BATON ROUGE, La. – The Black Southern Women’s Collaborative today celebrated National Voter Registration Day (NVRD), a civic holiday meant to encourage voters to register to vote. The collective, which organizes across the South to improve the material conditions of Black people, pledged to register thousands of voters on NVRD and beyond. They also vowed to address long-standing barriers to the ballot such as felony disenfranchisement, voter purges, and intimidation at the polls. The group released the following statement:...

Voting has been an important aspect of community voices. It wasn’t until the 26th amendment that the minimum voting age for all citizens was 18 years old. This ratification enabled young adults in society to inspire change for newer generations as communities around the world continue to evolve....

Black women are uniquely saddled with student loan debt. by Ashley Shelton in Truthout From record inflation to attacks on reproductive rights, to an unfair and inequitable redistricting, it can feel like all hope has been lost this year. But many voters are not giving up. My state of Louisiana has faced multiple challenges, particularly when it comes to the electoral process. Historically, we have seen literacy tests, brutal attacks on persons seeking to register to vote, the elimination of voting sites, changing polling sites without notification, and other efforts to deny and abridge the right to vote. We have experienced voter suppression in all its forms, including its newest more insidious form, racial and partisan gerrymandering.  In 2022, the Louisiana state legislature drew unfair congressional district lines. Voters, including those reached through my organization, the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, testified throughout this year’s redistricting process, which saw...

“As it has been for generations of Black Americans, freedom is on the ballot, along with the Constitutional rights that define our citizenship,” said BlackPac’s Executive Director Adrianne Shropshire....

The briefing also comes a week before National Voter Registration Day, which is held annually on Sept. 20. Alabama Values and Spotlight PR LLC are scheduled to host a media briefing discussing “the state of democracy in the U.S” this upcoming Thursday, according to a release sent on Monday. The meeting is planned to coincide with the International Day of Democracy: a day put aside by the United Nations General Assembly in November of 2017 in an effort “to promote and consolidate new or restored democracies” globally, according to the resolution. The briefing also comes a week before National Voter Registration Day, which is held annually on Sept. 20....

SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) – The NWLA Makerspace and creative group 318 Makes is inviting the public to bring their families to enjoy its Family Fun Block Party. The party begins on Sept 24, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for a morning filled with music, family, food, and fun for all ages.  These events are to be held on one Saturday every month with special activities....

Increases in voter registration in women were noticed nationally, following the Supreme Court ruling on abortion...

Youth justice advocates are asking Louisiana residents to sign a petition to demand that Governor Edwards not move youth to Angola....

Imagine waking up every day to the smell of sulfur dioxide, gas fumes and other foul-smelling chemicals. Even if you don’t live near gas export terminals on the Gulf Coast, you know the air must smell bad. Imagine your children are constantly breathing these chemicals and your elders have among the highest incidence of cancer in the nation. Now imagine that you also hear daily sirens warning of gas leaks and potential catastrophic explosions. What you’ve imagined — this is the reality for Gulf Coast communities....

The state’s three juvenile detention centers, Bridge City, Monroe and Bunkie, have all suffered from chaotic violence and severe understaffing in recent months. On August 8th, youth justice advocates held a press conference outside of the Angola State Penitentiary in Lousiana in protest of the decision to move juvenile inmates into the facility. Dubbed “the bloodiest prison in the South,” Angola, the largest maximum security prison in the U.S. is notorious for its horrific violence. Since 1992, over 1,300 vicious assaults have occurred at the facility between inmates and staff....

Ashley Shelton, Founder, President and CEO of the Power Coalition says many Black women, are disappointed in what’s happened to them since the 2020 Presidential election. Despite, playing a decisive role in the election, they “have less rights than our grandparents had”, says Shelton. But that’s about to change. Podcast page: https://www.podcastone.com/episode/-EP-112–Disheartened-Black-Women-in-the-South-mobilizing-for-change...

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – Dozens of advocates will host a press conference to protest the state’s plans to transfer youth inmates to the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola and the Jetson Center for Youth. “We don’t have to do it this way,” Rev. Alexis Anderson from the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison Reform Coalition said. In July, Gov. Edwards announced plans to move about 25 teenagers from the troubled Bridge City Center for Youth after numerous escapes and riots within the past year. Families and Friends of Louisiana’s Incarcerated Children (FFLIC), and several other youth justice groups will protest the state’s plan outside the Jetson prison on Tuesday, Aug. at 11 a.m....

