Joan Baez in Ukraine: A New Voice of Hope
It was our 5th trip to Ukraine. But this time, we traveled with legendary singer/ social activist Joan Baez. This was no coincidence. Fast forward to our most recent trip to a country at war, where there is fierce combat in the east and, for the most part, in western Ukraine, people living in some of the most beautiful cities in Europe.
Russia is intentionally targeting Ukrainian children as an act of war
It is increasingly difficult to determine how many Ukrainian children have been killed, injured, or severely traumatized by Russia’s brutality since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. The latest formal reports from United Nations agencies suggest that some 500 children have been killed and more than 800 severely injured as collateral casualties of the war.
The War is Having a Devastating Impact on Ukraine’s Children - Survey
A survey released today by the Ukraine Children’s Action Project (UCAP), conducted in collaboration with Kyiv-based Ratings Group, details the extreme toll of the Ukrainian war on the mental health and educational performance of the nation’s children.
From Ukraine, February 2023
On the Ground in Ukraine - October 2022
The Children of Ukraine
Why we need to care about the kids in school that are 4,660 miles from NYC
Ukraine’s children matter to us. They are in the midst of an unrelenting catastrophe, dragged into a war, not of their choosing. Ukraine and the West will need all these kids to grow up educated and strong, ready to take on the enormous task of rebuilding the country that Vladimir Putin is trying to destroy. And that matters to us, too.
Immigration, Politics and Unaccompanied Minors
Today’s children are the pandemic generation. For millions, the future is now grim.
The Trump Administration Is the Worst for Children in the Country’s History
From the immoral border policy to the environment to the effects of the shutdown and more, the Trump administration has all but declared war on vulnerable children.
It was already clear that Donald Trump’s policies, actions, and words have put millions of children at risk. But although the longest government shutdown in American history is coming to an end, this nearly 40 day financial crisis added a whole new dimension to the challenges facing children living in poor, working poor, and even many middle-class families.
Child migrant deaths: 4 areas Congress should investigate
With the deaths of two migrant children from Guatemala last month and another tear-gassing of crowds that included children just across the Southern U.S. border on New Year’s Day, nobody should argue against a thorough investigation of the circumstances that continue to place minors in highly dangerous situations. The fact that these “circumstances” are under the control of U.S. government agents justifies — even compels — us to make sure that protocols for managing an extraordinary immigration crisis do not endanger the lives of anyone, especially young children.
Guatemalan boy's death is a national travesty that should be investigated
With the second reported fatality of a young child in the custody of US Customs and Border Protection this month, many are raising serious questions about CBP practices, but so far officials have provided answers that are spectacularly unsatisfying.
So Many Migrant Children Are Detained, Government Could Run Out of Room in 30 Days
Onerous new procedures have created a bottleneck, keeping more than 15,000 unaccompanied minors in facilities that are at full capacity.
If it wasn’t bad enough that tens of thousands migrant children are being held in temporary detention, the system designed to move them into permanent homes is breaking down.
Let’s Be Clear: The Tornillo Center for Migrant Children is NOT a Prison
Last weekend a small, but powerful group of activists gathered at a Tornillo, Texas youth detention center to protest conditions for migrant teenagers waiting for reunification with families or official sponsors.
Joining the demonstration and facility site visit were Democratic members of Congress, including Representatives Beto O’Rourke (Texas) and Judy Chu (CA), Representative elect, Veronica Escobar (Texas) and Senators Jeff Merkley (OR), Tina Smith (MN) and Mazie Hirono (HI).
These are among the most stalwart advocates calling attention to the unending traumatization of migrant children at the U.S. Southern border.
Tear gas should never be used on children. Period.
Earlier this week, Ron Colburn, president of the Border Patrol Foundation, told the nodding hosts on “Fox & Friends” that pepper spray, one of the riot-control agents that U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said they used over the weekend to deter migrants (including parents with young children in tow) was essentially benign. “It’s natural. You could actually put it on your nachos and eat it,” Colburn said.