Latest news with #grassroots
ABC News
2 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
Football players wearing red armbands protest women in sport program cuts
Football teams across Victoria have taken to the field wearing red armbands to protest the axing of state government women in sport programs. The protest was sparked by the recent axing of the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation, along with the Preventing Violence Through Sport Grants program. Players also wore a second red armband to honour women who have been killed by gender-based violence this year. The Bass Coast Breakers was one of the many clubs wearing the red bands. "We've been direct benefactors in the activations grants. We got one and held a women in sport lunch," Breakers founder and coach Ella Angarane said. "We've also been able to have our Pride match, and access an ambassador through the Change our Game program." Ms Angarane said slashing the program could undo years of work. Other clubs protesting included Mount Alexander Falcons in Castlemaine, North Bendigo Women's Football Team, Darebin Falcons in the Victorian Football League Women's competition, Altona Football Club and Gisborne-Kyneton United. Community organisation GippSport said the program losses had left grassroots sporting clubs scrambling. "The challenge is trying to find resource now to do it," executive officer Daniel Poynton said. "We're still waiting for government to tell us what our funding level is and once we sort of understand that, will be able to put a place in with that [and] see what we can support." Gippsland Centre Against Sexual Assault said the Preventing Violence Through Sport Grants Program had been working. "[It was] a really strong change agent for … the issues around prevention of violence in sport and also just reaching community where community hubs are [in] small towns," chief executive Jane Barr said. Photographer Mitch Nivalis, who made a documentary about the Mount Alexander Falcons in Castlemaine, was "totally shocked" by the cuts. "We still have a massive problem with family violence and gender-based violence in our country, so sports play an integral role in being a place to target that behaviour change," they said. Community anger at the cuts comes at a time when Victoria is seeing significant growth in football. According to AFL data, last year there was a record number of participants playing the game in the state. The data also showed Auskick numbers were growing year on year by 6 per cent, with girls now making up 20 per cent of more than 2,000 children playing the game. The overall number of women and girls playing the game in Victoria is sitting at about 20 per cent, which is on par with 2024 figures. Victorian Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas on Sunday did not directly respond to whether the programs could be reintroduced. But she said the government had made record investments in women's sport. "The participation of women in sport has only grown under the time that we have been in government," she said. "More women are playing the sports they love than ever before and we are really proud of that achievement." Ms Thomas said the Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence and Minister for Women Natalie Hutchins, and the Minister for Community Sport Ros Spence, had had a "concerted effort on ensuring our sporting clubs are safe places for women and indeed people of all genders". "It is on an ongoing project of our government," she said.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Medicaid expansion would be a lifeline for Floridians; that's why we're suing
Let's not sugarcoat it: Florida's healthcare policies are failing us. They're failing the single mother in Ocala who earns $15,000 a year working part-time and was recently diagnosed with cancer — but can't afford the treatment she needs to survive. They're failing rural hospitals on the brink of collapse. And they're failing the hundreds of thousands of Floridians stuck in the 'coverage gap'— earning too much to qualify for Medicaid, but too little to afford private insurance. And now, to make matters worse, our state's lawmakers have passed a law that aims to take away one of the last tools Floridians have to fix it: the power of citizen-led constitutional amendments. That's why Florida Decides Healthcare filed a federal lawsuit challenging the dangerous new law known as House Bill 1205. This isn't just about getting Medicaid expansion on the ballot. This is about defending the very foundation of our democracy: the people's right to be heard and to shape their own future. This law, signed by the governor, isn't reform. It's repression. HB 1205 is a cynical effort to make it harder for everyday Floridians — teachers, nurses, veterans, parents — to participate in their own government. It buries citizens in red tape, threatens them with criminal penalties, and intimidates them for simply trying to collect signatures. It's designed to silence us, to shut down grassroots movements, and to keep power locked in Tallahassee's political elite. But we're not backing down. Because we know what's at stake. Medicaid expansion could transform lives in every corner of Florida—from the Panhandle to the Keys. It would bring billions of our own federal tax dollars back to our state — money we're already sending to Washington, only to fund healthcare in other states. It would help stabilize struggling hospitals, especially in rural areas where 135 hospitals have closed since 2010. It would let people see a doctor without risking bankruptcy. This isn't welfare — it's common sense. More than 60% of the people who would benefit from expansion are part of working families. Medicaid helps people stay healthy enough to work, care for loved ones, and contribute to their communities. And study after study has shown that expansion wouldn't raise taxes — it would grow Florida's economy. Floridians get it. Nearly 8 in 10 — Republicans, Democrats and independents — support Medicaid expansion. It's not a partisan issue. It's a people issue. And when our elected officials refuse to act, the people have not just the right, but the responsibility, to do it themselves. That's what Florida's citizen-led amendment process is for. It's how we raised the minimum wage, legalized medical marijuana, and protected our land and water. It's a tool for communities to drive change when politicians won't. HB 1205 is not about accountability or transparency. It's about fear of the people and the power they hold. This law hacks away at a process that may need refining, but not destruction. It puts up traps and hurdles to ensure only the wealthy and politically connected can get an idea on the ballot. It is a direct assault on the will of the people. And if it's allowed to stand here, you can bet it will spread across the country. This is how democracy erodes — not in one sweeping moment, but in a thousand paper cuts to participation, voice, and power. But we're not letting that happen. We filed this lawsuit because we believe in the power of the people. We believe the single mother in Miami, the bus driver in Fort Myers, and the veteran in Jacksonville deserve a voice in the laws that shape their lives. Floridians — not politicians afraid of accountability — should have the final say. This lawsuit is our declaration: We will not let them rig the rules. We will not be silenced. We're collecting signatures. We're building coalitions. We're taking this fight from the courtroom to the streets to the ballot box. Because Medicaid expansion isn't just smart policy — it's a moral imperative. And the citizen initiative process isn't just a political tool—it's a right we will defend. Mitch Emerson is executive director of Florida Decides Healthcare.
