Read. Think. Act.

Catherine Read

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Racism in America with Shirley Ginwright

(July 29, 2019) Catherine Read sits down with civil rights activist Shirley Ginwright for a candid conversation about racism in America. Ginwright is a long-time community activist, serving as the President of the Fairfax NAACP and as the chair of the Communities of Trust in Fairfax from 2014 to present.

On the heels of inappropriate and racist comments by the President of the United States, Trump is set to visit Virginia to mark both the 400th anniversary of the Virginia legislature and the arrival of African slaves to its shores. After fighting racism for six decades, Ginwright is discouraged about the current state of public discourse. She feels as if we are taking steps backward, as opposed to moving forward, in our acceptance and understanding of our checkered past.

Ginwright acknowledges the importance of teaching children about our nation’s history, and not whitewashing our past. White people primarily write history books, from a white person’s perspective. She proposes having students read books written by black authors so that they get a full understanding of our history.

She recently had a conversation with a white college professor of history, who acknowledges that by reading books written by African American authors, she is able to open her mind to the breath and depth of our past.  This helps her understand things from a different perspective, which enables her to relate better to her students.

In the second segment of the show Ginwright discusses how issues are framed differently in public discourse when it comes to race. She uses the example of drug epidemics in two different circumstances. Back in the 1980’s, there was a crack cocaine epidemic that primarily impacted African American communities in the inner cities. At the time, the answer from politicians was to crack down on the “thugs” who suffered from addiction, and treat them as criminals. This led to a ballooning prison population,with a disproportionate impact on communities of color.

Fast-forward to recent years, and we now have an opiod epidemic afflicting mostly white communities across the nation. Today, politicians are taking the stance that this is a public health crisis that deserves both money and attention. Instead of treating these people as criminals, as they did in the past, the conversation has shifted to trying to help these victims survive and recover.

Yet, at the same time, African Americans are still serving outrageous sentences for drug crimes from decades past. Additionally, minorities are disproportionally sentenced to jail for marijuana possession today. There are still true inequities in the system that deserve attention.

Another timely topic that we have debated in recent years is whether or not schools, roads and buildings should be named after Confederate soldiers. With Virginia being the capital of the confederacy, we still have a number of these throughout the commonwealth.

Most recently, JEB Stuart High School in Fairfax was renamed Justice High School. It is especially ironic that the population of this school is majority minority. Ginwright believes that the names should be changed because we should not be honoring the memory of people who stood for the inequities of the past.

As we grapple with the hard questions about our history, and attempt move the needle forward, Ginwright encourages everyone to consider equity and encourage representation. She uses the example of jury duty. She has never been called for jury duty, which begs the question – is there equal representation on juries in communities throughout the country? In the classroom, are there enough minority teachers for children to look up to? These are all important questions, and she urges us all to think about these issues.

Ginwright emphasizes that the only way things can change is if we elect people who accurately represent our values. Local politicians have great sway over policies in everything from the classroom to the police force. Virginia has elections for virtually all local offices this November. She encourages all Virginians to make a plan to vote and ensure that their voice is heard.

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Democratic Business Council of Northern Virginia with Laurie MacNamara

(June 17, 2019) Catherine Read speaks with Laurie MacNamara, the first female President of the Democratic Business Council of Northern Virginia. (DemBiz).  Their wide-ranging discussion covers everything from the purpose of the council, to the programming and policy components of the organization.

MacNamara is the first female to head the DemBiz Council in its sixteen years of existence. Senator Scott Surovell, Laurie Blackburn and Kevin Cook founded the organization in 2003, when they recognized that the business owners with Democratic values were under-represented.  Their goal was to bring together business executives who wanted to advance issues that their workforce cared about, such as education, healthcare and affordable housing.

DemBiz provides opportunities for Democrats, like-minded independents and others to meet and network with other professionals, as well as with local, state and federal elected officials and candidates. Through a wide range of programming, from breakfasts to after work networking events, the Council aims to serve all who are interested in participating.

As MacNamara notes, in a local economy with essentially zero unemployment, it becomes a competitive environment to keep employees happy.  Employers are looking to do all they can to retain their staff. By collaborating with organizations like Equality Virginia , they are working to advance policies to make the workplace more inclusive. DemBiz aims to advance policies that workers are yearning for, such as paid family leave and inclusive LGBT workplaces.

The DemBiz Council is best known for its monthly breakfast meetings that are held at the Tower Club in Tysons Corner. Under McNamara’s leadership, however, she has sought to broaden the programming options.  She has also encouraged the Council to hold events around the region and during various times of the day – branching out to both Arlington and Loudoun Counties. Notable recent speakers include Michael Bloomberg and Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

Additionally, the council has hosted candidate forums in the recent elections. In 2018 they put on a robust candidate forum focused specifically on business issues for the 10th Congressional Seat (which was eventually won by Rep. Jennifer Wexton). The following year, in 2019, they hosted a forum for all who were running for the Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. The panels were informative, and they plan to continue these events in the future.

Other upcoming events include a discussion about Women in Politics, to be held at 1776 in Crystal City on June 20th. On July 17,  Nobel Prize winning economist Dr. Joseph Stiglitz will join the Council for a talk about the impact of economics on elections.  In September, former Governor Terry McAuliffe will be the keynote speaker who will discuss his experience of stumping for candidates throughout the state during the summer months.

