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Paying reparations for slavery is possible – based on a study of federal compensation to farmers, fishermen, coal miners, radiation victims and 70 other groups

Linda J. Bilmes and Cornell William Brooks
Though America has yet to begin compensating Black Americans for past and ongoing racial harms, our new research published in the Russell Sage Foundation Journal in June 2024, refutes one of the key arguments against making reparation payments – that they would be too difficult and…

“Weathering” And The Effects Of Racism On Public Health

Devin Thompson
The emotional and psychological effects of discrimination are familiar to anyone who’s ever been treated differently because of who they are. The damage that stress can do to the human brain has been widely understood for decades. Research on how living in poverty has similar effects on the human…

Report notes segregation patterns in Massachusetts schools

Carrie Jung
According to a new report from a state education advisory board, 60% of public school students in Massachusetts attend a racially segregated school. And of the quarter of students who attend a segregated non-white school — or more than 225,000 students statewide — the majority are Black…

SNAP for Self-Employed and Gig Workers

MLRI
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can help you and your family buy food at supermarkets, grocery stores, and farmers markets. If you are a rideshare or delivery driver - or another type of “gig” worker or self-employed worker - and you need food benefits, here’s what you need to…

SNAP Eligibility Rules/Rights for College Students

MLRI
College students are continuing to struggle with tuition costs and shrinking financial aid. Many students are eligible for SNAP benefits but are not accessing them. This webpage gives you information on who is eligible and how to apply. According to the a Massachusetts Hope Center…

Adult Foster Care and SNAP

MLRI
Low-income persons who provide in-home care to disabled adults through the Adult Foster Care (AFC) program may be entitled to higher SNAP benefits. A household has the choice to include or exclude adult foster care members in the SNAP application.  The attached flyer gives additional…

SNAP Eligibility for Workers on Strike

MLRI
There are special SNAP rules for workers on strike. Many workers who are on strike may be eligible for SNAP. Strikers who were income eligible before going on strike, who care for children under 6, who are 60 or older, or who meet other rules are likely eligible.  See attached Know Your…

SNAP Benefits: Resources for Massachusetts Immigrants

MLRI
Many low-income Massachusetts immigrants are eligible for federal SNAP food benefits. MLRI, Greater Boston Legal Services, and La Colaborativa have 2-page FAQs in English, Spanish, and Portuguese to share with your clients.    See the FeedingOurNeighborsMA.org resources page for…

Foster Care Families and SNAP

MLRI
Low income families who provide foster care may be entitled to higher SNAP benefits. If you are caring for a foster child, you have the choice to include or exclude your foster child in the SNAP application. This is true even though your family and foster child share all food together. Learn…

Pillars, Policies, And Plausible Pathways Linking Digital Inclusion And Health Equity

Amy R. Sheon and Elaine C. Khoong
Digital inclusion and health equity are connected through direct and indirect pathways. Strengthening both pathways will require broad policy and structural reforms to eliminate geographically based sociodemographic segregation and create conditions for people to use the internet to thrive.

SNAP Replacement Benefits due to Natural Disaster, Power Loss, Flooding or other Misfortune

MLRI
Federal and state SNAP rules provide for replacement of food lost by individual SNAP recipients due to "household misfortune." Household misfortune includes fire, flood, loss of electricity (for 4 hours or more), equipment (refrigerator/freezer) failure or other disaster. To…

Decades of Disinvestment: Historic Redlining and Mortgage Lending Since 1981

National Community Reinvestment Coalition
A link to a report that uncovers evidence on the impact of redlining.  Redlining was one of several practices and policies which were instrumental in the creation of existing patterns of residential segregation.  

Elder Benefits Programs -- BBT Training

CLA, DLC, GBLS, MLRI, GSSSI
Materials from the April 30, 2024 Elder Benefits training, presented as part of the MLRI/MCLE Basic Benefits Training Series: Agenda Presentations Elder Basic Benefits Training: Additional resources for older adults (pdf of slides) Elder Basic Benefits Training: Medicare part D and…

Massachusetts State Supplement Payment Levels

Disability Law Center
Massachusetts State Supplement Payment Levels for 2024

Medicare Savings Programs: QMB, SLMB, and QI

Medicare Advocacy Project
The Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB), Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB) and Qualifying Individual (QI) programs are federal Medicare Savings Programs (MSPs) which help low income elders and younger Medicare beneficiaries access Medicare benefits. This brochure is an overview of…

Medicare Part D Cost Sharing

Medicare Advocacy Project
Listed please find information on Medicare Part D costs for 2024.   Prior years also included.

Medicare Amounts

Medicare Advocacy Project
The attached chart shows information on Medicare costs for 2024, including deductibles, premiums, co-insurance, and amount in controversy thresholds. Older chart(s) also included.

