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The BLM training was hosted by Building Healthy Communities (BHC) Merced and targeted towards community groups working with Merced-area youth. More than half a dozen organizations were represented at the event, which included presentations from the Bay Area’s Love Not Blood Campaign founder Cephus “Uncle Bobby” Johnson and Fresno’s Reverend Dr. Floyd Harris of New Light for New Life Church of God. Both men spoke on the history of the Black Lives Matter movement and gave advice on how local communities can work together to hold law enforcement accountable.
black community black history black lives matter spotlightAbove: Merced community organizers and residents gather in support of Building Healthy Communities #Health4All campaign in April. (Photo provided by Building Healthy Communities Merced Facebook page) By Hannah Esqueda MERCED, Calif. — As the clock winds down on 2016, Building Healthy Communities (BHC) Merced and local partner groups recently gathered to take stock of their achievements and the work left to be done in 2017. Read More
BHC Merced city council education elections Merced City School District MOP schools spotlight the california endowment Trump“I think a lot of people don’t really know what DACA is. People think [Trump] can’t really do anything about it, but they don’t really understand the difference between an executive order and the law,” she said. “He can literally just take that piece of paper and throw it in the trash and that will be it. It won’t mean anything anymore.” Fear of a Trump presidency is in fact prompting many to shy away from applying for the program or from renewing their paperwork out of fear their information will be used by the government to initiate deportation proceedings against them.
DACA immigration Politics spotlight uc merced undocumented Undocumented students“I’ve always wanted to vote and help pick the president,” says Alex Salas, an 18-year-old senior at Golden Valley High School in Merced. “It means a lot to me and I’m excited to be able to pick the person that I believe should run our country.” Salas is a member of the city’s Youth Council, a youth counterpart to the Merced City Council. He says that while he’s disappointed with the Republican win, he still believes in the importance of exercising his right to vote.
elections first time voters new voters Politics Presidential Election spotlight VOTA vote voting young votersTime, cost and transportation were among the barriers cited by respondents. The Field Poll also found that African Americans were among those less likely to visit the coast, with 33 percent saying they visit less than once a year and citing an inability to swim as the key factor. Families earning more than $60,000 were also more likely to visit more often than families earning less than $40,000.
california California Coastal Act coast environment environmental justice ocean spotlightPart of the problem is indifference, said 16-year-old Cheng Vang, a student at Buhach Colony High School in Atwater. While this election cycle has been full of turmoil and drama, many of his friends and classmates don’t regularly follow politics and therefore don’t feel a personal connection to any of the issues on the ballot. If the voting age were lowered to 16, however, Vang said youth would be more likely to pay attention and start forming consistent voting habits.
elections spotlight voting voting age youth