Economic Security

The Daily Rundown — World AIDS Day Edition

Posted on by Mariah Craven

World_Aids_Day_RibbonIn today’s rundown: It’s World AIDS Day.  Find out where you can get a free HIV test.  The story of a young woman who died after being stigmatized for having HIV.  The social impact of long-term unemployment.

— To commemorate World AIDS Day, several D.C.-area organizations are offering free HIV testing, including Women’s Foundation Grantee Partner The Women’s Collective.  We Love DC has a rundown of where you can get tested for free!

— Is the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS just as deadly as the disease itself?  In a commentary on WAMU, Dr. Sohail Rana explains how one of his patients died after being stigmatized by those closest to her.

— A long period of high unemployment could have a major social impact in the U.S., according to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke.  “There are obviously very severe economic and social consequences from this level of unemployment… so getting new jobs, getting unemployment down is of an incredible importance,” Bernanke said, according to The Huffington Post.

No Suffering in D.C.? Wake Up, Congress!

Posted on by Mariah Craven

Allen WestThis weekend, U.S. Representative-elect Allen West (R-FL) made some comments on Meet the Press that were incredibly frustrating in their inaccuracy and divisiveness.  He was responding to a question from anchor David Gregory about Bush-era tax cuts.  Here’s part of the transcript from NBC:

MR. GREGORY: The — Congressman, the — on the issue of tax cuts , do you buy the president’s argument, “Look, let’s extend those Bush -era tax cuts for the middle class first, then we can come back and do the upper earners, or at least have that conversation”?

REP.-ELECT WEST: No. I think that we need to extend those tax cuts permanently across the board. Look, I come from a — an area down in South Florida where unemployment is at 13 percent, foreclosures are absolutely high. We are seeing closed upon closed storefronts. But yet, when you walk around here in Washington, D.C., you don’t see people getting laid off, you don’t see, you know, anyone suffering, you don’t see the foreclosures. There is a belief that things are not going well down on Main Street, and they need to be heard. There is a belief that it has to start from up here with the right type of cuts in the spending, the right type of cuts in the growth of government.

So, the Congressman doesn’t see anyone suffering when he walks around D.C.  I wonder how much he has walked around the District and where, exactly, he’s walking.  Has he walked around Ward 8 where the unemployment rate is 26.5 percent?  Has he walked past the new IHOP in Columbia Heights where 500 people – many of whom were overqualified – applied for jobs?  When he’s walking, is he talking to any single women who are caring for their families on less than $29,900/year – the median income for this family type, according to our new report 2010 Portrait of Women & Girls in the Washington Metropolitan Area?

I get what the Congressman is trying to do – sort of.  He wants his constituents back in Florida to think that he’s coming up here and bucking the system.  He’s the one in D.C. who understands them.  He’s going to show those wealthy, out-of-touch fat cats a thing or two about the real America.  He’s representing Main Street inside the Beltway.  But what he and many other politicians don’t seem to get is that Washington, D.C. stretches far beyond Capitol Hill.  This is a city that struggles with unemployment and foreclosure and a shrinking middle class – just like the rest of the country.  To imply that we don’t have these problems is insulting and shows a frightening myopia.  These things are happening all around you in D.C.  Open your eyes.  We’re not different – we’re a microcosm of what’s going on in your home state.

So to Rep. West, the incoming Congressional class, the seasoned members of Congress, and journalists (come on David Gregory! You should have said something about the inaccuracies mentioned on your program – this is your city, too.), I’d like to extend an invitation for you to learn more about the city that you inhabit for a good part of the year.  Yes, this city is set up so that you can breeze in and out and go about your business without ever seeing the need – but is that really what a public servant is supposed to do?

You can get started by reading The Women’s Foundation’s new report 2010 Portrait of Women & Girls in the Washington Metropolitan Area.  In it you’ll find a comprehensive look at the lives, strengths and needs of women and girls in this region – and I guarantee you it will look familiar.  The challenges that local women and girls face are very similar to those of women and girls around the country.  And the idea that you can improve an entire community by increasing the economic security of women-headed families is universal.

Next, I’d like to take you on a walk that will have you leaving Pennsylvania Avenue and meeting some of our 150 Grantee Partners – organizations that are fighting the very issues that Rep. West claimed D.C. isn’t struggling with.  Hopefully he and others can recognize that the work of these incredible nonprofits isn’t in vain.

If you’d like to learn more, you can reach me at mcraven@wawf.org or 202-347-7737, ext. 207.