ATLANTA – After a bruising year that saw attacks on reproductive freedom and equitable and fair drawing of district lines, many people are heading into the midterm elections questioning whether voting matters. But advocates with the Black Southern Women’s Collaborative today reminded voters that they cannot cede power to those who wish to deny and abridge the right to vote. The leaders, who played a leading role in redistricting fights in Florida, Louisiana and Georgia, also urged voters to not only commit to vote in the upcoming elections but begin developing a plan to vote. They released the following statement:...

The Louisiana Department of Health faces backlash over a social media post that included a picture of a local drag queen at a health awareness event in Alexandria as part of LGBTQ Pride Month. The controversy began June 24 when LDH tweeted photos of a “family-friendly Pride event” at the Alexandria Convention Center with a description that said, in part, “Local drag queens entertained the audience while the state Office of Public Health handed out health-related pamphlets and info.” The event also featured music, games, arts and crafts, and vendors. ...

Jada Gabriel goes grocery shopping for her family of four every two weeks. On her last trip, she noticed the price of butter had increased. “It was normally 98 cents,” said Gabriel, an ophthalmic technician who was on a shopping trip Wednesday at the Hi Nabor Supermarket on Winbourne Avenue. “Now it’s $1.18.”...

Ashley K. Shelton, founder and president of the Power Coalition for Equity & Justice: “This moment is devastating. In a place like Louisiana, where you have the highest rate of maternal mortality in the country, you are literally sentencing Black women to death. Louisiana has a trigger law, and as soon as Roe came down, it automatically made abortion care illegal. This tramples people’s rights, even beyond abortion. This is about privacy, it’s about healthcare, it’s about the criminalization of Black and poor women, and it’s about what happens when a person’s choices are taken away....

A judge in Baton Rouge ruled Friday that new election maps approved last month are illegal and is giving the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board until 8 a.m. Wednesday to come up with new maps — or he will implement a rival set of maps that would likely flip the board’s racial balance to majority-Black....

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – A federal judge will redraw the state’s congressional map after state lawmakers abruptly ended a special session two days early. Saturday afternoon members of the Louisiana legislature decided there was no more moving forward with work to redraw the state’s congressional map. Dillard University political analyst Robert Collins says, “I think we were surprised by the abrupt ending because we thought they would at least go through the motions and pretend to follow the judge’s order but no one is surprised by the result.” On June 6, Federal Judge Shelly Dick ordered the special session saying lawmakers needed to add a second majority-black district or else she would redraw the map herself. Just four days into the six-day special session, talks grinded to a halt....

The Black Southern Women’s Collaborative today announced a series of Juneteenth events in Florida, Louisiana, Georgia, and Tennessee. The organization, which includes Black women organizers and executive directors in the South, will register people to vote, host a series of educational events and actions, and talk to communities about the true meaning of liberation. The group released the following statement:...

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 At an Ethnic Media Services briefing, June 3, speakers and moderator ­­– Ashley Shelton, Founder, President, and CEO of the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice (Louisiana); MacKenzie Marcelin, Climate Justice Manager, Florida Rising; Chrishelle Palay, Executive Director of the HOME Coalition in Houston; Daysi Bedolla Sotelo, Senior Strategist for the Asian Pacific Environmental Network (California); and Moderator: Jennifer R. Farmer, Principal, Spotlight PR LLC­ – discussed what they are planning for the current season and what they need government at all levels to do....

The first edition is Tuesday, June 14, from 5 p.m., with guest chef Marcus Jacobs, of Marjie’s Grill and Seafood Sally’s, raising money for the American Civil Liberties Union and the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice....

June 1 marks the start of wildfire and hurricane season. Community activists from Florida to New Jersey, California to Louisiana and Texas, under the banner of Organizing Resilience, for the first time, are working together to pressure elected leaders to address a failed disaster relief system and the PTSD, fear and economic impact that failure has had on their communities. EMS briefing on June 3  discussed what they are planning for the current season and what they need government at all levels to do. Ashley Shelton, Founder, President, and CEO of the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice (Louisiana) said her state has experienced the double whammy of the coronavirus and hurricanes last year. Her Coalition for Equality and Justice works to provide cash assistance to affected families to help them pay rent, utilities, food and more. In addition, the group is actively pushing for legislation to make insurance companies...

