows disparities in access to services, benefits, and mental health care for Hispanic LGBTQ individuals.

IT’S TIME-PUSHING THE ENVELOPE: CENTERING RACIAL JUSTICE IN CIVIL LEGAL AID ADVOCACY

JANET CHUNG, COLUMBIA LEGAL SERVICES & ROBBIE MCEWEN, NEBRASKA APPLESEED CENTER FOR LAW IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST
PowerPoint Presentation on how to begin to center racial equity in civil legal aid work.

Antiracism & Immigration: People First

Be Antiracist with Ibram Kendi
As a 2020 presidential candidate, Julián Castro proposed radically reforming United States immigration policy by putting people first. Previously he served as President Barack Obama’s Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and spent three terms as mayor of San Antonio, Texas. In…

How to Close the Digital Divide in the U.S.

Bhaskar Chakravorti, Harvard Business Review
From the summary of the report: The U.S. government is negotiating a plan to address one of the most important — but overlooked — problems facing the country: the digital divide. While this problem is often talked about as a simple problem of access to broadband internet service, it…

MassHealth Estate Recovery webinar for assisters & legal aid July 22, 2021

MLRI
MassHealth Estate Recovery A webinar for enrollment assisters & legal aid advocates July 22, 2021, 2-3 pm Recording & slides of July 22 Estate Recovery webinar now available. If you missed the July 22, 2021 Estate Recovery Webinar, the recording is posted here on the…

Inclusive and Empathetic Language Use Guidelines

Alliance for Healthier Communities
Referring to people as the vulnerable, the poor, the homeless, drug addicts, mentally ill, disabled, etc., is common in policy documents, media and our own communications. Unlike derogatory terms or slurs, these words are not meant to be intentionally harmful. More often than not they are used out…