The Daily Rundown — The Latest News Affecting Women & Girls in Our Region

Posted on by Mariah Craven

grocery storeIn today’s rundown: 13% of D.C. homes struggle with hunger. | How locals are responding to a proposal to limit welfare benefits and the announcement that a big box store is coming to D.C. | A Women’s Foundation donor is named a Philanthropist of the Year.

— Nearly 13 percent of D.C. households are struggling with hunger, reports our Grantee Partner DC Hunger Solutions.  4.5 percent of residents are living in households that have “very low food security.”

— In her latest column, The Washington Post‘s Petula Dvorak takes a look at two pieces of big news in the District this week: the announcement that Wal-Mart would be opening four stores in D.C. and Council member Marion Barry’s proposal to limit TANF benefits to five years for local residents.

— The Washington Post also reports that many of the 500 people who applied for positions at D.C.’s new IHOP were overqualified for the positions. A large number had also been looking for work for more than six months.

— Carol Trawick has been named 2010 Philanthropist of the Year by the Community Foundation of Montgomery County.  The organization chose Trawick because of her work with more than 90 nonprofits in the county through the foundation she and her late husband started, reports The Washington Post.

The Daily Rundown — The Latest News Affecting Women & Girls in Our Region

Posted on by Mariah Craven

Voted StickerIn today’s rundown: Early voting begins in Maryland. | Ahead of the midterm elections, the Obama Administration releases a new policy paper on women and the economy. | And food stamp usage among working families has skyrocketed.

— Early voting is underway in Maryland.  Voting centers throughout the state are open through October 28.  For details about times and locations visit the state board of elections website.

— “As one of its closing arguments before the midterm elections, the Obama administration is highlighting the impact its economic policies have had on women,” reports The New York Times. The article goes on to highlight some of the findings in the 32-page policy paper.

— Food stamp usage in the U.S. has jumped 70 percent since 2007, according to The Huffington Post. More than one in eight Americans uses food stamps.

The Daily Rundown — The Latest News Affecting Women & Girls in Our Region

Posted on by Mariah Craven

In today’s rundown: The NEC releases a new report on women and the economy. | A new study finds that women give significantly more to charity than men. | And you don’t have to have a car to feed the meters in Silver Spring. New parking meters will give MoCo residents a chance to help the homeless.

— Today, the National Economic Council released the report Jobs and Economic Security for America’s Women. The report “lays out the economic landscape facing women today and details some of the many ways the Administration is committed to making sure the government is working for all Americans and especially American women.”

— Women give significantly more to charity than men, according to a new study from the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. The study says factors to women’s growing generosity may include: more women are working and their incomes have grown and the percentage of women who earn more than their husbands is about 26 percent.

— Five refurbished parking meters in downtown Silver Spring will give Montgomery County residents another opportunity to help the homeless in their community.  Donations to the meters will go to Shepherd’s Table, a nonprofit homeless center, The Washington Post reports. Advocates for the homeless warn, however, that the meters shouldn’t be expected to replace panhandling.

The Daily Rundown — The Latest News Affecting Women & Girls in Our Region

Posted on by Mariah Craven

CB101780In today’s rundown: The impact education has on local employment. | A new bill in the City Council could bring fresh fruits and vegetables to some of D.C.’s poorest neighborhoods. | And a look at how to address the under-representation of women in U.S. politics.

— In the Washington Examiner, Jonetta Rose Barras takes a look at why some D.C. residents don’t have an adequate education and the impact it’s having on their employment.  The Women’s Foundation’s new report, Portrait Project 2010, found that women in our region with degrees earn three times more than women without a high school diploma ($70,000 vs. $18,000).

— Some members of the D.C. Council are proposing legislation that would give subsidies to markets that carry fruits and vegetables.  The recipients of the subsidies would be in “food deserts,” areas of the city where it’s easier to buy junk food.  Currently, there are only three grocery stores available to the 140,000 residents who live in Wards 7 and 8.

— Is a “jump start” measure needed to ensure that more women serve in Congress?  About.com’s Women’s Issues blog takes a look at addressing the under-representation of women in U.S. politics.

Photo Credit: Spirit-Fire via Creative Commons

The Daily Rundown — The Latest News Affecting Women & Girls in Our Region

Posted on by Mariah Craven

woman_working_out_debtIn today’s rundown: While the full-time employment rate in the region has been stable, part-time workers here have faced some of the worst pay losses in the country. | Why climbing out of poverty is nearly impossible for former inmates. | A large number of DCPS students are now getting three meals a day at school. | A new report finds that women are bearing most of the caretaking burden when it comes to Alzheimer’s, and it’s affecting their health.