Lake Charles, LA (KPLC) – Kids are out on summer break and while some families are focusing on fun in the sun, others may be worrying about where their child’s next meal is coming from. At least one in four children in Louisiana experience food insecurity according to Feeding America. Groups in Calcasieu Parish are working to help. “Due to the increase in this economy and the price of everything going up, you won’t know people’s situation. A lot of people are dealing with hunger and we’re just trying to do our part to make sure people get fed,” volunteer Joshua Lewis said....

SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – On Tuesday, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards called for a special legislative session in Baton Rouge to redraw the state’s congressional district maps before the upcoming election. The governor’s decision comes after a federal judge ruled in favor of a lawsuit claiming the maps do not accurately represent the state’s population....

Louisiana legislators are going to have to return to the drawing board and come up with new maps that allow the possibility of a second minority congressperson to be elected in Louisiana, according to a 151-page ruling Monday by Chief U.S. Middle District of Louisiana Judge Shelly Dick in Baton Rouge. Dick’s ruling enjoined Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin – the defendant in the case – from holding congressional elections under the new map drawn by the GOP lawmakers earlier this year and enacted into law over the governor’s veto in March....

The judge ordered the state’s Republican-controlled Legislature to redraw the map to include a second district that gives Black voters the chance to elect a candidate of their choice. A federal judge ruled on Monday that Louisiana’s new congressional map represented a racial gerrymander and must be redrawn to include a second district that gives Black voters the chance to elect a candidate of their choice. The judge, Shelly D. Dick of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana, ordered the State Legislature to produce a revised map of the state’s six congressional districts by June 20. She also directed the state to extend the filing deadline for House candidates, now set for June 22, to July 8....

Hurricane season has just begun in Louisiana. Activists in several states are “organizing resilience” to prepare their communities and they are pushing officials to fix a disaster relief system which many consider broken. “The one thing that has actually worked in the aftermath of disaster is the community coming together to help each other,” said Ashley K. Shelton, the Founder, President, and CEO of the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice. Shelton does civic engagement work with community organizations and politicians. She is the former Vice President of Programs at the Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation....

East Baton Rouge Parish School Board members on Thursday took a deep examination of Superintendent Sito Narcisse’s spending plans for next year, quizzing him and other staff on staff changes, new positions in bilingual education and cutbacks in student transportation. The fallout from the forced reassignment of more than 230 school employees in early May continues. A handful of local activists held a press conference before Thursday night’s board meeting to apply new pressure to the board to reverse Narcisse’s moves....

In a dramatic turnaround from a month ago, the Jefferson Parish School Board opted Wednesday night to stick with the same nine-district alignment it has had since 2012. Last month, the board indicated — in a narrow 5-4 vote — that it intended to add two seats to the board and possibly double the number of majority-minority districts to four. The vote will have no effect on school attendance zones....

For the past year, Roishetta Ozane has been trying to stop new liquified natural gas, or LNG, export terminals from being built in southwest Louisiana. “We are already inundated with LNG and oil and gas,” said the clean energy organizing director with Healthy Gulf, who lives in the town of Sulphur. “We’re surrounded by it.”...

Louisiana lawmakers have commissioned a task force to study the expansion of voting rights for people with disabilities. House Concurrent Resolution 14, sponsored by Rep. Matthew Willard, D-New Orleans, received final passage Monday with a unanimous vote in the Senate. ...

The Louisiana chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, released the following statement after the Louisiana Senate Judiciary C Committee voted to advance HB 37, dangerous permitless carry legislation to remove the state’s permitting requirement for carrying a concealed handgun in public. The vote comes despite fervent opposition from a number of key public safety stakeholders, including law enforcement officers, faith leaders, local leaders, and advocates. ...

By Reggi Marion | BRProud BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) – A new grassroots advocacy group, Louisiana Families for Vaccines, is hosting a diverse group of partners, including the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, for a day of action at the Louisiana State Capitol to support evidence-based vaccine policy in the state....

By Seth Freed Wessler | ProPublica A whistleblower says a plan to build a grain elevator on an old plantation would disrupt important historical sites, including possibly unmarked graves of enslaved people, and that her cultural resource management firm tried to bury her findings....

The Jefferson Parish School Board has published four redistricting proposals that the board will take up as it considers a generational shift that could add two new seats to the nine-member board. The four district maps published on the school district’s website include the current nine-member district alignment and three 11-seat options prepared by outside groups. The board is scheduled to vote on the proposals at its June 1 meeting....

