We are excited to welcome Seniors Count as a guest columnist for this edition’s Weekly Perspective! Seniors Count is a community-led coalition focused on educating the public and advocating for the needs of adults aged 60 and older. In this passage, Seniors Count provides insight on Prop S in St. Louis County. Prop S would...Read More

Hello! My name is Mariah Oke-Thomas, and I am Empower Missouri’s newest Communications Manager. You may know me as the person who curates and sends out Empower’s Advocacy in Action email every week (yes, even this one!). I graduated from the University of Missouri in 2023 with a degree in Business Administration and Marketing. Before...Read More

Every election is important, and voting is both a privilege and a responsibility. Voting is an important first step in policy advocacy. Voting alone won’t dismantle the systems that harm us and save our community members from harm, but certainly those goals won’t be reached without voting. Empower Missouri is a 501c-3 nonprofit, meaning we...Read More

Last week, I had the pleasure to attend Empower Missouri’s 2026 Anti-Poverty Advocates Summit and 125th Anniversary Dinner. Being a first-time attendee to a conference as impactful and important as the Anti-Poverty Advocates Summit will always come with its fair share of learning, networking, and preparation, especially as we celebrate the momentous 125th year of...Read More

When we talk about criminal justice reform in Missouri, much of the conversation understandably focuses on what happens at the front end of the system; arrest, sentencing and incarceration. When people have served time and maybe even decades in prison, the conversation around what happens next is little to none. Parole is an important part...Read More

In July of 2025, when Congress passed H.R. 1, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” the debate was largely framed around taxes, spending, government efficiency, and work requirements. But behind those political talking points are real Missouri families—and Missouri children. As the aspects of H.R. 1 are being implemented, it is creating a chain reaction...Read More

The beginning of another school year is a time of transition for families. Busy schedules, classroom struggles, the everyday highs and lows of both growing up and parenting–it can be a lot for any family to navigate. But for families separated by prison walls, every challenge is compounded, and both the children and the adults...Read More

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – 31 August 2026 — The Missouri Department of Social Services’ announced today that it will require additional documentation for SNAP eligibility. This policy change comes at a troubling time when almost 18,000 children in Missouri have already lost food assistance under the additional requirements imposed on SNAP recipients under HR1. Beginning...Read More

On Friday, August 28th, 2026, Missouri took an important step in the right direction as new voting-rights legislation restored the right to vote for approximately 41,000 people on probation and parole. The legislation was championed by State Representative Melanie Stinnett, and was signed by Governor Mike Kehoe on July 13th, 2026. Rep. Stinnett had advocated...Read More

Good advocacy takes many forms. Sometimes it looks like changing a law. Sometimes it means making sure a person doesn’t lose their home. Sometimes it means showing up at a city council meeting, organizing a community, or making sure the voices of people most affected by a policy are heard. This year, Empower Missouri is...Read More