(New York, NY)- During the next few weeks thousands of students across the country will graduate from college, an accomplishment that used to symbolize a step toward financial independence and entry into the middle class.
The most important fact about higher education is that only a minority of people go to college. That fact would change if college was affordable for more people.
In today’s economy, a college education is essential for getting a good job and entering the middle class. Yet, despite this reality, college costs are rising beyond the reach of many
Wisconsinites, and student loan debt has become a clear and present danger to both the Wisconsin and American economies.
Less than 10 years ago Demos and other voting rights groups approached North Carolina after an investigation revealed that the state was failing to meet its obligations under Section 7 of the National Voter Registration Act—a federal law that requires North Carolina provide individuals who apply for public assistance the opportunity to register to vote.
(New York, Raleigh, Washington, D.C.) – Citing clear evidence that the state of North Carolina is failing its obligation to provide low-income residents with a meaningful opportunity to register to vote at public assistance agencies, today Democracy North Carolina, Action NC, and the A. Philip Randolph Institute (“APRI”) sent a pre-litigation notice letter to Kim Strach, Executive Director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections (“NCSBE”), as well as Dr.
Last month—just a couple of days after NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer provided a thorough accounting of the benefits of a $15 minimum wage in the 5 boroughs—Attorney General Eric Schneiderman laid out the case for how Governor Andrew Cuomo could raise wages for thousands of struggling New Yorkers in a contribution at the NY Daily News.
New Demos Report Shows State Disinvestment in Public Higher Education is Driving Tuition Increases
Decreased State Funding is Responsible for Nearly 80 Percent of the Rise in Public Education Tuition
Recently, there has been much debate about the real cause of tuition increases, which have risen by nearly $3,000 at public four-year universities in the last decade alone. To meet these costs, U.S. students must take on crushing levels of debt just to access education that was readily affordable for previous generations.
(NEW YORK, NY) This morning, the Building Movement Project (BMP)—a Demos affiliate that equips nonprofits to advance social change—contributed to a new report #BlackWorkersMatter. It highlights how the economic crisis affects black communities, shares analysis on the black jobs crisis, and elevates the importance of investing in efforts to organize black workers.
Credit checks are one of many barriers faced by Black job seekers; and the implicit biases of employers have proved hard to legislate. That's why New York City just joined other cities and states in banning credit checks.
Now we get to marvel at the story of Navinder Singh Sarao, the most recent financial market miscreant who almost got away with millions. He was operating a pop up high frequency trading operation out of a semi-detached house in the London Borough of Hounslow, far from the City and Docklands. The British press, always attentive to trappings of class and always the protectors of the big banks on which their home economy is totally dependent featured those tidbits in their coverage.
Demos and coalition partners have reached an agreement with the City Council and de Blasio administration to send a bill banning the use of employment credit checks to the City Council floor. In response, President Heather McGhee issued the following statement:
“We are pleased to see progress made in the fight for equal opportunity employment in New York City. Employment credit checks are a catch-22, preventing qualified workers from getting a job just when they really need one most. The biggest drivers of credit problems are job loss and medical emergencies.
On Sunday, the New York Times published an unbelievably misleading op-ed on the cost of college by Paul Campos, a law professor at University of Colorado, Boulder.
Last Thursday, Mayor Bill de Blasio and First Lady Chirlaine McCray had a diverse group of 15 progressive leaders, from Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison to US Senator Sherrod Brown, over to their home for lunch. The agenda: chart a course to make inequality the defining issue of the American political debate this campaign cycle.
In the wake of higher voter turnout in Ferguson, the city council now has three Black council members, up from only one before the election. This is a welcome change.
Today, Demos President Heather McGhee joined Mayor De Blasio and other progressive leaders and activists in the unveiling of a new initiative to make income inequality a central issue of the 2016 election cycle.
When I was 18 and living in Australia, I enrolled to vote in my very first election. It was easy. I received a letter from the electoral commission wishing me a happy 18th birthday and informing me that it was now time to join my fellow Australians in performing my democratic duty—to vote—and instructing me as to how I would enroll.