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Hairstyles come in all forms and a bill that advanced in the Louisiana legislature on Monday aims to prevent discrimination related to hair-dos. Some people say wearing braids, dreadlocks, cornrows, twists, curls, etc., has caused them to be discriminated against. House Bill 41 by Rep. Candace Newell, D-New Orleans, would prohibit such discrimination....

by Terry Jones for The Advocate Creating a sixth majority-minority district on the East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council could be impossible.  While the city-parish’s racial demographics are pretty much 50/50 when it comes to the Black and White population, demographer Mike Hefner says the parish is still too geographically segregated to create the sixth majority-minority district that could even the power structure for the Black Democrats on the Metro Council going forward. ...

by Ariel Salk for BRPROUD BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — After five long days, arguments have wrapped up at the Middle District Court of Louisiana in the fight to challenge Louisiana’s congressional map. The evidentiary hearing for a preliminary injunction came to an end Friday. Civil rights groups argued the map is in violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and that it “severely dilutes Black voting power.”...

by Charles Lussier for The Advocate A challenge to Louisiana’s newly drawn congressional maps opened Monday in federal court, with a coalition of civil rights groups hoping judges will eventually do what legislators wouldn’t: create a second majority-Black district. ...

by Ariel Salk for BRPROUD BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — The next step to challenge Louisiana’s congressional map happened Monday at the Middle District Court of Lousiana.  Civil rights groups are turning to the federal court, in what will be a week-long hearing, to block the congressional maps....

by Paula Jones for BRProud BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) – A group of local organizations are planning a Thursday evening rally at the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board (EBR Schools) Office just prior to the Board’s 5 p.m. Public Hearing and Adoption/Ratification meeting. ...

In a seismic shift that will dramatically alter Louisiana’s largest public school system, the Jefferson Parish School Board plans to add two seats to the nine-member body, its first expansion since 1982, in an effort to increase minority representation....

Board is two thirds White, school system one third White by Faimon A. Robers, III for Nola.com The Jefferson School Board has had nine members for more than a generation, but a number of impassioned speakers urged the board Thursday night to redraw its election districts – and perhaps add more – to reflect the parish’s mixed demographics. ...

By Rebecca Santana | AP EDGARD, La. — Descendants of slaves who lived and toiled in southeastern Louisiana won a key ruling Thursday allowing their legal challenge to go forward against a $400 million grain elevator planned along the Mississippi River, although the company behind the project said it would likely appeal....

Setting up a likely lawsuit, the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board on Thursday voted along racial lines to give preliminary approval to a new election map likely to maintain the status quo of five White and four Black board members, even though the city’s White population has declined and its Black population has grown over the past decade. ...

Only a couple of hours after the Louisiana Legislature voted to override Gov. John Bel Edwards’ veto of a congressional map that didn’t expand minority representation, a lawsuit has been filed that claims the map violates federal law....

On this day, 57 years ago, March 7, 1965, activists endured attacks and abuse crossing the Edmund Pettus bridge to demonstrate for equal voting rights. Their sacrifice and valiant efforts led to passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which guaranteed the right to vote for all Americans, regardless of their color of their skin....

Dear Governor Edwards, On behalf of the below signatories, we write to thank you for doing what is right and fair by vetoing the racially discriminatory and illegal Congressional map passed by the state legislature. By failing to pass maps that increase representation for Black Louisianians and other communities of color, the Legislature ignored the law, the Census numbers, and the will of thousands of community members who made their voices heard during the redistricting process. Your veto was necessary to ensure the Congressional districts in place for the next decade reflect Louisiana’s vibrant and diverse communities and uphold the principles of a fair, inclusive, and representative democracy. The math is clear. According to the most recent Census, over the past 10 years, Louisiana’s Black population increased while the white population decreased. Though Louisiana’s voting population is 1/3 Black, the Congressional map passed by the Legislature only provided an opportunity...

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Chris Kinney, a resident of Rapides Parish in central Louisiana, has seen his electricity disconnected eight times in the past two years for falling behind on his energy bills to Cleco Power. His family did everything they could think of to catch up: pawning possessions, accumulating vast bank overdraft fees, borrowing money and applying for energy assistance. Somehow, Kinney’s outstanding balance kept growing....

