“The side that wants to take the choice away from women and give it to the state, they’re fighting a losing battle. Time is on the side of change.” 
 -Ruth Bader Ginsburg

While all elections have consequences, the outcome of the 2020 presidential election will shape many health issues of importance to women for years to come. From the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, to the uncertain future of the Affordable Care Act, to threats to reproductive health care, the outcome of this election will have major consequences for women and the nation as a whole.  Please Vote. Our rights depend on it. 
​https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/issue-brief/the-2020-presidential-election-implications-for-womens-health/

The Xingu has been severely impacted over the past decade by climate change across the region, including aridification (drying) due to deforestation in the Upper Xingu and climate-influenced droughts. Since they first began in 2007, major forest fires, unknown in the cultural memory of indigenous communities, have plagued the Upper Xingu. Fires and fire vulnerability further intensified since 2015, when fires consumed half of the forests in the Kuikuro territory. This has been ameliorated over the past five years with the intervention of the Prev-Fogo program and the training of local fire brigades. However, cuts in funding from an indifferent, or even hostile, government are threatening the efficacy of these measures. Even before the COVID-19 crisis the indigenous people of the southern Amazon were facing unprecedented threats. Widespread deforestation, fires and a hostile government are decimating their tropical forest homes and have left them fighting for their very survival. 
For more information: ​https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/d13c50b64ada4e53856b3d4d64a08bcb

​"Ours is not the struggle of one day, one week, or one year. Ours is not the struggle of one judicial appointment or presidential term. Ours is the struggle of a lifetime, or maybe even many lifetimes, and each one of us in every generation must do our part."
― John Lewis on movement building in Across That Bridge: A Vision for Change and the Future of America.  August 2017.

We are in awe of our grantees standing up to a the undue injustices so many people around the world face. Our friends at SOIL and APLV are fighting to bring essential sanitation and clean water solutions to communities that have been historically unheard and oppressed. Our partners in  the Amazon Hope Collective are raising awareness about the threats to the survival of indigenous groups by fire, disease and deforestation. Our partnerships with Steps, CHT, ShiftMeals and Vermonters for Criminal Justice have helped people build resilient futures for themselves, their families and their communities in this challenging time. Thank you to all of you working to make the world a better, more just place. Be the Change. Vote.
​ https://www.pennywisefoundation.org/urgent-response-fund.html

At Pennywise we recognize indigenous rights to land, rights to subsistence resources and activities, rights to self-determination and self-government, and the right to practice one's own culture and customs including language and religion.  Your vote is your voice.  Use it for what matters.  

As a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Last Prisoners Project (LPP) has been a leading voice calling for immediate decarceration efforts and safety measures for incarcerated communities. This work has led to the release of hundreds of at-risk individuals, securing safety and hygiene resources for facilities, and the development of the LPP compassionate release program which matches individuals seeking compassionate release with pro bono attorneys. 

At the LPP they utilize a three-pronged approach to securing FULL freedom for the communities they  serve. Through intervention, advocacy, and awareness campaigns the LPP works to redress the past and continuing harms of these unjust laws and policies. 

In their first year of operations, LPP was able to implement direct services in three states. They also engaged in legislative advocacy, urging state lawmakers to pass criminal justice reform measures such as clean slate initiatives as well as "Ban the Box" initiatives and ensuring that those with cannabis offenses on their record have equal access to employment.

In the upcoming year, LPP will expand these initiatives to at least six new states that they have determined are most viable for these programs. They are currently fundraising to secure an operational budget of $756,375 and if we raise $1.3 million we can scale these programs to six additional states in 2021. With your support, we can continue to create lasting change for every cannabis prisoner.

Consider a gift today to help them reach their goal! 

​Today, the Vermont House of Representatives passed S. 234, a bill that would require the automatic expungement of all criminal records for past low level cannabis offenses. The bill would also decriminalize possession of cannabis in amounts that are up to twice the legal limit for adults and reduce some cannabis penalties. S. 234 will now return to the Senate for concurrence before it heads to the governor’s desk. We have been working with our partners for years to expand post conviction relief in Vermont and we celebrate this important reform.  
#PennywiseFoundation #CriminalJusticeReform