MacNamara is proud of the work she has done in her two-year tenure to help move the organization forward. As the business community in Washington evolves, she aims to keep up with the trends. Her personal background is in Government Contracting, and while there are still many of these businesses in the area, the region has worked hard to attract new industries.

One of her new programming ideas is to have a DemBiz Annual Awards Banquet.  This would give the council an opportunity to recognize employers in the region who are promoting family friendly policies, like paid family leave, early childhood education and inclusive workplaces.

From the Amazon and Nestle headquarters in Arlington, to Hilton putting down roots in Tysons Corner, and Volkswagen landing in Herndon, area officials have worked hard to diversify the business base. Other employers such as INOVA and George Mason University are expanding and hiring more workers. Additionally, players like Virginia Tech, who are setting up their new innovation campus in Alexandria, are helping to fuel the growth of the region. Small businesses are emerging, and many of them are minority, women and veteran-owned enterprises.

All of these businesses have policy objectives that will help attract and retain their employees, and continue to make Northern Virginia thrive. The DemBiz Council has an entire arm of the organization dedicated to advancing policy initiatives on things like education, transportation and healthcare, just to name a few. McNamara encourages all of the members to get involved and add their voice in establishing policy objectives. She welcomes all who are interested to the table. www.DemBiz.org

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Network NOVA Third Annual Women’s Summit

(May 6, 2019) Catherine Read sits down with the several key leaders of Network NOVA to discuss their third annual Women’s Summit “Taking Back Power Everywhere” to be held June 28-30 at the McLean Hilton in Tysons Corner.

In the first segment Catherine speaks with Katherine White and Robbin Warner to talk about the history of this summit.  Following the Women’s March, and in the lead-up to the 2017 Virginia statewide elections, a core group of women from Northern Virginia came together with the goal of getting more involved in local politics and supporting Democratic candidates. At the time, there were only 34 Democrats in the House of Delegates.   After floating an idea over happy hour one night, they pulled off the first summit with only 70 days of preparation. Their goal was to learn about and meet all of the candidates who were running for office in November of 2017, as well as to get training from experts in the field on issues from healthcare to the environment to transportation.

Relationships were formed, and the women worked their tails off that year to help elect Democrats to office. Their work contributed to flipping an unprecedented 15 seats in the House of Delegates, helping to balance the power in the lower chamber. This sea change, along with holding the Governor’s mansion and all three statewide seats, helped to force a vote on Medicaid expansion, as well as move the needle on several other issues like education and the environment.

In 2018 the group leveraged their successes to buoy three Virginia women to Congress. Congresswomen Jennifer Wexton (10th), Elaine Luria (2nd) and Abigail Spanberger (7th) were recipients of support from the women of Network NOVA, and won their respective races. All three women will be attending the summit on Sunday to meet with participants and share their experiences and lessons learned.

This year’s election is slightly different, which called for a different approach to the conference. While there are no statewide or congressional seats up for grabs, just about every local elected official in Virginia will be on the ballot. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn more about local government, and the people who run it. The entire first day of the conference will be devoted to local candidates and their issues. The second day will be focused on State Delegates and Senators, while on the third day the spotlight will be on national issues.

In the second segment of the show Catherine speaks with Krysta Jones of Vote Lead Impact (VLI). VLI promotes and recruits female candidates of color, and teaches leadership competencies. Jones is excited to a part of the summit this year to help advise on programming, and to help diversify the base of people who would be attracted to attend the event.

Robbin Warner Brian SewellBriana Sewell of the VA Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy also joins Catherine to talk about why they are a sponsor of the Women’s Summit.  Her organization works hard to support women throughout their lifecycle, which in turn means that they are supporting Virginia families.  Their issues start with advocating for paid family leave and stretches to ensuring women are supported as caregivers, encompassing everything in between.  She is working with Network NOVA to help them establish an agenda for the summit that speaks to women of all genders, ages and races.

The cost of the event has been kept very low so that there is not a barrier to entry. There will be workshops catering to all types – everything from canvassing, candidate messaging, personal development and executive presence and imaging. The goal is to elevate these candidates and activists to the next level, and change the definition of who an activist can be.

For a full and up to date listing of all 45 breakout sessions, along with every scheduled speaker, visit the Network NOVA website for all of the details. Everything that you need is listed, from the candidates’ forums to Sister Simone of Nuns on the Bus to the Badass Grandmas. The women of Network Nova look forward to welcoming all who are interested in attending. Tickets are $139 for the three-day event, and can be purchased online. They were able to keep the costs low, thanks to the generous sponsorships of organizations like the Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy Virginia, Feminist Majority, Win Virginia and many others.

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City Center NOVA – Inclusive Housing

(April 22, 2019) Catherine Read sits down with Paula Manion of the City Center NOVA Steering Committee and Larysa Krautz, Chief of Staff for Melwood, an organization that creates thousands of jobs annually for people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

There are many challenges for adults with IDD, and the lack of affordable and accessible housing is just one of those obstacles. When people with intellectual disabilities reach the age of 21, they hit a “cliff” in many aspects of life. Education, healthcare and housing become huge barriers, and people often rely heavily on parents and family for these resources. Many of these adults would prefer to live independently, however, there is a severe lack of housing available with the proper supports.