New York Times
4 days ago
- General
- New York Times
When ICE Comes for Immigrants in Nashville
To the Editor: Re 'The Profound Inhumanity of ICE Raids,' by Margaret Renkl (Opinion guest essay, May 23): Ms. Renkl, with genuine heart-rending empathy, informs us that it is open season on immigrants in Nashville. South Nashville, an enclave for Hispanic people, was obviously targeted based on demographics. As a former resident of South Nashville, I have witnessed the cultural and socioeconomic transition through the years. I have observed nothing that would justify the wanton harassment of this area's immigrant population. It is encouraging to see grass-roots efforts to rally around victims rounded up in a cycle of calculated and unjustified detention. The premise of these efforts is that heterogeneous societies and liberal democracy can coexist. Slogans such as Donald Trump's 'Make America Great Again' serve as a perpetual rallying cry for those advocating white nationalism. However, the proposition of an America without its rich diversity is undesirable, impractical and unrealistic. Foes of immigration are quick to seize on occasional immigrant crime, promoting an agenda calling for systematic deportation and stringent quotas for immigrants. While there is certainly a need to address immigrant crime, the offenders represent a very small percentage of the immigrant population. While federal and state authorities focus on immigrant crime, perhaps they could devote a proportional degree of attention to crime by white groups and individuals against minorities. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
BBC News
4 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Brighton woman recognised for inspiring growth of walking football
A walking football coach whose East Sussex team attracts more than 50 women has been hailed as a "lynchpin" in helping to grow the Hood founded Brighton & Hove Socialball in 2022 for what she describes as a "lost generation" of women missed out on playing only a handful of players attended the first sessions, the twice weekly sessions in Portslade now attract more than 50 a result, Ms Hood has received an award from the Walking Football Association (WFA) for her role in growing the sport, particularly among women over the age of 40. The 51-year-old began playing football with her father when she was young, but said she did not have the opportunity to play at school."Like many women of my generation, I couldn't play at secondary school or with a local club," she said."I'm so pleased it's different for girls now. Playing walking football allows women of my age to make up for lost time."The national grassroots award recognises the efforts she has made to build the team – all on a voluntary announcing the winners, the WFA described Ms Hood as a "lynchpin" in increasing the number of people taking part in the Hood said she was "humbled" by the added: "This award is as much for the members of the club as it is for me."We like to play well and improve our game, but the most important thing is everyone has fun and enjoys the wonderful game of football."
The Guardian
27-05-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Caroline O'Reilly obituary
My life partner, Caroline O'Reilly, who has died aged 71, was a fearless community activist and socialist. In the 1970s, when I first met her, Caroline was active in Southall, west London, helping to establish Rock Against Racism and the Anti-Nazi League, and was with her friend Blair Peach when he was killed by police in 1979. Later, having moved to Hackney, in east London, she organised against the poll tax. Caroline was a member of the Socialist Workers party from 1977 until she died, and was fond of paraphrasing Rosa Luxemburg that 'revolutionaries are the best fighters for reform'. In 1985 she toured South Africa on a covert solidarity visit, and in 1990 worked in Johannesburg with accountants who assisted 'struggle organisations'. In 1998 she and I moved to South Africa on a permanent basis. Caroline was involved in implementing the government-funded Community Work Programme, which, by 2012, employed 93,000 people in the most marginalised parts of the country. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Caroline played a pivotal role in the two most successful organisations to emerge from grassroots activity, the Community Organising Working Group and #PayTheGrants, both based in townships and informal settlements. Born in Cork, she was the oldest of the six children of Frank O'Reilly, a bank official, and Anne, a housewife; she went to school there, and, later, to schools in Carlow and Bundoran. She attended University College Cork, where she was involved in starting one of the first women's groups in Ireland, but at the end of her second year she moved to Britain. She worked in a canning factory in Lincolnshire, and then a pub in London, and from 1973 was employed by the Allied Irish Bank in the City, where she was a union representative. Seeking to develop herself intellectually, in 1990 she began to study information and communication at the University of North London. Later, while working for Christian Aid, she completed an MSc in development studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies. For most of our 27 years in South Africa Caroline and I lived in the Johannesburg suburb of Brixton, where she was part of the Community Forum. Before our return to London in 2024, she was honoured with a quilt made by community members. Caroline was adventurous and courageous. She stood up to violence, was shot at by soldiers in Belfast, ran out of breath on Mount Kenya, was charged by elephants in Botswana, was caught in sudden snow blizzards on the Cairngorms and in the Drakensberg mountains, and coped with me coming out as transgender. She could stun with one sentence, but was funny and warm. She made you laugh at yourself but you never felt ridiculed, just grateful for her advice, support, friendship and love. She is survived by me, and by her siblings Michael, Mary, Conor and Sally.
