Op-Eds

We Stand With The Tennessee Three
In response to the Tennessee Legislature's continued lack of principled action, the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice and our ...
Read More
Read More

Anti-Protest Laws Are Not About Safety, They Are About Silencing Dissent
We must not allow our movements for justice to be silenced by laws that criminalize dissent. At least 42 people ...
Read More
Read More

A Win for Caddo Voters
Nearly 30,000 Caddo Parish residents voted early in 2020. During that critical election, many voters endured long lines that wrapped ...
Read More
Read More

Black Voters Are Fighting Racial Gerrymandering in Louisiana
Black women are uniquely saddled with student loan debt. by Ashley Shelton in Truthout From record inflation to attacks on ...
Read More
Read More

OP-ED: President Biden’s Student Loan Forgiveness Is Important, But More Must Be Done For Black Women
Black women are uniquely saddled with student loan debt. by Ashley Shelton in NewsOne President Joe Biden recently announced plans to cancel ...
Read More
Read More

OP-ED: This Hurricane Season, Disaster Recovery Must Be Equitable And Just
Few people recognize the trauma that can arise from living through a natural disaster that is worsened by climate change ...
Read More
Read More

FEMA Isn’t the Only Solution to Climate Disaster. Government Must Fund Mutual Aid.
June 1 marks the start of hurricane and wildfire season. This is a time when many wait with bated breath, ...
Read More
Read More

Beyond Earth Day: More Must be Done to Address Environmental Racism
Earth Day has passed but the need to continue the fight for environmental justice remains. We started our organization, the ...
Read More
Read More

The Fight for Our Schools Is Not Over
by Kaitlyn Joshua for the Bayou Progressive In case you hadn’t heard yet, on Thursday, April 7, the East Baton ...
Read More
Read More

Why Voters Have the Right to a Real Chance at Representation
The lawful and efficient exercise of Democracy in the United States depends on voters being able to freely choose their ...
Read More
Read More

Redistricting Tactics Threaten to Suppress Black Representation in Louisiana
By Ashley Shelton Originally published in Truthout.org The Louisiana Senate recently continued the state’s long history of racial oppression by ...
Read More
Read More

Every Voice Matters: Why Redistricting Is Important
Ashley Shelton, Executive Director of the Power Coalition of Equity & Justice, discusses redistricting in Louisiana. By Ashley K. Shelton ...
Read More
Read More

Disaster Recovery: A System That Continues to Fail Its People
OPINION: It is imperative that groups seeking to offer humanitarian relief direct funds to grassroots groups who are clNonprofits and ...
Read More
Read More

On Hurricane Ida, COVID-19, and trauma: Resilience cannot be a permanent state
OPINION: It is imperative that groups seeking to offer humanitarian relief direct funds to grassroots groups who are closest to ...
Read More
Read More

Louisiana has a voting access problem; expanding the number of voting days could help
Louisiana has a voting access problem, particularly in areas where Black voters reside. But one bill before the Louisiana Legislature, HB ...
Read More
Read More

Will Sutton: Hurricane Zeta disrupted voting, and we should find a way to make votes count
WEST MONROE, LA. (KTVE/KARD)– Candice Battiste with Power Coalition Equity and Justice said this year’s early voter turnout was record ...
Read More
Read More

Voting clouded by mystery for now
In between hurricanes over the past week or so, and in the wake of the national conventions for the Democratic ...
Read More
Read More

Mark Ballard: My wife Donna Britt has ALS. This is the complex process she must follow to vote.
Like Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin, every election day, my wife and I made a point of walking to ...
Read More
Read More

Guest column: Get involved in the census count, or we all pay a high price
On Aug. 3, the Census Bureau issued a statement saying, “We will end field data collection by September 30, 2020 ...
Read More
Read More

Viewpoint: Before Kamala Harris, a very long battle for women in politics
U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris’ selection as the 2020 Democratic vice presidential nominee — and potentially the most consequential vice president ...
Read More
Read More

Ashley Shelton and Candice Battiste: Now is the time to act on police reform
Not long after George Floyd’s killing in Minneapolis, which sparked Black Lives Matter protests locally, nationally, and globally, the people ...
Read More
Read More

Commentary: Lawsuits rightly take aim at limits to mail balloting during pandemic
When the League of Women Voters challenges a state’s election laws in federal court, claiming those laws violate fundamental constitutional ...
Read More
Read More

The Coronavirus Is Devastating Already Devastated Communities
The Coronavirus Is Devastating Already Devastated Communities The people and equity-centered recovery approach we are putting forward is intended to ...
Read More
Read More

United Way: Coronavius crisis makes equity and progress more important
United Way: Coronavius crisis makes equity and progress more important BY KIM SPORT and CHARMAINE CACCIOPPI MAY 4, 2020 - ...
Read More
Read More

Guest column: Start to plan for long-term vision of more just and prosperous Louisiana
Guest column: Start to plan for long-term vision of more just and prosperous Louisiana By MELISSA S. FLOURNOY APR 29, 2020 ...
Read More
Read More

I Never Planned to Be a Front-Line Worker at Dollar General
I Never Planned to Be a Front-Line Worker at Dollar General By Kenya Slaughter Ms. Slaughter works at Dollar General ...
Read More
Read More

Viewpoint: Mail-in ballots are essential for the safety of Louisiana voters
Who wants to potentially put themselves or their family members at risk by voting at a poll on upcoming election ...
Read More
Read More

Letters: Voters’ commitment to Medicaid mean Louisiana is better off in crisis
Letters: Voters' commitment to Medicaid mean Louisiana is better off in crisis by Ashley Shelton, Executive Director for the Power ...
Read More
Read More

Letters: No way for an ordinary worker to win in today’s system
Letters: No way for an ordinary worker to win in today's system BY CLARIONTA JONES MARCH 30, 2020 - 6:00 PM ...
Read More
Read More

Our Views: Looking for an easy way to contribute? Fill out that census questionnaire
Our Views: Looking for an easy way to contribute? Fill out that census questionnaire Staff Editorial for The Advocate By ...
Read More
Read More

Our Views: In 2020, let’s all stand up and be counted
Our Views: In 2020, let's all stand up and be counted STAFF EDITORIAL | JAN 1, 2020 - 6:00 AM ...
Read More
Read More

Families and Activism Drive Real Change in Louisiana
Families and Activism Drive Real Change in Louisiana In an opinion essay, Ashley Shelton of the Power Coalition in Louisiana ...
Read More
Read More

Raise minimum wage, as the people want politicians to do
BY ASHLEY SHELTON and MATT WOOD The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed the Raise the Wage Act, which ...
Read More
Read More

Kyle Ardoin can be a leader in ensuring fair, impartial elections
Louisiana is making progress towards ensuring free and fair elections for all voters. In addition to taking steps towards replacing ...
Read More
Read More