The Main Street housing project in Rockville, MD is aiming to change the approach to housing for adults with IDD. Main Street’s mission is to meet the urgent need for disability housing and programming with affordable, community centered spaces, and opportunities that promote inclusion, independence, and quality of life.

The Main Street project is the first-of-its-kind development in the Washington metropolitan area. It is a community-centered residential development where 25% of the units are being designed and designated for those with IDD. On course to be completed by 2020, Main Street seeks to be a model and a mindset – an affordable and inclusive community that offers social engagement, unparalleled accessibility and dynamic educational, vocational and therapeutic programming. Nonresidents may join as members and participate in community activities along with residents. In this way, the project will have an even broader impact beyond providing critically needed housing.

As a member of the City Center NOVA steering committee, Paula Manion is working hard to develop a similar type of development here in Northern Virginia. They are busy interviewing members of the community to ensure that the new development meets their needs, as well as fundraising and coordinating with local officials from both the county and the state.  A project of this scope can only get off the ground as a public/private partnership.

This new approach to inclusive housing is an alternative to group homes, which are the most common form of housing currently available. Unfortunately, the waiting lists are very long, as there are more people who need housing then there are units available. These waiting lists can take up to 10 years to move through. Creating more options that are inclusive, such as Main Street and City Center NOVA, could be a positive way forward.

Rachna LarysaIn the second half of the show Catherine speaks with Rachna Sizemore Heizner, a consultant who works with businesses to open their eyes as to why inclusion and diversity in the workforce is important. She points out that bringing people with varying abilities into an office setting can strengthen the workforce. When looking at candidates, unfortunately we often talk about disabilities, but Rachna turns the table and encourages employers to look at the strengths and positive attitude that those with IDD can bring to the workplace. She coins the term “strength based inclusion”. Often times these workers are extremely appreciative to have the opportunity, and work very hard to ensure that they do the job at hand well.

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Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget

(March 25, 2019) Catherine Read sits down for an in-depth discussion about the federal budget with Mike Murphy, Chief of Staff for the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB).   The CRFB is a non-partisan nonprofit that believes a budget should be a statement of a nation’s values and priorities, as well as a statement about what type of country is passed down to the next generation. The goals of the CRFB include educating the public, public officials, and policy makers about the importance of addressing the debt; and to advocate for fiscally responsible policymaking.

The CRFB has a campaign right now called “Fix the Debt”. It is simple in its messaging, but encompasses many important priorities. Murphy breaks down the components of the budget for Catherine, and why the time to act is now. He acknowledges that when regular people think about the enormity of the federal budget, it can seem out of touch and people have a hard time relating to it.

Spending

Murphy likes to equate the federal budget to something simpler, like a family budget. When a family decides to take on debt to buy a house, they generally make decisions based on what they can affordrelative to what they earn. The federal budget is pretty much the same thing, just on a much larger scale. When doing a family budget, sometimes there are tough decisions that need to be made.  If a family cannot afford something, than they cannot have it. He believes that there are currently no decisions being made on a federal budget level, and America is borrowing at an alarming rate.  When the bill finally comes dues, there will be many issues of how to handle the problems that will ensue.

Today the federal budget is approximately 4.4 trillion dollars. There are two types of spending in the federal budget- mandatory spending and discretionary spending. Mandatory spending includes programs that are set in place by law and Congress does not have much say in making decisions about it. These include Social Security and Medicare benefits, as well as programs like the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Medicaid. This accounts for between 60-70% of the overall spending. The remaining 30% is discretionary spending, which is decided by Congress. These include agency budgets, defense and all other spending categories and initiatives.

Over the past 40-50 years, the ratio of the mandatory to discretionary funding has reversed. It used to be that 70% of the budget was discretionary, which gave lawmakers much more flexibility in planning and deciding on budget priorities. Today, only 30% of the budget can be changed. This is currently the Congressional budget period, as lawmakers are to be putting their budgets together in order to make a resolution by April 15th.

Revenue

Mike Murpjy CRFBOn the revenue side, Murphy shares that approximately half of the revenue comes from individual income taxes, about 35% from payroll taxes (Social Security and Medicare withholdings), and the remainder comes from other miscellaneous taxes collected by the IRS.

A deficit occurs when the annual spending is greater than the annual revenue. Today, that annual difference amounts to $900 billion a year. In February alone, the federal deficit was $230 billion for that one month. The federal debt is the accumulation of past deficits. Today, the Gross National Debt is $22 trillion dollars, and if we continue to operate under the current system it is expected to grow by $10 trillion over the next 10 years.

Those are some big numbers. How can people wrap their heads around this, and why is it important? Murphy explains that as this debt grows, the government is required to pay interest on the money that is being borrowed, much of which is from foreign countries. Interest payments are the fastest growing expense in the federal budget. By 2032, America will be spending more on interest payments than they do on all federal programs for children.

If the deficit spending is not addressed now, it is a monster that will continue to grow. From an economic standpoint, more public debt that is accrued will slow growth and wages over time, and can lead to higher interest rates for consumers. Additionally, there are national security reasons as to why America should lower its debt. The more the country spends on interest, the less it can spend on other important initiatives.

As the country accumulates more debt, it is limiting its “fiscal space” and might not be able to borrow for a national emergency. Additionally, borrowing from other nations can lead to potential geo-political problems. And lastly, from a moral perspective, the CRFB believes that passing this kind of burden on to the next generation, simply because they are not willing to make hard choices, is simply wrong.

