The West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy is partnering with the West Virginia Council of Churches on Strength in Stability, a digital project telling the stories of West Virginians who were empowered by the security they found by receiving benefits from programs like SNAP and Medicaid.
We tell the success stories of those who built careers and stable lives for themselves and their families, we talk about legislation that threatens these programs, and we interview those on the ground protecting these programs and fighting for the people of West Virginia. A large part of this project is about combating stigma with education and personal experiences.
The phrase “Strength in Stability” means some individuals may have the opportunity to build up a life for themselves when they have access to safety nets like SNAP and Medicaid. It means because an individual had stability in their life and could worry less about food or health insurance they were able to focus on other issues like school or work.
Strength in Stability is a blog located on Medium.com. We also have a recently developed Facebook page. Our blog content is an array of media from infographics to full-length audio interviews.
If you have a story to share about your experiences with SNAP or Medicaid please contact Candice Maxell. Please share this project with anyone you know who may have a story to tell.
Join Senior Policy Analyst Sean O’Leary and Policy Outreach Director Seth DiStefano for our Tax Day Facebook Live event at 12:30PM on Monday, April 15. They will discuss frequently asked topics about tax policy and take your questions live.
Join the conversation and learn more about the important things our state and federal taxes invest in like higher education, K-12 schools, road and bridges, and, Kelly and Enzo’s favorite…. our state parks!
Last month, the Department of Labor published a proposal to set the salary threshold under which almost all workers are entitled to overtime pay to $679 per week, or $35,308 for a full-year worker, in 2020. While an increase in the overtime salary threshold is long overdue, the current proposal would leave behind millions of workers who would have gotten new or strengthened overtime protections under regulations finalized in 2016.
Read more in Sean’s blog post.
Join us for a free screening of No Choice, a documentary video series of powerful abortion stories.
Following the film, representatives from the partner organizations will host a panel on the film and the state of reproductive rights in West Virginia.
Doors open at 5:30 pm. Stop in early to chat with partner organizations about current work and projects, and how to get involved. Film begins at 6:00 pm.
The screening will be held on the Shepherdstown campus in Reynolds Hall.
A conversation with Richard Rothstein, author of The Color of Law: How Our Government Segregated America, 7:00PM, West Virginia State University, Ferrell Hall, Institute, WV.
For more information, call 304-766-3044.
The U.S. is an increasingly unequal society: the average CEO makes nearly 800 times more than the average worker, and the wealthiest 1% of households own 40% of the wealth. It is impossible to have a functioning democracy when so few people control so much wealth.
Join us on May 19 from 2:00 – 4:00 pm at Temple Israel (2312 Kanawha Blvd E, Charleston) for a free workshop with Les Leopold, director of the Labor Institute and author of “Runaway Inequality,” to explore what inequality has to do with our current political situation and how people across the political spectrum can find common cause to fight for a fair economy. Register here.
Les will also lead a “Runaway Inequality” book talk on Monday, May 20, 6pm at Taylor Books (226 Capitol St, Charleston) to lead a discussion on:
What has made our economy less fair and left most of us less secure?
How does the US really compare with other developed countries?
What does economic inequality have to do with other critical issues, including education, criminal justice, racism, climate change, foreign trade and war?
What concrete steps can we take to begin building a fair and just society?
Apply today!
