Happy Juneteenth! Empower Missouri is among organizations that has begun a discussion about amending our personnel manual to create a paid staff holiday for Juneteenth. We have not adopted that policy yet, but the deliberative process is just one of the many ways that our staff and Board are attempting to fulfill the mandate of...Read More

Whether you have been part of the Empower Missouri advocacy network for a long time or just joined our mailing list this week, there has never been a more important time to be a social justice advocate. Our planet is rocked by three crises simultaneously that interact with each other with synergistic power: The novel...Read More

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the connection between unemployment, poverty and food insecurity has been clear. One of the best indicators of food insecurity is poverty. At the end of 2019, Missouri’s food insecurity rate was 12% while its poverty level was 13.2%, both above the national average. At that point, according to...Read More

To combat the racial disparities, the Coalition is calling not only for an end to racialized policing but also for the passage of the Fourth Amendment Affirmation Act to move beyond data collection to consequences for officers who engage in racial profiling. JEFFERSON CITY, MO. — On Friday, May 29, 2020, Attorney General Eric Schmitt...Read More

In the past few months, we have all watched in shock and disbelief as precious lives have been taken from African Americans as a result of police brutality. We are outraged by these tragic events! The horrific killing of George Floyd, preserved on video, the police shooting of Breonna Taylor and the beating of Marvia...Read More

On May 15, in the final hours of Legislative Session 2020, the Missouri General Assembly Truly Agreed and Finally Passed the Senate Substitute for Senate Bill 600 (SS SB 600). This legislation utilizes several criminal justice policies that have been tried repeatedly and proven to be costly failures: imposition of mandatory minimums increasing the felony...Read More

At Empower Missouri, we subscribe to a daily political newsletter that lists who has recently registered as a lobbyist. A quick search on the Missouri Ethics Commission of “principles” shows that more than 2300 people and/or companies have someone lobbying for them. This list is incredibly diverse. It includes organizations such as auto dealers, grocers,...Read More

In just two months, the number of people who have filed for unemployment due to the coronavirus has hit historic records. As businesses shuttered to slow the transmission of the virus, many furloughed workers and immediately laid off millions of people. The cuts were so quick and severe, they wiped out years of job gains....Read More

One of the most positive trends that I have seen during our public health emergency is a robust discussion around what we mean by “essential workers.” Many have asked whether our public policies live up to the “you’re a hero” accolades now heaped on grocery store cashiers and housekeeping staff at nursing homes. Rev. William...Read More

Even though the final two weeks of the 2020 Legislative Session tempts us to focus all attention on Jefferson City just now, social justice advocates in Missouri cannot afford to do so. We must keep one eye focused on DC, because the first half of May is a crucial window of time in which we...Read More