Sade Dumas, executive director of the Orleans Parish Prison Reform Coalition(OPPRC) in Louisiana, has worked tirelessly to decrease the population of the Orleans Parish Prison and improve conditions there for those held behind bars. A Vera partner, she advocates for evidence-based methods to reduce incarceration and promotes alternatives to arrest. Under her leadership, OPPRC has helped stop a planned expansion of Orleans Parish Prison and is fighting to establish a non-police crisis unit that is trained to respond to mental health emergencies. Dumas also helped recruit and support the candidacy of Orleans Parish Sherriff Susan Hutson, who last year became the first progressive and first Black woman ever elected sheriff in Louisiana....

Redistricting is how state and local governments redraw their political lines. Every 10 years following the Census, political maps are redrawn to account for population shifts. A Redistricting is supposed to ensure equal representation. However, the process is filled with controversy as tactics such as gerrymandering are utilized to influence future elections or maintain political power....

If you’ve ever wanted proof of the old French adage, “The more things change, the more they stay the same,” you need look no further than the Louisiana Legislature’s ham-fisted way of redrawing district maps after a decennial census....

Throughout the last six months, thousands of community members and fair redistricting advocacy groups have come together to shed light on the importance of a fair and equitable redistricting process. As the final Redistricting Roadshow concludes on January 20th, a misleading narrative has emerged: the Louisiana redistricting process should remain the same since its inception and not look at race. ...

Janea Jamison of the Power Coalition for Equity & Justice talked to WAFB about the Power Coalition....

“People don’t understand how gerrymandered our maps have been over the years. We basically crack and pack people of color and have for years,” Shelton said....

“We know that 25% of the citizens in Shreveport are living in poverty, and we know that a program like this would help more of our residents maintain a better quality of life,” Candice Battiste, the city’s pilot manager, said. “It’s not just about survival, but about living.”...

This summer, the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, a coalition of community-based organizations that promotes civic engagement across Louisiana, started holding monthly “Sleeves Up” vaccination events. These gatherings, typically held at a church, community center, or apartment complex, offer games, food, and other incentives to encourage people to get vaccinated....

COVINGTON — State lawmakers on Tuesday heard from many north shore residents who were eager to have new political maps drawn and said they no longer want to be represented by a congressional district that is concentrated in the New Orleans suburbs south of Lake Pontchartrain. ...

After years of doing taxes the same way, Louisiana voters beginning Saturday are being asked to decide if the state should head in a different direction. Forty-three parishes, like Orleans, are choosing local leadership or deciding propositions, like East Baton Rouge, which is seeking to renew a property tax that funds the local city buses....

After years of doing taxes the same way, Louisiana voters beginning Saturday are being asked to decide if the state should head in a different direction. Forty-three parishes, like Orleans, are choosing local leadership or deciding propositions, like East Baton Rouge, which is seeking to renew a property tax that funds the local city buses....

Storm water had moved a tomb near the front door. When the door was opened a snake slithered out from the accumulated marsh grass. Jumping out of the way, Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin’s only thought was “nope.”...

Ashley Shelton, Executive Director of the Power Coalition of Equity & Justice, discusses redistricting in Louisiana. By Ashley K. Shelton Originally published in Word in Black When any storm makes its way into the Gulf, one of my greatest fears is always that history will repeat itself. An overwhelming sense of concern came over me as I watched Hurricane Ida grow in strength and head into the Gulf. I thought to myself, “This cannot be happening again.” I have been organizing at the local, state, and federal levels for more than 16 years. I have seen a clear pattern from my work in disaster recovery that communities of color are often left behind in the recovery process. For those of us in Louisiana, we will not let history repeat itself. We can no longer live in a long-term state of resiliency, and we must change the pattern of never being made whole...

A coalition of major civil rights organizations demanded Monday that Louisiana legislators redraw election districts to increase the chance that a second Black person can be elected to Congress....

Redistricting is the hot topic at the State Capitol these days, and it should be. The outcome of the redistricting special session, which is tentatively set for February, will impact almost every government decision for the next decade....

A coalition of major civil rights organizations demanded Monday that Louisiana legislators redraw election districts to allow for the chance that a second Black person can be elected to Congress....

‘It’s always urgent when it’s about vote, voice and power’ Climate change, a major concern of this week’s United Nations General Assembly, affects people across the globe through immigration, food production and the economy, to name a few. But as Ashley K. Shelton tells Mary C. Curtis, climate change is also spurring voter suppression. Shelton, who leads the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice and is a founding member of the Black Southern Women’s Collective, is turning her attention to policies that need to be in place to ensure that Americans disproportionately affected by devastating weather events can fully participate in democracy....