Murphy shares that the unwillingness of Congress and the federal government to take this issue seriously, and get the budget in line, is symptomatic of a dysfunctional system that is not working properly. Congress continuously kicks the can down the road, but has not made any hard decisions about the deficit spending in many years. Recently, Murphy attended a conference of high school kids from around the country. He posed a couple of questions to them about the current political climate, and their answers very much mirrored public opinion polls conducted over recent years.

First he asked how many of the students believed that the polarization in our society is threatening our way of life. Almost every hand in the auditorium of 1000 students went up. The Pew poll that asked the same question showed that 87% of those questioned also felt the same way. The second question he posed was a little more radical. He asked how many of them believed that the current polarization could lead to a civil war? About 50% of the hands went up. When Rasmussen asked the same question, about 30% of the respondents said that they thought it was a possibility.

Murphy believes that this indicates that there is a hunger for a conversation about moving past the current political divide in order to address the root causes of these problems.

Myth Busters

In the final segment, Catherine and Mike talk about myths surrounding the federal budget. It is important to understand the facts and why they are true.

Myth #1: Debt Doesn’t Matter

If you stop and think about your own personal consumer debt, than it is not to hard to understand that you cannot borrow indefinitely without there being some sort of consequence. In the case of a federal budget deficit, the result can be significant inflation.

Myth #2: Tax Cuts Pay for Themselves

Those who are proponents of tax cuts will try and make the case that the tax cuts will spur growth, and the tax revenue collected from the growth in the economy will cause the cuts to pay for themselves.  This has historically shown not to be true.

Myth #3: We Can Solve the Budget Deficit by Only Taxing the 1%

This will never solve the problem. We could levy a 100% tax on the 1% and it would still not solve the problem.

In conclusion, with the federal debt rising every day, the country is on an unsustainable path. Today the federal deficit sits at 78% of the total economy. If an individual was planning their own personal budget, would they have a mortgage that required them to spend 78% of their income?   Historically, when the debt was at a more manageable level it has lived in the 35-40% range. The only other time in our history that it has been this high was during World War II. If the current trends continue, the debt will be 100% of the total economy within the next 10 years.

With an aging population, there will be fewer people working and paying into the system, and more people who need benefits. The Social Security Trust Fund is projected to be insolvent by 2034. Now is the time for lawmakers to sit down and begin the serious work of coming up with a plan of how to address these problems.   These conversations will be deep, and they will need to come to the table with an open mind and an open heart. Trust will be the key to finding a workable solution. Trust in one another, and trust that one side will not abandon their word if a compromise is reached.

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Shaping the Future of Fairfax – Four Women Candidates in 2019

(March 11, 2019) Catherine Read interviews four women of color who are seeking the Democratic endorsement for local office in Fairfax County.  Karen Keys-Gamarra is running for Member-At-Large on the School Board; Ricardy Anderson is running for Mason District representative on the FCPS School Board; Kelly Hebron is running for the Board of Supervisors in the Lee District; and Alicia Plerhoples is running county-wide for Chairman of the Board of Supervisors. School board endorsement votes are held by the Democratic Committees in each magisterial district, the at-large endorsements will take place on May 21 at the countywide meeting of the Fairfax County Democratic Committee. Primary elections for the Board of Supervisors positions will be June 11th.

Karen Keys-Gamarra, FCPS School Board At-Large

In the first segment Catherine speaks with Karen Keys-Gamarra, who is the current At-Large School Board Member and is running for reelection. Keys-Gamarra was first elected in a 2017 special election. Her current roles on the board consist of serving on the committees that oversee Governance and Audit, as well as being the Board liaison to the Title 1 Parent Advisory Committee and the Community Criminal Justice Board.  She has a strong commitment to transparency and good governance practices. With the school system being allocated approximately 50% of the county budget of 1.5 billion dollars, she aims to ensure that the school system is a good steward of those funds.

Karen Keys GamarraAdditionally, Keys-Gamarra is strongly committed to the One Fairfax policy, recently adopted by both the School Board and the Board of Supervisors. This policy promotes equity, and asks all policy makers to put on their equity lens when crafting programs and agendas. This effort is to ensure that the county is offering a quality, world-class education to all students who live in all corners of the county. It is also designed to so that children have access to the necessary services in order to thrive. During her time on the Board, she has also worked collaboratively to rewrite the Memorandum of Understanding for School Resource Officers, in order to provide guidance and ensure equity on how disciplinary challenges are managed.

The School Board is currently tackling a number of other very important issues, including setting up policies for boundary changes, addressing overcrowding in certain communities, improving access to advanced academic services to underserved communities and reviewing discipline policies. The ultimate goal is to deliver a world-class educational experience for all 190,000 students across the school system. As the 10th largest school system in the county, with a proud history of achievement, Keys-Gamarra believes it is imperative for the school board to address these issues head on with innovative and forward-thinking solutions.  To learn more about her platform you can visit her website.

Dr. Ricardy Anderson, FCPS School Board in Mason District

Dr. Ricardy Anderson, a resident of Mason District since 2008, is running to represent her home district on the FCPS School Board. She is seeking the Democratic nomination in the Mason District.  Anderson, a former teacher and principal, holds a Doctoral Degree, and is the only professional educator running for the seat. She brings with her a wealth of experience, and a desire to tackle the challenging issues that the School Board faces.

