Archive for January 2021
18 Ways to Learn About Black History
February is Black History Month, a time to celebrate and reflect on the contributions African Americans have made to our country and our communities, and the central roles they have played in our history. At United Way BCKR, we are also marking the occasion with our 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge, a learning journey that examines…
Read MoreMeet ALICE: Seniors Face Struggles
This is part of a series of blogs spotlighting the ALICE population and how our community can make a difference. Two major population bubbles are changing communities across Michigan. The largest is the baby boomers, born between 1946 and 1964. By the time COVID-19 struck, an estimated 10,000 baby boomers in the United States were…
Read MoreMeet ALICE: ALICE and Race
This is part of a series of blogs spotlighting the ALICE population and how our community can make a difference. Poverty and racism have been inextricably connected since this country’s inception, yet official federal statistics have never fully portrayed the economic impact of that link. United For ALICE, an initiative through United Way Worldwide, was…
Read More8 Ways to Work for Equity on MLK Day
In his 1963 book “Strength to Love,” Martin Luther King Jr. wrote: “The ultimate measure of a man is … where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” In the past 12 months as we witnessed more instances of ongoing police violence against African Americans — as well as the overwhelming and disproportionate toll…
Read MoreMeet ALICE: COVID-19 Pummels ALICE Households
This is part of a series of blogs spotlighting the ALICE population and how our community can make a difference. The pandemic has created two groups of ALICE workers: those who are in essential jobs and still working, typically on-site; and those who are in non-essential roles and now working far fewer hours or not…
Read MoreUWBCKR Statement: A Call to Live United
Never in American history have we faced an assault on our national values of the scale we saw on January 6, 2021. Neither in rebellion nor in wartime nor under unprovoked attack have the fundamental principles of our nation been so threatened, its institutions so terrorized. Such violence is inexcusable, and we at United Way condemn it unequivocally.
Read MoreMeet ALICE: How Much Does ALICE Earn?
This is part of a series of blogs spotlighting the ALICE population and how our community can make a difference. Until COVID-19 hit, Michigan employment numbers had been relatively low in recent years. Yet the numbers weren’t telling the whole story. In Michigan, 61 percent of jobs pay less than $20 per hour, with almost…
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