OPINION: It is imperative that groups seeking to offer humanitarian relief direct funds to grassroots groups who are clNonprofits and churches are always the first, and often the only, to step up and provide basic needs during disasters....

Power Coalition for Equity and Justice is a group of community-based organizations that work together to educate and empower voters across Louisiana. Through their voter engagement and community organizing work, the Power Coalition seeks to unify community voices into a stronger, more cohesive force that can successfully advocate for an agenda of shared values and issues....

The word resilient is one that has been oft-used to describe those of us in Louisiana who survived Hurricane Katrina. A description one finds in media spectacles, political assurances, and academic studies. However, this notion of resiliency overlooks all those who lost homes and lives, those who did not make it and those who could not return, those who could not withstand or recovery quickly, and those who don’t get recognized at all despite their resilience....

“WE CANNOT EXCUSE THE SUFFERING OF MARGINALIZED PEOPLE AS A MATTER OF FATE; IT IS A MATTER OF POLITICAL WILL,” SAYS ASHLEY SHELTON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE POWER COALITION FOR EQUALITY AND JUSTICE....

“It is imperative that groups seeking to offer humanitarian relief direct funds to grassroots groups who are closest to the pain of marginalization,” says Ashley Shelton, executive director of the Power Coalition for Equality and Justice....

Entergy New Orleans customers could end up paying higher electricity bills to cover the cost of repairs from Hurricane Ida  — but how big of an increase they’ll see would depend on whether the local and federal governments agree to foot some of the bill, the company said Wednesday. ...

Ahead of a host of local and municipal elections, the Black Southern Women’s Collective, today urged marginalized communities to demand that their elected leaders prioritize their voices and concerns. The Black Southern Women’s Collective is a network of Black women organizing in the South to improve the material conditions of Black people. Several members of the collective – Nse Ufot, executive director of the New Georgia Project; Pastor Rhonda Thomas, executive director of Faith in Florida; and Ashley Shelton, executive director of the Power Coalition in Louisiana –issued the following statement:...

Today, one day after the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, I cannot help but reflect as Ida ravishes our state. This storm comes as our region faces the worst impacts of a fourth surge of COVID-19, the Delta variant, exacerbating joblessness, food, and housing insecurity.  I have always been struck by the inhumanity of these storms; they always hit at the end of the month when working class folks are forced to choose between evacuating and paying bills. The utter destruction of all that they have worked to build is cruel, but the storm is the first slight. The rebuilding process is the next, and given the strained supply chain, rebuilding is always more difficult than it looks ....

A Louisiana judge on Thursday rejected a request for a preliminary injunction that would have required the state to resume participation in several federal pandemic unemployment programs....

When Lakeisha Brown knocks on doors to talk about the coronavirus vaccines, she anticipates tough conversations. Oftentimes, folks are confused or scared of the jab. They have plenty of questions but few opportunities to get answers. “I try not to be pushy,” Brown said. “I’m not here to make your mind up for you. I’m here to help you along the way.”...

Power Coalition CEO Ashley Shelton discusses grassroots organizing in Louisiana in the current pandemic and political landscape....

BATON ROUGE, La. (KSLA) – Louisiana voters could have four additional days for early voting in the next presidential election. That is, if Governor John Bel Edwards signs the bill. HB 286, filed by Representative Frederick Jones, would give Louisianans 11 days instead of the current seven days for early voting. It has passed with bipartisan support in both the Louisiana House and Senate....

Louisiana has a voting access problem, particularly in areas where Black voters reside. But one bill before the Louisiana Legislature, HB 286 sponsored by Rep. Frederick Jones (D-Monroe), would address this problem by increasing access to in-person voting and extending from seven days to 11 eleven days the window for early voting in presidential elections. ...

SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – A coalition of Louisiana organizations dedicated to civic engagement wants to get the word out to those who did not participate in the 2020 census because of their immigration status that there is still time to be counted if enough people speak up.  “Right now what we’re focusing on is trying to remedy any possible damage that came from those who didn’t necessarily want to be counted,” says Candice Battiste, who is a North Louisiana organizer for the Power Coalition For Equity & Justice. “So what we will be able to do is possibly look back at those communities and determine based on prior census whether there has been any growth.”...

Ashley Shelton, the executive director of the nonprofit, said Tuesday night that her organization appreciates Ardoin keeping the COVID-19 reasons to request and absentee ballot, “but (he) did not keep the extended early voting (which they also did not do in December) so while we support extended mail in voting, I think we would like to see extended in-person early voting opportunities so that more people can use that option, especially since almost 30 percent of people early voted in person in November due in large part to the extra days.”...

