Non-profit leaders and advocates sprang into action to fight digital inequity in their communities amidst a global pandemic. By Miguel Leon When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and everyone began to shelter in place, time stood still in communities such as City Heights,...
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California is Coalescing to Support Pregnant and Parenting Students
How is the California State University system serving pregnant and parenting students? Who are these students and how are they being reached? How are their voices being heard and incorporated into equity work across the state? These are questions the Michelson...
Navigating the Changing Landscape of Textbook Affordability
Open Education Week is a national week of action celebrated by educators, advocates, students, and institutions to draw attention to OER and textbook affordability. From Zero Textbook Cost Degree programs at the California Community Colleges to the Affordable Learning...
The Power of Advocacy: How Nonprofits Are Shaping Broadband Policy In California
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, suddenly all nonprofits became digital equity nonprofits. Whether they focused on education, civic engagement, or healthcare, community-based organizations across the country pivoted toward tackling the digital divide seemingly...
In Tribal Nations, Broadband Is More Than Just Internet, It’s a Pathway to a Better Life
The Yurok Tribe in Northern California is the state’s largest Native American tribe in terms of both population and land yet only has one place with enough cell reception to read and send text messages. By Dr. Traci Morris and Dr. Gary Michelson The...
Pregnant & Parenting Students in California: A Look at the CSU System
Despite having a higher GPA on average than their peers, 52 percent of student-parents leave college within six years without completing their degree. More often than not, pregnant and parenting students don’t see their needs and circumstances reflected in course...
Helping Incarcerated Firefighters Secure High-Paying, Full-Time Careers
Through a recent Spark Grant, FFRP will expand its services into the Bay Area, welcoming the first Bay Area cohort in November 2022. This article was published on 20mm.org. Last year, approximately 2,568,948 acres or 4,014 square miles burned in California...
Studying How Lived Experience Benefits Latinx Systems-Impacted People
Hustle in Higher Education shares findings from interviews with 16 Latinx students with conviction histories (SCH) as they go from surviving to thriving. Originally published on 20mm.org. Danny Murillo, our inaugural Smart Justice Fellow, has dedicated...
Charting a Pathway for California’s Schools to Support Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Students: Underground Scholars at UC Irvine
By serving currently incarcerated individuals through UCI LIFTED and while also bolstering the UCI’s capability to serve formerly incarcerated students via Underground Scholars, UC Irvine is setting the standard for the future of smart justice. ...
A Year of Impact in Animal Welfare, Educational Equity, and Setting Priorities for 2022
During a recent all-staff meeting, the Michelson Philanthropies team highlighted the organization’s top 10 moments of significant impact in 2021, and looked ahead to achieving even more in 2022. By Justin Chapman U.S. Senator Cory Booker recently...
Kenia Miranda Verdugo Joins the Michelson 20MM Foundation as Smart Justice Program Manager
Kenia will lead the foundation’s Smart Justice initiative, which strives to create innovative pathways to educational attainment, employment, and economic opportunity for system-impacted communities and people. Originally published on 20mm.org. Kenia Miranda...
A Year of Impactful Legislation: State Leaders Honored for Taking Bold Action to Advance an Educational Equity for California Students
To honor the state leaders who have taken bold action to advance an educational equity agenda, the Michelson 20 Million Minds Foundation and the Michelson Center for Public Policy co-sponsored the Campaign for College Opportunity’s 2021 Legislative Dean’s List and a...