House Ways and Means FY 2025 Budget Proposal: MLRI's Preliminary Analysis of Selected Issues

MLRI
On April 10, 2024, the House Committee on Ways and Means released its budget proposal for fiscal year 2025 (FY 25), which is referred to as House 4600.  MLRI offers this preliminary analysis of selected budget topics affecting low-income residents of the Commonwealth.   Download…

The new census racial categories ‘erase’ Afro Latinos

Tanya Kateri Hernandez
The new OMB standard now combines both inquiries into a single question of “What is your race and/ or ethnicity?” and collapses Latino/Hispanic ethnic identity into the list of ethno-racial categories with Black, White, Asian, American Indian, Middle Eastern, Native Hawaiian. While the OMB…

Immigrants and Public Benefits -- BBT Training and Resource Materials

MLRI
The following are materials are for the March 27, 2024 Immigrants and Public Benefits training. These are the core materials presented as part of the annual Mass Law Reform Institute and Mass Continuing Legal Education Basic Benefits Training (BBT) Series.  We've also added some…

FCC rule against broadband digital discrimination goes into effect

Linda Hardesty
The 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law required the FCC to adopt rules to prevent and eliminate digital discrimination in regard to access to broadband, and those rules went into effect on March 22. According to the FCC, the rules will “help to ameliorate a digital divide that has…

Infographic flier: The Added Benefits of SNAP Benefits - in Five Languages

MLRI
MLRI infographic fliers in English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, Vietnamese, and Portuguese that explain the additional benefits of SNAP for Massachusetts--including Summer EBT food benefits, utility discounts, MBTA Youth Pass, museum discounts and more!  These fliers may be using in…

Health Benefits for All Massachusetts Residents Regardless of Citizenship

MLRI
A list of health programs available to all Massachusetts residents regardless of US citizenship or immigration status with a short description of each program and information on how to apply; in English, Spanish & Portuguese. Revised in March 2024 with updated COVID-19 information. 

Narrative Toolkits

The FrameWorks Institute
With sample language and user notes, FrameWorks’ issue-based toolkits offer practical framing strategies that communicators can put to immediate use.

2024 Upper Income Limits for MassHealth and other Coverage Programs

MLRI
Attached is MLRI's March 1, 2024 update of the upper income limits in MassHealth, MSP, Health Safety Net, CMSP and ConnectorCare.  MassHealth's Desk Guide with the updated March 1 2024 figures is attached and is also posted with other program financial guidelines at the website linked to…

Health Care Access Programs -- BBT Training

HLA, BPHC, HCFA, GBLS, MLRI
Materials from the February 29, 2024 Health Care Access Programs training, presented as part of the MLRI/MCLE Basic Benefits Training Series: Handout Materials Agenda (pdf) How to Apply for Public Health Insurance Benefits in Massachusetts (pdf of slides) ConnectorCare:…

Work Requirements Are Rooted in the History of Slavery

Ife Finch Floyd and Suzanne Wikle
Work requirements—or requiring people to find employment in order to access public benefits—force people to prove that they deserve a social safety net. But where did they come from, and why are they still a central part of economic policy today? 

Sworn Statement for Declaring Shelter Expenses for SNAP

MLRI
Households applying for SNAP benefits are not required to submit a lease, landlord verification or rent receipt to verify shelter costs. Instead, households can self declare rent, mortgage, and type of utility costs by sending DTA a written statement or providing the information to DTA over the…

The Racial Wealth Divide And Black Homeownership: New Data Show Small Gains, Deep Fragility

Joseph Dean
KEY TAKEAWAYS: Black households had the largest percentage increase of any group in median net worth from 2019 to 2022, up 60% to $44,900. Black wealth gains did not, however, narrow the racial wealth divide to any meaningful degree: A three percentage-point contraction in the Black-White…

Helping Families Get The TAFDC Children's Clothing Allowance

MLRI
Good news for families participating in the Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC) program! For the month of September, the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) increases the income eligibility limits and payment standards for the TAFDC program. This…

The DTA Assistance Line: Information for Clients and Community Organizations

MLRI
MLRI knows that right now it can be very hard to reach DTA by phone. Click here for a list of tips from MLRI on how to get help if you can't get through the DTA Assistance Line.  How do I reach DTA? DTA has one main phone number called the DTA Assistance Line: …

Online SNAP Calculator

MLRI
MLRI's revised and simplified online calculator gives you the monthly SNAP benefits amount a household typically receives based on their countable income and expenses.  Go to the  Massachusetts  Online SNAP Calculator  For a paper worksheet and an Excel calculator,…

MA SNAP Calculation Worksheet

MLRI
Use the attached worksheet for  manual SNAP calculations. This worksheet is accurate starting February 1, 2024.   

Massachusetts SNAP Calculators

MLRI
Three ways to do the SNAP math for MA residents! 1. Online SNAP calculator: Here is a link to an online SNAP calculator that you can use right from your browser or mobile device, without downloading anything!  2. SNAP Excel calculator: You can download our…

Income and Benefit Standards for SNAP

MLRI
SNAP benefit levels, gross and net income tests, and deductions.

