The Ahlquist Agenda
The Ahlquist Center for Policy, Practice and Innovation is the policy and advocacy arm of Brightpoint, a distinguished child and family service organization in Illinois. The Center advocates for robust, antiracist, equitable policies and social supports that create social capital, economic mobility, and systems designed to ensure children, families, and communities thrive.In this podcast, we invite you to take an inside look at how we think about policy: why it matters, how it impacts youth, families, and communities in Illinois, and what you can do to help.
The Ahlquist Agenda
Upset the Setup: Breaking Barriers Recap
In this episode, we recap our annual Breaking Barriers event and further explore the connections between neglect and poverty. The episode features our two guests from the event: Alex Kotlowitz, an award winning author and journalist who focuses on the needs of under-resourced communities, and Michael Tubbs, the former mayor of Stockton, CA and a leader in the universal basic income movement. You'll also hear from Children's Home & Aid CEO Mike Shaver on why the Ahlquist Center is taking on povery as a core tenet of its work.
Episode Resources:
Our President and CEO Michael Shaver wrote a letter to the editor of the Chicago Tribune about the links between child maltreatment and poverty, which you can view here.
Alex Kotlowitz’s first book, There Are No Children Here, won the Carl Sandburg prize for its story of two brothers growing up in Chicago’s Henry Horner housing project. Alex’s most recent book, An American Summer: Love and Death in Chicago, looks at the human toll of gun violence on the South Side of Chicago.
Michael Tubbs recently released his memoir, The Deeper the Roots: A Memoir of Hope and Home, which is available in bookstores everywhere. The documentary Stockton on My Mind, about Tubbs’ term as mayor of Stockton, is available to stream on HBO Max or for purchase on other digital sites.
This 2017 study connects an increase in the minimum wage to a decrease in child maltreatment cases.
The 2020 study that discussed the link between refundable tax credits and entry to foster care can be viewed at this link.
The most recent study exploring SNAP policy and its impact on the child welfare system can be viewed here.
To learn more about Brightpoint, visit our website at http://www.brightpoint.org