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To many people, prejudice seems to be rising in American society. In 2009, around a quarter of Americans identified racism as a “big problem.” By 2015, that number had doubled. Since then, we’ve seen a measurable jump in reported hate crimes. Today, six in ten Americans believe gay and lesbian people face a lot of discrimination . But research by Harvard psychologists Tessa Charlesworth and Mahzarin Banaji suggests a paradox: Even as Americans grow more aware of bias, we appear to be...

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday adopted a strict interpretation of a federal immigration law, saying it required the detention of immigrants facing deportation without the possibility of bail if they had committed crimes, including minor ones, no matter how long ago they had been released from criminal custody. The vote was 5 to 4, with the court’s more conservative justices in the majority. Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., writing for the majority, said the plain language of a federal...

In 2015, Dr. Beth Pletcher, a pediatrician and associate professor specializing in genetics, was at the annual conference of the American Academy of Pediatrics in Washington D.C. when she heard two speakers that forever changed her work with medical students. Dr. Beth Pletcher “I went to two talks on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) that were so mind-boggling to me that I decided on my drive back to New Jersey that I had to do something about it,”says Pletcher, director of the Division...

Change can begin with anyone, but it is especially powerful when it is designed and led by the people who will be most affected by it. The In the Arena with NOW podcast seeks to celebrate and share the stories of these leaders. The Networks of Opportunity for Child Wellbeing (NOW), an initiative of the Vital Village Network at Boston Medical Center, is designed to create space and conditions for local coalitions to build their capacity to drive transformation in their communities -...

On April 27, 2015, Shantay Guy was driving her 13-year-old son home across Baltimore from a doctor’s appointment when something — a rock, a brick, she wasn’t sure what — hit her car. Her phone was turned off, so she had not realized that protests and violence had broken out in the city that afternoon, following the funeral of Freddie Gray, the 25-year-old man who drew national attention eight days earlier when he died after suffering injuries in police custody. As she saw what was happening...

The two police officers who shot and killed Stephon Clark behind his grandmother’s home in Sacramento last March recounted their actions in interviews with police investigators later that night. Officers Terrence Mercadal and Jared Robinet described the frenzied seconds when they pursued Mr. Clark after responding to a report of a suspect breaking car windows on the city’s south side. As a police helicopter swirled overhead, the officers spotted him at the side of the house and ordered him...

I’ m an “elder orphan,” a solo ager, someone who is aging alone. That may sound depressing until you learn that the American Geriatrics Society calls me and my ilk “unbefriended.” Yikes. An elder orphan is someone “of an age” who has no immediate family in their life. No parents, spouse, siblings, children, or grandchildren. They may have immediate family, but the relatives live too far away to be of assistance in times of crisis. There’s another scenario, as in my case, where my immediate...

(l to r) Kelly Hardy, Allen Mattison, Jeff Hild _____________________________________________________ The stakes in today's public policy debates are as high as they've ever been. So, how does a nonprofit organization separate legitimate and perceived barriers to find the sweet spot for maximum engagement and not cross the lobbying line? The three panelists on the “Strategic Advocacy: Winning Policy Change without Crossing the Lobbying Line ” webinar held March 14, 2019, covered the fine...

The evidence base for routine enquiry into adverse childhood experiences: A scoping review. Ford K, Hughes K, Hardcastle K, Di Lemma LCG, Davies AR, Edwards S, Bellis MA. Child Abuse Negl . 2019 Mar 15;91:131-146. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.03.007. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 30884399 Similar articles Trajectories of childhood adversity and the risk of depression in young adulthood: Results from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Tracy M, Salo M, Slopen N, Udo T, Appleton...

Join the Pacific Southwest MHTTC for upcoming distance learning opportunities on key school mental health topics. Together we will advance our understanding of how to build wellness, resilience, and success for the whole school community. Upcoming Webinar: Mental Health and Student Learning Outcomes: An Introduction Mental Health & Student Learning Outcomes Series - Webinar 1 Thursday, March 21 6-7 p.m. ET / 3-4 p.m. PT / 1-2 p.m. HT / 9-10 a.m. ChT Register Are you a school...

Cissy's note: Screening is a topic frequently discussed and debated. This is another interesting read on an important topic and there are a lot of excellent links from varied viewpoints in the notes. I'm grateful to the conversations here and on Twitter which help shape, challenge, and guide my thinking. Here is a link to the entire open source article by Author links open overlay pa Kat Ford , Karen Hughes, Katie Hardcastle, Lisa C.G. Di Lemma, Alisha R. Davies, Sara Edwards, Mark A . Bellis

Join our featured guests who will be gathering for a Twitter chat event following the virtual screening of Broken Places for our members on Thursday, March 21st. Note: Find more details about the film and the registration process at the end of this post. Daniella Rin Hover @NebulaCyton After overcoming difficulties throughout her life journey, Daniella has kept striving. She navigated teenage parenthood, achieved legal immigration status and citizenship and actively takes part in advocating...