Governor Brown has done it again. He has proposed in the state budget to close the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) once and for all. The DJJ drains much-needed funds from our schools and vital community programs that would help California thrive. The youth prison system promotes… Read more
2011 was a tough year for many of us as families struggled to make ends meet and violence plagued our streets. In 2012, we have a real opportunity to bring jobs that allow us to stay in our homes, provide for our families, and build a healthy and peaceful Oakland.… Read more
In a few weeks, the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors will vote on whether or not to approve Sheriff Baca’s latest plan to rob LA: a new jail that will cost $2.66 billion dollars($1.4 billion to build and $1.26 billion in interest to bankers). Los Angeles County is one of
Yesterday, California’s state Department of Finance announced that the state will slash more services in order to keep the budget balanced. That includes about $550 million from schools: colleges, universities, and K-12. Devastating cuts to an already shattered budget. In contrast, prisons got cut a measly $20… Read more
Next week, a new documentary will debut called Heist: Who Stole the American Dream? This film features our Executive Director, Jakada Imani and our co-founder Van Jones. Ella’s Voice had the opportunity to interview Donald Goldmacher, the film’s director about this project.
Ella’s Voice (EV) Why… Read more
Last week the University of California regents proposed another 16% tuition increase, over 4 years, in preparation for anticipated state funding cuts. As September comes to a close, I cannot help but reflect on my career as UC student.
Two years ago, while most of students were preparing for their… Read more
We’ve heard it before – “the green economy is here” and “green jobs are on the way!” At the Ella Baker Center, we put time, energy, and money into building training programs and promoting the idea of the “new,” green economy. Just a few years later, the economy crashed and… Read more
The following is a repost of a piece written by friend Rob Biko Baker for GlobalGrind
This past weekend a flash mob made up of dozens of Black youth attacked attendees leaving the Wisconsin State Fair. The violence was random, the punishment was swift and… Read more
The California budget passed by the Legislature and signed by Governor Brown is filled with painful cuts to health, education and state parks. Contrast this with lack of cuts to corrections, and increased spending on lock-up and probation at the local level, and you get a sense of… Read more
I still remember hearing about the The War on Drugs when I was in elementary school. I immediately thought it was one of those amazing action-packed movies starring Sylvester Stallone (an important figure in my childhood for unexplainable reasons). The ones that were filled with machine guns, explosions and… Read more