Ricardy AndersonWith deep roots in the community, along with raising her two young boys in Mason District, Ricardy is acutely aware of the challenges and needs of her district. She has never thought about running for public office in the past, but was moved to serve her community in an educational capacity. She has a lot of ideas and comes with a variety of perspectives to share, as she says there are “many ways to peel the onion”. She is excited to bring some of those ideas to the table in Fairfax County.

Her goal is to foster confidence in the school system to all families throughout Fairfax County, no matter where they live. She understands that education is the great equalizer, and wants to ensure that all students have equal access to education. She herself is an immigrant and first generation American, and has seen first hand that her education gave her the opportunity to advance and make a better life for herself and her family.  Anderson is also a fierce advocate for competitive teacher pay, and believes that the teachers are the foundation of a strong school system.

Her platform includes strengthening equity across the county by strategically implementing the One Fairfax policy, focusing on teacher pay, encouraging the Board to look at restorative justice practices in regards to discipline procedures, strong support of mental health services for students, and opportunities for high school students to access dual enrollment classes through the Community College system.   Voters can learn more about Dr. Ricardy Anderson and her platform, along with current endorsements, by visiting her website. Residents of Mason District who would like to have an opportunity to weigh in on this endorsement need to join the Mason District Democratic Committee by 5pm on March 22nd in order to be eligible to vote in the  April 24th election.

Kelly Hebron, Lee District Board of Supervisors

In the third segment of the show Catherine speaks with Kelly Hebron, who is running for the Lee District Board of Supervisors on the Democratic ballot. Kelly is an attorney and business owner who has lived in Lee District for 20 years. She and her husband have settled in the community and are raising their two daughters there. Kelly is invested in Lee District, and believes that there needs to be a new voice at the table in order to represent all of the residents of her district.

Kelly HebronHebron notes that there are a wide variety of neighborhoods and constituents in the Lee District. It is home to some of the most affluent neighborhoods in the county, but it there are also pockets of extreme poverty. The district covers 30 square miles of land south of the beltway (I-495), between Franconia and Ft. Belvoir. With many languages that are spoken, and many cultures that are represented, she believes that the diversity is Lee District’s strength. She aims to bring people together and work toward making her home district the best place to work, live and play.

Her platform covers strengthening County support for affordable housing, improving workforce development by working closely with the community college system, improving transportation options and taking care of the environment. There are many challenges facing the County today, but by working together to come up with creative solutions she is confident that she can help build a better community for all of her residents.

Hebron brings a wealth of experience to the table. She has served on the Criminal Justice Board, the Small Business Commission, the Economic Advisory Council and has been a board member on the Commission for Business Partnerships, which promotes minority and women owned business. With an economics degree from the University of Maryland, and both a Masters of Public Policy and a JD from Catholic University, Hebron feels that she is well suited to step into the Supervisor role. To learn more about Kelly, visit her website , meet her at the upcoming candidate forum on May 4th at 10am, and make a plan to vote in the primaries on June 11th.

Alicia Plerhoples for Chairman of the Board of Supervisors

Alicia Plerhoples, an attorney and professor at Georgetown University Law School, is running for Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. A graduate of Harvard College and Yale Law School, Alicia launched her career in NYC as a commercial real estate attorney.

She then turned her ambitions to her passion of community economic development, working mostly in the nonprofit arena. As a current professor at Georgetown, she heads the legal clinic, through which she and her students represent nonprofits, small business, incubators, co-working spaces and community organizations.

Alicia PlerhoplesPlerhoples lives in the Dranesville District, where she and her husband are raising their two daughters. She serves at the PTA president of her children’s elementary school, as well as holding a spot on the Governing Board of the McLean Community Center and serving on the board of her neighborhood citizens association. As a co-founder of Virginia Democracy Forward, a progressive grassroots organization based in Northern Virginia, Alicia has worked to raise money and elect Democratic candidates throughout the commonwealth.

Alicia decided to enter the raise for Chairman of the Board because she did not see her voice represented in the current slate of candidates. While Fairfax County is has great wealth and success, there is an underlying issue of growing poverty, and she believes that bold action needs to be taken to ensure that we stem the tide of inequality.

She knows personally about how quickly a family can fall from making ends meet, to being in a dire situation of finding themselves without a permanent place to call home. When she was in the fourth grade her father lost his job, and they were subsequently evicted from their home. This set off a period of economic instability, and her family was not able to find affordable housing. At the tender age of nine, she spent her entire fourth grade year living in a hotel room and experiencing food insecurity. This made a huge impact on her, and is the driving force behind her desire to work toward economic opportunity for all.

Plerhoples is running on a platform that supports these ideas.  She wants to improve access to workforce development and affordable housing, address climate change through innovation with local business, and work toward universal preschool for all children in Fairfax County.

To learn more about Alicia you can visit her website. She encourages all Fairfax County residents to make a plan to vote in the June 11th primaries. The chairman race is a county-wide election, so all residents will have an opportunity to make their voices heard.