When news broke that Florida voters had approved a ballot measure raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, Terrence Wise celebrated from a thousand miles away. “If we can get it in the Deep South, you know, down there in Florida, it’s bringing all workers closer to $15 an hour minimum wage on a national level,” says Wise, a McDonald’s worker in Kansas City, Mo., and a leading voice of the Fight for 15 movement. ...

‘The people are tired’ of corporate tax exemptions, one opponent says During Tuesday’s statewide election, Louisiana voters rejected Amendment 5, which would have allowed some manufacturers to avoid the property taxes they would otherwise owe local taxing jurisdictions for new projects or additions and instead negotiate lower payments with those jurisdictions.   Edgar Cage, a leader of Together Louisiana, a statewide network of congregations and civic organizations, and an opponent of the Amendment, called it “corporate welfare” and another tax loophole that allows corporations to avoid paying their fair share. Sixty-three percent of Louisiana voters, or a total of 1,221,197, voted against the amendment....

Extreme temperatures and record storms are shuttering polls, leading climate advocates to raise concerns about disenfranchisement.  A record number of voters have cast ballots ahead of Election Day, but extreme weather has displaced thousands of others and shuttered polling sites across the country in what climate advocates are calling a new form of disenfranchisement. Red and blue precincts alike are dealing with disruptions, and people already vulnerable to disenfranchisement — older people, those with disabilities, low-income Americans and people of color — are bearing the brunt of the latest voting challenges....

WEST MONROE, LA. (KTVE/KARD)– Candice Battiste with Power Coalition Equity and Justice said this year’s early voter turnout was record breaking. “Every record has been shattered, I mean I don’t think there is anything left, any records left to break, which is really exciting,” Battiste said. Battiste said they are expecting the same for election day, but they’ve also experienced issues concerning voter registration. That’s why volunteers with Power Coalition will be at the polls to help voters who are having problems getting their vote in....

Louisiana is gearing up for a historic election on Tuesday, with officials in the New Orleans area expecting extraordinary turnout for the presidential race despite hurdles that have added difficulty to voting this year. In addition to the headline race between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, Louisiana ballots feature seven state constitutional amendments and dozens of local races....

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – On Election Day Tuesday, there will be a population that has a much tougher time exercising one of the basic rights: voting. Chronically homeless face a number of barriers that prevent them from voting. Many do not have a permanent address they can use to register, even more do not have an ID. Even for those who are registered and have an ID, the lack of transportation limits their ability to get to the polls. “Also, having to engage with the system that’s not really working for them in their lives at that moment is pretty challenging,” said Ashley Shelton, the Executive Director of The Power Coalition....

In Louisiana, where 325,000 homes remained without electricity Friday in the wake of Hurricane Zeta, voting advocates were rebuffed in their effort to have absentee-ballot deadlines extended by a day. The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the Anti-Defamation League Southern Region and statewide group the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice had written Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin and asked that he act “to prevent the disenfranchisement” of voters without power who couldn’t get online by 4:30 p.m. Friday to request an absentee ballot or who might face difficulties returning their absentee ballots by the Monday afternoon deadline. (In Louisiana, ballots must be in the possession of voting registrars by the deadline.)...

SHREVEPORT, La- If you need a ride to the polls on Election Day, the Power Coalition –along with its Power Partners– are providing rides. The Power Coalition is a nonprofit organization in Louisiana. They are providing rides in Shreveport, Lafayette, Baton Rouge, and New Orleans. To reserve a ride on November 3rd, call: Shreveport: 318-615-9203  Lafayette: 337-385-3887 Baton Rouge: 225-317-9028 New Orleans: 504-434-2299 Or go to the Power Coalition website....

WEST MONROE, LA. (KTVE/KARD)– Candice Battiste with Power Coalition Equity and Justice said this year’s early voter turnout was record breaking. “Every record has been shattered, I mean I don’t think there is anything left, any records left to break, which is really exciting,” Battiste said. Battiste said they are expecting the same for election day, but they’ve also experienced issues concerning voter registration. That’s why volunteers with Power Coalition will be at the polls to help voters who are having problems getting their vote in....

