IGNITE's Blog

When Christina Haswood swore into the Kansas Legislature as one of the youngest members and one of three Native Americans currently serving, she proudly wore the traditional clothing and jewelry of the Diné. “I wanted to honor my ancestors and my family for all the sacrifices they made for me to be here.”

When Tiffaney was an undergrad at California State University San Marcos, she wasn’t thinking about political leadership. Instead, she was focused on obtaining a bachelor's degree in Social Science and Communications. That changed when the CSUSM Women's Center ran a campus campaign to inspire women to run for office.

Activism has no age limit. You can be an advocate, a policymaker or run for office in your community right now. Here are just a few of the many young AAPI activists who are using their voice to make a difference. 

Amanda Conlee brings 12 years of experience managing the internal operations, administration, and finance aspects of small businesses and nonprofit organizations.

IGNITE Fellows are politically active local leaders who organize their communities to flex their political power. We've rounded up and answered your most pressing questions about the IGNITE Fellowship. 

This summary of the Paycheck Fairness Act was authored by the National Partnership for Women & Families. Read the original post. The landmark Equal Pay Act of 1963 made it illegal for employers to pay unequal wages to men and women who perform substantially equal work. The Equal Pay Act and the civil rights laws that followed helped change the workplace and began to combat wage inequality, but these laws have not closed the persistent gap between women’s and men’s wages.

This was originally published by the Electoral Justice Project of the Movement for Black Lives. See the original post. The BREATHE Act is a project of the Movement for Black Lives’ 501(c)4 Electoral Justice Project. This bill offers a radical reimagining of public safety, community care, and how we spend money as a society.

Mia Mingus is a writer, educator and community organizer working for disability justice and transformative justice. This AAPI Heritage Month, IGNITE wants to spotlight the amazing work Mia has done to educate others about ableism and intersectionality. Keep reading to learn more about Mia’s work. 

This #AAPI Heritage Month, we challenge you to only read books written by AAPI authors. Check out these books that recount lived experiences and highlight stories of what it's like to grow up in America. Support your local AAPI-owned book stores by purchasing your books here. 

Republished from The Black Maternal Health Caucus | View original post In the richest nation on earth, moms are dying at the highest rate in the developed world – and the rate is rising. For as dire as the situation is for all women and birthing people, the crisis is most severe for Black moms, who are dying at 3 to 4 times the rate of their white counterparts. Native Americans are more than twice as likely to die from pregnancy-related causes. One study found that in New York City, Hispanic birthing people experienced severe maternal morbidity at 1.8 times the rate of non-Hispanic white birthing people. Other research has shown that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) have higher rates of maternal mortality during hospitalization for delivery, even after accounting for other factors that affect outcomes.