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The Dyslexic Edge Conference on Inside Scoop

(February 4, 2019) Catherine Read speaks about the upcoming Dyslexic Edge Conference with Kristin Gauthier of Sliding Doors, Tracy Mason, Assistant Dean at George Mason University College of Science and Shannon Duncan of Decoding Dyslexia Virginia. In addition to discussing the upcoming conference, they talk about information regarding dyslexia advocacy in the Virginia General Assembly.

In the first segment, Catherine interviews Kristin Gauthier, founder and director of Sliding Doors, a STEM and dyslexia learning center. Her organization aims at helping students who have dyslexia, and includes a formal 2-year instruction program coupled with STEM focused enrichment.  Students with dyslexia are shown to have a natural talent in STEM related fields.  Therefore, one of Gauthier’s goals is to promote this amongst students, families and STEM professionals. Gauthier has been instrumental in getting the Dyslexic Edge Conference off the ground, and is working to get the word out into the community. She emphasizes that their philosophy is to focus on nurturing strengths in students with dyslexia, as opposed to looking at their challenges, and to use that as a launching pad for future endeavors.

The conference is geared toward three audiences: children and their families, teachers and STEM professionals.The day will be divided into two parts, the morning programming will consist of speakers for teachers and parents, while the afternoon will be hands-on learning workshops for students and families.

Dyslexia is said to affect 1 in 5 students nationwide. Gauthier shares that early detection is key, in order to ensure that children do not fall far behind their peers.  If a child is identified during kindergarten in the early stages of learning to read, then they would need approximately 30 minutes of daily intervention to stay on track. If that same child is diagnosed in third grade, the needed intervention time jumps to a whopping 3 hours a day.  A conference goal is to raise awareness so that teachers can recognize warning signs and red flags, ensure that children are properly screened, and provide teachers with resources that they can use in their curriculum.

In the second segment Catherine speaks with Tracy Mason, the Assistant Dean for the College of Sciences at George Mason University. She is thrilled that the University is hosting this conference as a collaborative effort between the Colleges of Science and Education. Her desire is to promote education that is accessible to all individuals.

Tracy Mason GMUPeople with dyslexia tend to have natural talents in STEM related fields.  These students, however, are often overlooked in the sciences because they struggle with reading when they are young.  So much of their time and energy is spent on acquiring the reading skills, that many children get frustrated and give up on academics altogether.  This conference aims to spark curiosity in the children, while also inform parents that they should nurture their children’s passions for the sciences. The goal is to demonstrate pathways to the future for these students. Mason notes that if they can reach children when they are young and curious, then they hope to make an impact and help inspire them to follow their passions.

Additionally, Mason finds it important to inform STEM professionals that students with dyslexia can have very successful careers in the sciences.  Raising awareness, and forming partnerships with these companies, can help produce the workforce of the future.  Currently, there is a shortage of professionals in the STEM workforce, so nurturing these relationships will be a critical step in helping to fill this gap.

In the third segment, Shannon Duncan of Decoding Dyslexia Virginia speaks with Catherine about advocacy efforts in the Virginia General Assembly. Her organization was founded in 2015, and over the past few years they have grown their membership and worked hard to move the conversation surrounding dyslexia forward. Decoding Dyslexia strives to define dyslexia, promotes early identification of dyslexia, supports quality teacher training and encourages school districts to offer assistive technology to help dyslexic students.

Decoding Dyslexia Virginia has had two legislative victories since inception, and one bill that is making its way through the legislature this year. The first bill passed in 2016, which requires teachers to go through a training module with VDOE  to educate them about dyslexia, and raise awareness about the condition. The second bill that passed in 2017 requires that each school division employ an expert in dyslexia, in order to be a resource to both parents and teachers. This year’s bill, SB 1718 requires mandatory K-3 screening for children in an effort to identify the condition early on. Duncan notes that the earlier that a child can be identified as dyslexic; the less intervention is required to get them on track.

The Dyslexic Edge Conference will be held on March 23rd on the campus of George Mason University. Mason and Gauthier note that they are still open to brining on partners in the form of sponsors for the event and display tables to run activities with children. If you are interested in getting involved you can reach out to them via their website www.thedyslexicedge.org or you can email directly at [email protected] .

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Northern Virginia Family Service – Inside Scoop

(Dec. 3, 2018) Catherine Read interviews several members of the Northern Virginia Family Service leadership team to talk about the wide array of services that they deliver to families throughout the region. For the past 95 years, NVFS has delivered support to the most vulnerable families in Northern Virginia. The organization was recently selected by Jeff and McKenzie Bezos to be a recipient of a $2.5 million grant from their Day 1 Families Fund to help end family homelessness in our region.

NVFS Programs

In the first segment, Catherine speaks with Andrea Eck, Executive Vice President of Programs at NVFS.   Andrea points out that the programs offered to families range from workforce training to housing assistance to hunger relief to early childhood development and support. The unique thing about NVFS is that all of their programs are integrated with one another, and are designed to support the families they serve in a holistic manner, with the goal of moving the family toward self-sufficiency.

Eck notes that NVFS works collaboratively with partners throughout the region to help deliver necessary services, so that resources can be used wisely and efforts are not duplicated. She is confident that their excellent track record is what led to the grant from the Day 1 Families Fund. The grant money will be used to fight family homelessness in Northern Virginia. Specifically, they will be enhancing their housing locator service, improving their career navigation center, and enhancing the availability of mental health services in order to get people healthy so that they can support themselves and contribute to society.

