Litany for Survival

Contributed by Jessica Burden

And when we speak we are afraid

our words will not be heard

nor welcomed

but when we are silent

we are still afraid

So it is better to speak

remembering

we were never meant to survive

Poet Audre Lorde reminds us in “Litany for Survival”, that healing and justice can only have their way when we as citizens speak up for what is right.  By the end of this blog, I hope you decide to use your voice and speak out in the interest of our future.

About three weeks ago, seventeen year old Trayvon Martin was shot and killed while walking back to his dad's home.  Trayvon had just purchased a pack of skittles and an iced tea from a local establishment and was accosted by George Zimmerman, self-appointed neighborhood watch captain.  Just minutes before, Zimmerman phoned the Sanford, Fl police department identifying Trayvon as “suspicious.”  It was raining; Trayvon was wearing a hooded jacket, and was apparently walking too slowly for Zimmerman.  The police informed Zimmerman to stay away from Trayvon, but Zimmerman did not take heed to police order and decided to follow, confront and ultimately shoot Trayvon in the chest, killing him.

New Voter Registration Laws Disenfranchise Youth Voters and People of Color

Contributed by Amber Walker
As the country prepares for the upcoming 2012 Presidential elections, some states are actively working to implement new laws regarding third party voter registration, early voting, and Election Day procedures at the polls. In 2011, fourteen states passed restrictive voting laws that will disproportionately impact young people, people of color, and the elderly in the 2012 elections. Several of the states that passed these restrictive laws saw a substantial increase in the amount of people representing these demographics turn out to vote in the 2008 elections.

Florida has faced a significant amount of criticism regarding the changes to the state’s voting laws. Specifically, voter registration laws enacted in Florida in 2012 have negatively impacted third party organizations. Since the laws passed, third party organizations who seek to register voters in Florida must be approved by the Florida Division of Elections and assigned an identification number before registration efforts can take place. Also, the time frame for submitting completed voter registration forms has significantly decreased from ten days to 48 hours.

Reserve featured in the Miami Herald!

As seen in the Miami Herald  

When older professionals aren’t ready to hang it up

By Ana Veciana-Suarez
aveciana@MiamiHerald.com

C.W. Griffin / Miami Herald Staff

ReServe Miami is a new program that pairs retired executives with non profits that need their skills. John Duey is helping Ana Ros, the college adviser at Jackson High School in Miami.

When Clarita Perez de Alejo retired four years ago from the corporate world, she traveled extensively and spent time with her grandchildren. Then…“I kept thinking, what else can I do?” she says. “I felt I had a lot to contribute. I still wanted to help out.”
Last month Perez de Alejo, 66, found a place where she can use a lifetime’s worth of skills in the beauty industry. Through a new organization, ReServe Miami, which pairs older executives and professionals with non-profits, government agencies and public institutions, she began working at Braddock High School in West Kendall, helping college adviser Maria Mendoza with the task of preparing more than 750 seniors for the college application season.
Her duties are varied — from answering students’ questions to organizing the college fair — and she loves it. “I already feel like I belong here,” she says.