"About 20 years ago, hoping to encourage citizens to become active in the community, members of the religious institutions of the Pima County Interfaith Council (PCIC), spent a Sunday afternoon knocking on 10,000 doors, asking residents for their specific concerns..."

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Korean drums shook the cathedral as construction union Korean Tillers accompanied the gathering of rugby players, Catholic schoolchildren, and 1300 other members of the Sydney Alliance. The purpose? Political theater in three acts. Act 1: Tell stories. Act 2: Lay out agenda. Act 3: Invite Sydney Alliance delegates into campaign for change.

Sydney Alliance Launches Election Agenda, Sydney Alliance

One week after a public accountability session, in which leaders of 'Working Together Jackson' secured public pledges from Mayoral election runoff candidates Chokwe Lumumba and Tony Yarber, both candidates held a press conference promising they would run clean campaigns in the upcoming Jackson mayoral race. On the steps of City Hall, flanked by an out-sized letter of commitment signed by both candidates, Reverend Edward O'Connor announced and explained the pledge.

The previous week, both candidates agreed to assign top staff people to meet with WTJ leaders monthly, to ensure full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act in all infrastructure repair, to consider local contractors that hire locally in infrastructure projects, and to meet with Working Together Jackson within 60 days of taking office, to talk about creating a Jackson Workforce Development Institute.

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With the press calling it "the sleeper issue of the session," leaders from 'Together Louisiana,' stormed the Capitol to testify in Committee hearings and weigh in on legislative debate over how to address payday lending in Louisiana.

'Together Louisiana' leaders assert that payday lenders able to charge interest rates ten times higher than felony loan-sharking laws currently allow, making them "legal loan sharks." They want a cap on the annual interest rate for entering into short-term loans and are working with legislators to get one, in partnership with in partnership with Habitat for Humanity, AARP, the Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Louisiana Budget Project and the Southern Baptist Convention.

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Regarding "Board president spares 3 schools from closure" (Page B1, March 6), the decision of the Houston Independent School Board to keep Port Houston Elementary open was critically important to the surrounding community.

The closure of the school would not only force its children to attend a far distant school, but it also would have eliminated an institution which gives vitality, stability, a sense of confidence and well-being to the community.

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After identifying $11 million in otherwise sunsetting County funds, One LA-IAF leaders testified to the Board of Supervisors about their year long enrollment effort and the the gaps that remain even after the implementation of the Affordable Care Act -- gaps that will have serious consequences for families throughout the county.

They demanded that the $11M be used to help cover the remaining uninsured in LA County. After the press conference, Rabbi Dara Frimmer asserted that she was "proud to stand with OneLA leaders outside the county supervisors meeting because as of today, 1 million residents of LA remain uninsured...Time to ensure that the image of God, imprinted on the face of every human being, is lifted up."

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VOICE -OKC, in partnership with the Oklahoma Education Association, is leading conversations about high-stakes testing, and its impact on students, teachers, and schools, across Oklahoma in advance of the June primary election for State Superintendent of Education.

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One week after 400 people filled Elm Grove Baptist Church in a meeting about payday lending, 100 Together Louisiana leaders rallied on the front steps of the Capitol exhorting lawmakers to curb the most predatory practices in the payday lending industry. They were joined by lawmakers that pledged to fight for bills that would fulfill this goal.

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With his mom behind bars for having a deportation order, 21 year-old Bryan Rivera spoke with "the voice of hundreds of kids being affected by immigration laws," alongside Bishop Joseph Pepe and other religious leaders of Nevadans for the Common Good.

Testimony from 'Nevadans for the Common Good' detailed how the failure to address a broken system is tearing apart families, harming children and weakening communities in Southern Nevada, thus highlighting how policy implementation at the local level is ultimately dehumanizing people.

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This legislative session, with the support of Together Louisiana, lawmakers will evaluate whether to pass a bill limiting how much payday lenders can make on the backs of their customers.

Ms. Thelma Fleming, a leader with Elm Grove Baptist Church, once spent $2,500 to get out of a $300 debt trap, eventually costing her her car, bank account and gifts from her children. Her institution is a member of Together Louisiana which is on the forefront of this legislative fight.

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