Multi-Cultural Center and Youth Initiatives

Andrea Eck NVFSIn the second segment Catherine talks to Meredith McKeen, Director of the Multi-Cultural Center and Youth Initiatives. On the multi-cultural center side, her job is to oversee the array of services designed to help people recover from exposure to trauma and violence. Her department utilizes case management to navigate the issues, and services are delivered in 7 different languages to meet the needs of the community. Many families have suffered trauma throughout the immigration process, and McKeen’s department is designed to assist families with immigration legal aid, as well as assist them in finding the support services that they need within the community.

Under the youth umbrella, NVFS runs a gang prevention program to help keep kids safe and out of trouble. Additionally, for young people who have witnessed or been exposed to violence, her department is tasked with helping them find and access mental health services. Getting young people access to these critical programs is so important, because the sooner they can deal with the trauma that they have experienced, the sooner they can get back to school and be able to move their lives forward.

Another important aspect of McKeen’s department is the family reunification program. Many times, immigrant families are separated from one another for many years, with some parents being separated from their children for up to a decade. Reunification is always the goal, but with it comes its own set of challenges. First off, parents and children need to get to know one another again. Additionally, the children may have endured an arduous journey to make it to America, and they may have residual trauma from their travels. This program is aimed to get ahead of these challenges and address issues up front in order to keep everyone safe. It has been shown to help avoid child abuse, future foster care placement and potential mental health problems down the road. It is an investment in the family today that can have a lasting impact into the future. Families are resilient, but they need the right tools in order to be healthy and happy.

Workforce Development

In the third segment of the show Catherine speaks with Julie Mullen, Director of Workforce Development about how NVFS is working toward customized career training for its clients. This new approach is aimed at helping their clients identify their goals, attain the necessary skills and ultimately find a sustainable wage job. The One on One Navigator program is one of the areas that will greatly benefit from the grant give by the Day 1 Families Fund. A job with sustainable wages is the best way to keep a family out of homelessness, so this program will be critical to meeting their goals.

The One on One program will allow career counselors to help clients tap into their talents, then connect them with the partners in the community who can help them build the skills that they need to succeed. Money from the grant will be able to help pay for certifications or English classes, even assist with the costs of opening a new business like an in-home childcare center. The career navigators can assist with understanding the regulations and the paperwork needed to get a business started. Removing these barriers and hurdles are critical to helping clients move forward.

This winter NVFS is launching their “Team Up” imitative in the hospitality, manufacturing and healthcare space. They will be co-locating in space with their business partners to help deliver services and make sure that workers have the tools that they need to be successful and productive. For example, now that Medicaid has expanded in Virginia, NVFS will have people available to help workers understand that they are eligible for benefits, and assist them in learning how to apply.

Health Access and Nutrition Services

In the final segment of the show, Catherine interviews Ondrea McIntyre-Hall, Director of Health Access and Nutrition Services at NVFS. Her department oversees the Hunger Resource Center, located in Prince William County. The center serves 600-700 families a month, and processes approximately 3.3 million pounds of food a year. There is a growing community of food insecure families in our region, and NVFS is looking at creative ways to help stem the tide of hunger by providing food support and nutrition services. Their resource center includes cooking classes and demonstrations, in order to teach families how to make the best use of the ingredients that they have access to.   Additionally, there is no limit on the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables that families can take when visiting their facility.

Thanks to generous donations from local farmers markets, grocery stores and the USDA the Hunger Resource Center receives a great deal of fresh, perishable food.   Therefore, they partner with other smaller food pantries in the area so that the food can get better distributed in a timely manner. Many families cannot access the center in Prince William, so this gives the smaller, more local pantries an opportunity to get fresh fruit and vegetables distributed to their clients.

Currently, NVFS is launching an exciting pilot program with Mason and Partners (through George Mason University) that will give clients a “prescription card” for certain fruits and vegetables that clients need to maintain their health. Clients will then be able to redeems these cards at participating vendors – food pantries, Farmer’s Markets, stores where the cards are accepted. This innovative approach to providing access to fresh fruits and vegetables recognizes that what we eat can greatly contribute to supporting a healthy lifestyle.

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Reverend Emma Chattin on Inside Scoop

(Dec. 24, 2018) Reverend Emma Chattin, of the Metropolitan Community Church of Northern Virginia, joins Catherine Read for the Christmas Eve edition of Inside Scoop. Their conversation covers Rev. Chattin’s ministry work throughout her career with LGBTQ and transgender individuals.

Equality Virginia recognized Rev. Chattin as an “Outstanding Virginian” for her many years of work in planning programming and providing support to LGBTQ and transgender Virginians.   After living and  working for 18 years in Harrisonburg, Rev. Chattin moved to Northern Virginia in 1997 with her partner Heather. Although she has never been a fan of the traffic in Northern Virginia, she quickly made her home and set down roots in the community.

As part of her ministry, Rev. Chattin has been involved with the Transgender Education Association  (TGEA) of Greater Washington. The organization has been around since 1982 in various forms, and was on the brink of closing down when Rev. Chattin became involved. She convinced the Board to keep the organization open, and after taking over the reigns she helped to transform it into a vibrant organization it is today. She focuses on providing safe harbor for transgender individuals, while also helping people in this community find their identity.

