For a long time, I wrestled with the question of what am I supposed to do when I want social change to happen ASAP. I’ve asked that question forever and even sometimes wake up in a cold sweat trying to figure it out. This happened quite often… Read more
4 million homeless. 8 million in need of urgent humanitarian care. 20 million total people affected. Pakistan has become a seemingly endless list of numbers that can only begin to describe the devastation following severe flooding of the Indus river. This crisis has affected more people than the… Read more
This post is part of our Silence the Violence series in commemoration of National Silence the Violence Day on July 24th, 2010.
By Joyce Cook
It’s time to stop the violence, and quit being silent little boys and girls thrown into a violent world… Read more
As I headed to downtown Oakland with members of the Ella Baker Center family, I really did not know what to expect. Almost every business was closed. Some of the big ones had posted security guards outside. The streets were almost empty.
I had to laugh as we passed a… Read more
In honor of Father’s Day, we had a conversation with some of the dads of Ella Baker Center, to share their thoughts on what it means to be a dad working for social justice.
How has being a father informed… Read more
In recent months, we have seen an upsurge in online social media contests promising tens of thousands of dollars to organizations that get the most votes or donations, such as Pepsi Refresh, America’s Giving Challenge and eBay’s Humanity Calls. While “grappling” maybe too strong a word, we have been grappling… Read more
With the BP Oil Spill alive and well in the minds of the American people, let us reflect on the lives and wildlife effected by this environmental catastrophe. The time for us to rethink what energy we are using and how we use it is now. The Ella Baker… Read more
This is a guest piece from David Room. I often introduce myself as Melia’s Papa when meeting someone new. Melia, my seven year old daughter, is my inspiration for working on clean energy. The indigenous saying “we do not inherit the planet from our parents; we borrow it from our children,”… Read more
As we recently reported here on the Ella Baker Center blog, The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) recently pulled an appalling bait and switch. Using a website and email campaign, they offered $200 and amnesty to any of 14,000 parolees who had broken contact… Read more
The following post was provided to us by Brett Myers with Youth Radio.
“I’m not the same person I was at 16. No one is. Juvenile offenders…need to know that society believes they can be more than their crimes… All any incarcerated minor wants to believe, is that… Read more