OUACHITA PARISH, La. (KNOE) – A new study by the non-profit Measure of America revealed that Northeast Louisiana has the worst quality of life in the state. The group measures the well-being of certain areas based on health, education and median income. On a scale of 1 to 10, the state measured at a 4.35. In the NELA area, every parish fell below that number, with East Carroll ranking as the worst in the state with a 1.69. “This work represents exactly the kind of data analysis necessary to see where our state is improving and where we still need to do work,” Dr. Jenee Slocum said....

A string of natural disasters has drastically altered how Lake Charles’ residents will cast their votes this election year.  In the aftermath of Hurricanes Laura and Delta nearly 70 percent of 123 voting precincts in the Lake Charles area have been moved to a new location, according to Lynn Jones, the Calcasieu Parish Clerk of Court. Residents from 85 voting precincts have been directed to three consolidated ‘mega-sites’ to vote during the early voting period and for the general election on Nov. 3. “This is going to go down as one of the most challenging elections in our history,” Jones said. “It was a one, two, three punch. The second we were done making modifications for COVID, Laura hits, and then comes Delta.”...

SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) – President Donald Trump posted a tweet on Tuesday, saying people can change their votes. However, that depends on where people are casting their votes. For the four states in the ArkLaTex, his tweet is not accurate. “Once you have cast your vote, that is it,” said Candice Battiste, the north Louisiana organizer for the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice. Technically, people can change their minds, but your vote will not be counted twice. In Louisiana, if a person sends in their mail-in ballot but still proceeds to vote in-person, the state will only count whichever (mail-in or in-person) is received first. Therefore, voters could potentially change their minds if they go in-person before the election office receives their mail-in ballot. However, if the mail-in ballot arrives before the person physically goes to the polls, they will not be allowed to vote in-person....

On the precipice of a historic election in a global pandemic, as anti-racist action confronts increasing authoritarianism, voting is under attack, y’all—especially in the South. What’s going down in your community? Let us know. Scalawag reporters and Anoa Changa are responding directly to your texts, questions, and tips....

SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) – Long lines and anxious voters signal early voting across the United States, as the country prepares for the November election. For Louisiana, this is the last weekend for early voting. Community organizations such as the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice and Voice of the Experienced (VOTE), set up shop in Shreveport to educate voters before they cast their ballots. “A lot of people don’t know they can take their sample ballots with them to the polls,” said Candice Battiste, northwest Louisiana organizer of the Power Coalition. She said it’s crucial people make educated votes and take the time to get to know what’s on the ballot before getting in line at their local polling locations....

How to make sense of the seemingly endless list of local offices up for election. “Overcrowded ballots are a form of voter suppression.” Ashley Shelton of Power Coalition Louisiana shared this powerful perspectiveduring the As The South Votes town hall last week, and it’s already ringing true for many voters across the country. Here in North Carolina, the ballot for my voting district has 37 offices listed, and my friends in Raleigh also have a hotly debated Affordable Housing Bond referendum.  As many people use lunch breaks, snatchs of time in between classes or clients, or the bookends of their day to vote in person, time is truly of the essence at the polls. Compound that with the incredibly long lines that many voters are experiencing at early voting locations across the South, and these long ballots become truly exhausting....

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – On Election Day Tuesday, there will be a population that has a much tougher time exercising one of the basic rights: voting. Chronically homeless face a number of barriers that prevent them from voting. Many do not have a permanent address they can use to register, even more do not have an ID. Even for those who are registered and have an ID, the lack of transportation limits their ability to get to the polls. “Also, having to engage with the system that’s not really working for them in their lives at that moment is pretty challenging,” said Ashley Shelton, the Executive Director of The Power Coalition....

SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) – With more than 41 million Americans already voting in the 2020 election, there’s a strong feeling that people want their voices heard this year. So imagine the surprise some people get when they arrive to vote only to discover their name is not on the voter registry. That’s exactly what happened to Amber Dixon on Tuesday at the Caddo Registrar’s office in downtown Shreveport. “I’m sitting here wondering, ‘what’s going on?’ I’m looking at everybody else passed me. And I was like, ‘I really want to vote today.’ I had it on my mind as I went out the door,’ said Dixon....

Tomorrow, October 20, at 7:00 p.m., Stephanie Mckee-Anderson, Executive Artistic Director of Junebug Productions, a 40-year-old local and national leader in Performing Arts, will go live on Instagram with the Executive Director of the Power Coalition of Equity and Justice, Ashley Shelton, to discuss the importance of voting and the organization’s work to ensure that Louisianians are equipped with the information that they need to exercise their right to vote....