Over the years, the TGEA has worked together with individuals and families to help make the world a little less daunting for transgender individuals.   Starting with the youngest members of the community, Rev. Chattin has worked with TGEA to form a playgroup for children ages 5-11. This is a safe space with childcare professionals who are attuned to the children’s needs. While the children play, the parents can find respite with other parents of transgender kids. Again, it is a safe space to connect, find resources and share stories.

On the policy side, Rev. Chattin has worked throughout the years with the school systems to develop strong, positive policies designed to keep children safe. She has successfully worked with Fairfax County Public Schools on establishing policies around language regarding gender. This work required long hours of meetings and public hearings in order to ensure that all students are safe and represented. Chattin was pleased to see the outcome, and looks forward to continued work in moving other policies forward. She also works with employers by helping them put good policies in place, even before they may need to have them.

Emma ChattinOn a bit of a more somber note, Chattin points out that the suicide rate amongst transgender children is exceptionally high when children are not supported by the adults in their life. 54% of kids whose parents do not accept them for who they are, will attempt to take their own lives. Statistics show that only 4% of these children will try and commit suicide if their parents are open and accepting. It is so important for parents to try and understand their children, so that they can survive and thrive.

Central to Chattin’s ministry is the concept of diversity by God. She preaches that we are all made in God’s image, even people who differ from ourselves. She notes that the Bible has been used throughout history to justify a variety of terrible atrocities, including slavery. As she wisely states, the Bible is like a hammer, it can be used to build us up or to tear us down. She believes the Bible should be read as a metaphor, with stories dating back thousands years. There is wisdom to be learned but she does not believe that it should be read literally. On this Christmas Eve she wants to send a message of peace and hope, and encourages us all to go out and do good in our community today and all throughout the year.

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Menstrual Equity Update with Holly Siebold

(Dec. 10, 2018) Catherine Read interviews Holly Seibold (President) and Shaheen Khurana (Legislative Affairs) of BRAWS (Bringing Resources and Aid to Women’s Shelters), along with Del. Jennifer Boysko and FCPS School Board Member At-Large Karen Keys-Gamarra regarding the issue of menstrual equity.

Catherine first speaks with Holly Siebold about the term “menstrual equity” and why it is on the radar of so many people in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Holly became involved with this issue several years ago, when she founded the organization Bringing Resources and Aid to Women in Shelters (BRAWS). At the time, her goal was to get menstrual supplies to low-income women who did not have the resources to purchase them.

As Siebold has learned more and more about this issue, she has championed the idea of bringing full access of these products to all women in need.  She specifically mentions that the place where the most work needs to be done is in the public schools. In her travels throughout Northern Virginia she has found that 30% of the girls surveyed have had to miss school to manage their period. This could be for something as simple as not having a tampon or pad at school, or being forced to go home to get products or to change clothes. This puts girls at a tremendous disadvantage, especially those who come from low-income households who do not have the necessary resources to deal with these challenges.

In addition to the fact that they are forced to miss school, many young women feel shame and stigma about having to manage their menstruation. Schools are not equipped with products to help the girls, and students might not want to tell the nurse or counselor what their problems are due to shame, anger or embarrassment. Part of Holly’s work is to help change this dynamic, and to change how adults approach and talk about menstruation. BRAWS also sponsors a teen council to help de-stigmatize periods and elevate this issue, as well as advocate and raise funds for those in need.

Holly Seibold In the second segment Catherine speaks with Shaheen Khurana, the legislative affairs specialist at BRAWS working on menstrual equity bills in the Virginia General Assembly. Last year, BRAWS successfully worked with Del. Kaye Kory to pass HB 83, a bill directing all correctional facilities in Virginia to make menstrual products readily available, and free of charge, to all inmates who request the products. In the past there was a wide disparity throughout the state run correctional facilities on how these requests were handled. Many inmates were required to purchase the products as the store, but could not afford to buy them. This legislation ensures that all women have access to the sanitary supplies that they need on a monthly basis.

Del. Jennifer Boysko joins Catherine in the following segment to discuss her work to bring the Dignity Bills to the floor of the chamber in 2019. These bills are designed to abolish the sales tax charged on menstrual products to help ease the burden of the cost of these goods.   The first bill introduced last year would have removed the tax only during the sales tax holiday, which is designed and marketed as “back to school” sales tax relief. Currently, everything from wedding dresses to candy are included as part of this tax relief program. The second bill would have removed sales tax permanently on all purchases throughout the year.

Both bills were killed in committee last year, but Boysko hopes to have a better outcome with these bills during the 2019 session. As menstrual equity is elevated in the state and national discourse, she believes that they can make progress. To date, fifteen states have already removed sales tax from these products, and NY, CA and IL have all required their school systems to provide menstrual products free of charge to students in need.

Catherine’s final guest is Karen Keys-Gamarra, School Board Member at Large for Fairfax County Public Schools. She has successfully included support for menstrual products to be supplied to students who need them in the FCPS legislative package being sent to Richmond this year. Keys-Gamarra strongly believes that as the largest school division in the state, it is important to include this as a priority and be a leader on this issue. She notes that the school accreditation standards have recently been updated to include school absence as a factor. Based on the student surveys indicating that girls are missing classes due to not having access to menstrual products, she felt compelled to raise the issue. FCPS Superintendent Scott Braband has been directed to explore the scope, cost and impact that this request would have on the school system’s budget.