Posted by: KFTC Executive Committee on March 30, 2018
KFTC's Executive Committee urges Kentuckians to create an inclusive movement by choosing not to play into harmful and divisive language.
Kentuckians For The Commonwealth works for an open, healthy democracy and a high quality of life for all people. We stand with teachers and public workers in the fight for a fair pension.
We understand the hurt and anger caused by Governor Bevin when he called Kentucky’s teachers and other public workers “selfish and short-sighted” and said they displayed a “thug mentality” when speaking out. He should apologize.
The word “thug” has a complicated history. It was used to disparage unions of working people throughout labor’s history. Over time, it’s meaning shifted and today, the word “thug” has racial undertones. It’s a word that causes hurt and pain for Black Kentuckians and other people of color.
That language seeks to divide us, and repeating it has unintended consequences.
Posted by: Larry Miller on March 28, 2018
I am a retired UMWA coal miner from western Kentucky and a KFTC member.
I worked underground for many years and very proud of that work. When I put on my bank clothes to go underground I did so secure in the knowledge that the benefits I was earning would be there for my wife and myself to survive during our retirement years. But now, thousands of retirees like me all across the coalfields will lose their pensions due to the 2008 financial crisis and coal company bankruptcies.
Posted by: Grace S., Graves Co. High School sophomore on March 27, 2018
As a student, it is my belief that students should feel safe, protected, and free at school. However, arming teachers may not make students feel safe, it could in fact do the opposite.
Posted by: KFTC Staff on March 21, 2018
UPDATED: March 28, 2018
Right now is a key moment for a piece of legislation that would negatively impact Black and Brown young people in Kentucky.
House Bill 169, the "Youth Incarceration Bill," passed the House on March 15 and Senate leaders were quick to take parlimentary maneuvers to fast-track the bill for passage. Then on March 27, after compelling testimony on why and how the state could invest in programs to prevent gang violence, the Senate Judiciary Committee instead voted to pass HB 169 and support locking up more young people, and for longer.
This bill does not make Kentuckians safer, but it would cost taxpayers an additional $19 million a year, and lead to even higher levels of youth incarceration, especially among youth of color. The bill would:
- Expand the definition of a gang membership.
- Require more severe sentences and harsher charges for anyone who fits the newly expanded definition of gang membership, without judicial discretion.
- Make the penalties for gang recruitment more severe.
Posted by: Eric Simpson, Rowan County on March 19, 2018
Eric Simpson (Rowan Co.) on the chapter's civic engagement on medical marijuana bill HB 166
Posted by: KFTC staff on March 14, 2018
Senator Mitch McConnell is in a position to direct more than $100 million to economic and community development projects in communities hardest hit by the decline in coal mining.
Kentuckians held an action outside his Lexington office today asking him to waste no more time in doing that.
“The time is now to pass the RECLAIM Act,” said Lyndsay Tarus, the Economic Transition Coordinator for the Alliance for Appalachia. “This is a jobs bill. The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement has estimated that 4,600 jobs could be generated through the RECLAIM Act across the country.
Posted by: KFTC staff on March 6, 2018
In January and February, two eastern Kentucky chapters have started the year off with a bang.
Harlan County chapter members met on January 25 and did some deep visioning on what they want the chapter to work on over the course of the next year, bringing long-time members as well as folks new to KFTC together.
“I'm excited for the direction the chapter is moving in. I believe this can be a great thing for Harlan County, and it can move Harlan in a very positive direction, for the benefit of all who live here,” Lily Milovnik, a Harlan County High School student, said in regards to the January chapter meeting.
Posted by: Joe Gallenstein on March 1, 2018
On February 24 members in Scott County hosted a town hall for residents to ask the questions of their state legislators they were concerned about.
Posted by: Joe Gallenstein on February 26, 2018
Tonight, on February 26, the Newport City Commission voted unanimously to approve a Syringe Access Exchange! This was the result of concentrated grassroots work lead by Newport residents over the past 5 months.
This past October several Newport residents began attending City Commission meetings to talk about the need for syringe access exchange, often referred to as a needle exchange, in their community. Partnering with Democratic Socialists of America of Metro Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, they began a campaign to build support for the exchange in their community.
Posted by: Claudia Hanes on February 23, 2018
In the recent community survey sponsored by the Bowling Green Daily News, one citizen asked why Bowling Green needs a Fairness Ordinance.