At-a-Glance SNAP Benefit Charts

MLRI
Follow the links below to view "at-a-glance" SNAP benefits charts with sample SNAP amounts for: households with older adults or persons with disabilities,  working families, and households receiving unemployment. And, here is a chart that helps advise older adults and…

Governor's FY 2025 Budget Proposal: MLRI's Preliminary Analysis of Selected Issues

MLRI
On January 24, 2024, Governor Healey released her budget proposal for fiscal year 2025 (FY 25), which is referred to as House 2. MLRI offers this preliminary analysis of selected budget topics impacting low-income residents of the Commonwealth. Download MLRI's preliminary analysis…

National Trends of School Pushout: Summary of Discipline Data for Girls in U.S. Public Schools, 2011-2018

National Black Women's Justice Institute
A snapshot of national disciplinary trends among girls in public schools broken down by race and ethnicity across four school years between 2011 and 2018.

Why DEI Leaders Are Burning Out — and How Organizations Can Help

Kelly Pledger Weeks, Nicolina Taylor, Alison Hall Birch, Myrtle P. Bell, Anna Nottingham, and Louwanda Evans
Our in-depth interviews with 23 HR and DEI professionals across various industries in the United States offered evidence that the mantle of DEI work is emotionally taxing. These professionals shared vivid accounts of stress and frustration and expressed the need for near-constant emotional…

Answers to Common Bankruptcy Questions

Greater Boston Legal Services and National Consumer Law Center
This brochure was originally prepared by the National Consumer Law Center, and adapted for Massachusetts by Greater Boston Legal Services. View it on the MassLegalHelp website: Answers to Common Bankruptcy Questions What is involved in Filing for Bankruptcy

What Is Marginalization & What Can You Do About It?

Beth Castle
Marginalization, as we currently define it, is the act of relegating someone to an unimportant or powerless position—making them feel, if you will, like they’re the notes squeezed into the margins of society. Scrawled. Practically unreadable. Small. At work, marginalization happens because a…

Federal Poverty Guidelines - 2024

MLRI
The charts below set forth the annual, monthly and weekly 2024 Federal Poverty Guidelines (based on HHS thresholds).  In addition, the annual, monthly and weekly 115% of poverty, 125% of poverty,  187.5%, 200% of poverty and 300% of poverty amounts are listed. Finally, you can…

SNAP 101: Basic Benefits Training (BBT) Materials - January 2024

MLRI
Below are the powerpoints and materials from the January 24, 2024 SNAP training, presented as part of the MLRI/MCLE Basic Benefits Training series. Advocates are also encouraged to review the MLRI SNAP Advocacy Guide also listed below. About the Faculty SNAP 101 Presentation Slides…

Utility Advocacy for Low-Income Households in Massachusetts

MLRI, et. al.
Materials from the January 18, 2024 Utility Advocacy for Low-Income Households in Massachusetts training, presented as part of the MLRI/MCLE Basic Benefits Training Series: Agenda About the faculty Utilities Advocacy for Low-Income Households in Massachusetts (pdf of…

Building Narrative Power

Color of Change
Papers and Presentations Focused on Strategy, Infrastructure & Content for Culture Change and Narrative Change Strategies

Who lives here: Digging deep into Boston's demographics

Simón Rios
More than 650,000 people live in Boston — tiny by comparison to other major cities — but nearly 5 million inhabit the metro area. Boston itself officially became a majority-minority city in 2000, meaning fewer than half of residents identify as “non-Hispanic white.” Latinos, Black and…

Are You Constantly On Guard at Work? You Might Be Experiencing Emotional Tax

Stephanie Olsen
Emotional tax is defined as a psychological burden, usually as a result of being different from those around you in terms of race or gender.  Are you always on high alert, defending and explaining yourself when you really shouldn’t have to? Maybe you hide your true self, trying to deflect…

Cash Assistance: TAFDC BBT Training

MLRI
Materials from the December 04, 2023 Cash Assistance training, presented as part of the MLRI/MCLE Basic Benefits Training Series: Training Presentation Materials Agenda  Faculty Bios  TAFDC Cash Assistance Program 2023 Training (pdf of slides) TAFDC Basic Rules (pdf of…

Race Relations in Mexico- The Color Hierarchy

LibreTexts
Explanation of how racial relations in Mexico have been influenced by the colonial caste system.   Document date unknown.

How Tone Policing is Used to Silence Marginalized People

Nicole Cardoza, Anti-Racism Daily
Tone policing is one of many ways that dominant culture “polices” marginalized people. Either subconsciously (informed by one’s unconscious bias) or intentionally, some people use tone policing to deflect from their own inappropriate misconduct and put the person reacting to their…