OFWV StaffDec 17, 20192 minEven Mary and Joseph Took the CensusChristmas is quickly approaching, and for those in the Christian community, excitement is building for the holiday. Without going into the Christmas story as...
OFWV StaffNov 25, 20193 minGiving Thanks for the Food in Our SchoolsAs Thanksgiving approaches, we may consider what we are thankful for. One thing many families will thank this year is the food on their table. But we can’t f...
OFWV StaffOct 25, 20192 minTo Eat or Not to Eat: Should Legislation Decide?In 2018, West Virginia spent $15,395 in taxpayer dollars drug testing applicants for TANF, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant. Of the 3,...
OFWV StaffOct 11, 20192 minWhy It Counts to Be Counted“The 2020 Census is coming. For the large part of my life, the Census played like background music. I knew it was there, but I didn’t pay much attention to t...
OFWV StaffSep 20, 20195 min“Do You Want to Save a Life?” SOAR Volunteer Speaks About the Power of Naloxone“Do you want to be able to save a life in the event of an opioid overdose?” This is one of the questions that Joe Solomon, a volunteer with SOAR WV (Solution...
OFWV StaffSep 13, 20193 minTo Go Hungry, in College“I lost twenty-five pounds in a few months. I would go to class and lack focus, falling asleep sometimes because of the fatigue. At work, they would ask me i...
OFWV StaffAug 30, 20193 minA Mother’s Fear: ICE Affects All of Us“What would your child’s school do if ICE agents showed up at the door? Or stopped your kid when he got off the bus? Or tried to question your child during p...
OFWV StaffAug 19, 20194 minCreepin’: Who Might be In Your Neighborhood This SummerTwo days ago, my mother bravely took my two teenagers shopping for school clothes. When they returned home, they told me that a woman was sitting in her car ...
OFWV StaffAug 15, 20199 minStruggle and Resilience: Tressie Jean’s StoryIntroduction This State and our people know struggle well. We know economic and labor exploitation. We know water that is toxic and undrinkable. We know addi...
OFWV StaffAug 8, 20191 minVoting Rights Under AttackWhen the Voting Rights Act passed on August 6th, 1965 it brought an end to literacy tests, poll taxes and other measures which were used to prevent people of...
OFWV StaffAug 1, 20193 minWhat is “Movement Work?”: The Values and Visions That Guide UsGet a Load of This... Since getting back from the Center for Popular Democracy’s People’s Convention in Detroit this past weekend we’ve been thinking through...
OFWV StaffJul 22, 20192 minCensus Education: Get Counted, Feed West Virginia!Get a Load of This... Food insecurity is all around us; more than likely most of us know someone who doesn’t know where their next meal is coming from. In fa...
OFWV StaffJul 15, 20192 minHow We Save Public Education Now: Our Path Forward!Get a Load of This... Alright, so our lawmakers have failed to hear our voice and have passed and signed the Omnibus Education bill into law. But now is not ...
OFWV StaffJul 9, 20192 minHatred in the House: A Close Look at Delegate Sharon MalcolmWest Virginia Delegate Sharon Lewis Malcolm is in the spotlight this week, and not in a way that does any credit to our state. As the Charleston Gazette repo...
OFWV StaffJul 1, 20192 minCensus Education: Get Counted, Fund Schools!Get a Load of This... The decennial census is coming up in April of 2020 and with this deadline fast approaching, much of West Virginia’s federal funding cou...
OFWV StaffJun 24, 20192 minMAXIMUS Inc: Maximizing Profit at Our Expense!Get a Load of This... Have y’all ever heard of MAXIMUS Inc? They are a private, for-profit American company that is contracted by states around the country t...
OFWV StaffJun 17, 20192 minWe Want Our Communities in Our Schools, Not “Communities in Schools Inc!”With education reform at the top of West Virginia’s policy making agenda we need to be thinking about what education systems and structures we want to see bu...
OFWV StaffJun 4, 20192 minNarrowing What Poverty “Means” Doesn’t Change the Conditions of Poor Folk!In early May, the Trump administration proposed a change to the process of determining the Official Poverty Measure (OPM). The OPM, colloquially known as the...
