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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MARCH 01: Tolina Rikitu meets his daughter Ifinaaf outside Hawthorne Scholastic Academy following her first day of in-person learning on March 01, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois. Students in kindergarten through fifth grade began in-person learning today as the city continues to phase in a return to the classroom after nearly a year's hiatus and a lengthy battle with the teacher's union brought on by COVID-19 concerns. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
April 23, 2025 | Blog Post | Shira Small

Federal Cuts to Child Care and Head Start are an Attack on Families with Low Incomes

By Shira Small The Trump Administration’s cuts to federal child care and early education programs and staff are putting children, families, and the economy at risk. Children are already losing access to care, the remaining federal workforce is overburdened, child care providers are losing their…

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March 4, 2024 | Blog Post | Ashley Burnside

Two New Guaranteed Income Bills Bring Different Strategies to Reducing Young Adult Poverty

By Makayla McDonald and Ashley Burnside The COVID-19 pandemic changed the lives of many people across the globe, and its emotional, mental, and financial effects continue to reverberate. The pandemic also demonstrated the power of lawmakers to make a positive impact: Material hardship dropped after…

February 28, 2024 | Blog Post | Cara Brumfield

Economic Justice will Require Reparations and Anti-Racist Public Programs

By the CLASP Income & Work Supports Team The Income & Work Supports team at CLASP works to advance public benefits justice, and Black History Month has us thinking about the history of economic injustice in this country. The economic injustices caused by slavery, segregation,…

February 22, 2024 | Blog Post | Elizabeth Lower-Basch

Making USDA More Equitable

The USDA Equity Commission released its final report, which contains 66 recommendations for improving equity within USDA’s programs, policies, and practices.

February 21, 2024 | Blog Post | Barbara Semedo

A Black History Month Reflection on Key Leaders in the Fight for Civil Rights

Black History Month has long been an important moment to reflect on the often-ignored history and legacy of Black people. We owe a debt of gratitude to the scholar and educator, Dr. Carter G. Woodson, who set out more than a century ago to change…

African American mother and daughter smiling at home.
February 13, 2024 | Blog Post | Priya Pandey

Cash Assistance is a Critical Part of Reproductive Justice 

Rx Kids, an exciting new program in Flint, Michigan for pregnant people and newborns, began enrollment in January 2023. The first city-wide maternal and infant cash prescription program in the nation, it will provide every pregnant Flint resident with a one-time payment of $1,500 followed…

Black woman, budget and home finance on laptop for accounting, money planning and fintech investment. Paper bills, savings and web payment review, online banking and insurance loan of financial taxes
February 2, 2024 | Blog Post | Ashley Burnside

New Direct File Tool Pilot Program Will Ease Tax Filing for Many

During this year’s 2023 tax filing season, the IRS will test a new, free online tax filing tool that promises to help more tax filers access credits that they are eligible for, like the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit. 

During a group therapy session for teenagers, a teenage girl discusses her emotions.
February 1, 2024 | Blog Post | Isha Weerasinghe

Are We Listening? Youth Mental Health Challenges are Rooted in Racism and Discrimination

Young people of color experiencing poverty have noted how racism and discrimination are root causes and key traumas that adversely impact their mental health. 

Striking UAW Members Hold Rally At Chicago Union Hall
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - OCTOBER 7: UAW members attend a rally in support of the labor union strike at the UAW Local 551 hall on the South Side on October 7, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. UAW president Shawn Fain joined members in solidarity with the ongoing strike. (Photo by Jim Vondruska/Getty Images)
January 24, 2024 | Blog Post | Nicolas Martinez

The State of the Unions in 2023: New Data Show Corporate Greed Continues to Overpower Good Jobs for Working People

CLASP published a thread on Twitter/X yesterday to highlight the release of a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report with data on union membership in 2023.

January 24, 2024 | Blog Post | Priya Pandey

An Opportunity to Center Equity in New EPA Lead and Copper Pipe Rule  

By Priya Pandey Lead is a potent neurotoxin and is particularly dangerous for the brain development of infants and young children. Health experts agree that any amount of lead exposure is unsafe for human health. Yet more than nine million homes in the United States…

January 18, 2024 | Blog Post | Lulit Shewan

Remembering Martin Luther King, Jr. as a Labor Leader and Champion of Working People in the Civil Rights Movement

In addition to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s pivotal role in the fight for racial equality, he was a fervent supporter of workers' rights and an influential figure in the labor movement.

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