— “Part-time workers in the Washington region suffered some of the worst pay losses in the nation during the recession,” reports The Washington Post. The median pay for women slipped from the highest in the country to fourth place.

— NPR reports that climbing out of poverty is nearly impossible for former inmates and explores the long-term effects of incarceration.  The U.S. has the highest rate of incarceration in the world, with more than 2 million people in prison.

— D.C. Public Schools are now serving dinner to an estimated 10,000 students, according to The Washington Post. The $5.7 million dinner program is meant to help fight childhood hunger, reduce the rate of obesity among students, and get more children into after school programs.

— A new report on Alzheimer’s finds that women take on most of the caretaking burden.  The Shriver Report on Alzheimer’s finds that the majority of patients and caretakers are women.  More than half of them report serious emotional and physical stress.

The Daily Rundown — The Latest News Affecting Women & Girls in Our Region

Posted on by Mariah Craven

In today’s rundown: The announcement of a new initiative to create jobs for thousands of women. | A local nonprofit is the victim of vandals. | Virginia is scheduled to execute the first woman in nearly a century tonight.

— As the Clinton Global Initiative wraps up in New York today, Women’s Funding Network will announce its commitment to fund $3 million in projects for job creation, placement and retention to improve the lives of thousands of women and girls and their families, while also contributing to the recovery of the U.S. economy.  The Women Moving Jobs program is being carried out in partnership with five women’s foundations, including Washington Area Women’s Foundation.

— Some of D.C. Central Kitchen’s vans were vandalized earlier this week and TBD.com reports that it appears the nonprofit was deliberately targeted. Nine vehicles were tagged with red spray paint and have been taken out of service.

— The first woman to be executed in Virginia since 1912 is scheduled to die by lethal injection tonight.  Teresa Lewis was sentenced to death for hiring two men to kill her husband and stepson in 2002.  There has been international opposition to her execution, including from the European Union and Iran.

The Daily Rundown — The Latest News Affecting Women & Girls in Our Region

Posted on by Mariah Craven

Happy Business WomanIn today’s rundown: Local companies make a list of the best companies for mothers to work in. | And a local athlete apologizes for comments he made about women reporters.

— Working Mother Magazine has released its list of the best places for mothers to work and several local companies made the cut. According to NBC4, “companies that earn spots on the Working Mother 100 Best Companies list are more likely than others to offer telecommuting, formal mentoring, health insurance for part-timers, flextime, paid maternity leave, lactation rooms, on-site childcare, mental health consultations, elder-care resources, health screening and wellness programs.”

Local companies on the list include: Arnold & Porter, Covington & Burling, Fannie Mae, FINRA, National Education Association, Marriott International, Inc., Discovery Communications, Freddie Mac, and Capital One Financial Corporation.

— Washington Redskins running back Clinton Portis has apologized for comments he made while weighing in on the NFL’s investigation of the New York Jets’ treatment of television reporter Ines Sainz.  Some of the Jets players reportedly made catcalls at Sainz during a practice on Saturday.  Despite knowing nothing about the controversy, Portis talked about the incident during a weekly radio appearance on Tuesday.  The NFL called Portis’ comments inappropriate and offensive.  Click here for details about what Portis said.

Photo credit: via Creative Commons

The Daily Rundown — The Latest News Affecting Women & Girls in Our Region

Posted on by Mariah Craven

Voted StickerIn today’s rundown: D.C. Women’s Agenda helps you get ready for the primary elections in D.C. | The revitalization of one District neighborhood appears to be back on track. | The number of families entering homeless shelters is on the rise. | A D.C. post office may be named after an African-American woman for the first time.

— Tomorrow is primary day in the District of Columbia and Maryland, so be sure to get out and vote! To help you with these very important decisions, D.C. Women’s Agenda (a Women’s Foundation Grantee Partner) has put together an election guide that focuses on issues affecting women and girls. Click here to read the guide.

— Efforts to reshape the riverfront area in Southeast D.C. are underway once again after being stalled by the economy.  Those working on the development of the area say in another 18 months the neighborhood around Nationals Park will be “ready for prime time.”

— The number of families entering homeless shelters is on the rise, according to the New York Times. The Department of Housing and Urban Development reports that the number of families in shelters went from 131,000 to 170,000 from 2007 to 2009.

— D.C. is on track to name a post office after an African-American woman for the first time, reports WAMU. D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton will introduce a bill to Congress that calls for naming the post office by Union Station after Dorothy Height.  A leader in the civil rights and women’s rights movements, Height died earlier this year.