​Dear Friends,

Last week, Appleseed Centers in Texas, Nebraska, and New Jersey submitted a joint comment letter to the US Comptroller of the Currency to speak out against a recently proposed rule. As the letter documents, the proposed rule would allow predatory lenders to escape rate cap laws, as well as liability for violations of federal and state consumer protection laws, by participating in “rent-a-bank” schemes. Borrowers can get trapped in these predatory loans, often paying extremely high interest rates and taking on more and more loans to extend the interest payments.

Report Finds Black Girls are Subject to Discriminatory School Disciplinary Action in Kansas, Massachusetts, and Alabama
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​WASHINGTON, DC, September 2, 2020 – Three members of the Appleseed Network, a non-profit network of independent organizations in the United States and Mexico working towards social and legal justice, today announced the release of their comprehensive report, “Protecting Girls of Color from the School-to-Prison Pipeline,” the final product of a year-long research project examining disparities in school disciplinary treatment for Black girls in Massachusetts, Alabama, and Kansas. Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, an international law firm, served as pro bono partner throughout the project. 

​America is hurting. The unjust murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others have sparked a national movement to hold our leaders accountable for the insidious racial inequality that penetrates both consciously and unconsciously throughout American society. People across the nation are fighting to overcome generations of pain caused by white supremacy, racial injustice, police brutality, and a broken criminal justice system that penalizes Black citizens at disproportionate rates. This is increasingly obvious as we are suffering through a global pandemic that is impacting communities of color at far higher rates than white communities due to the inequities these communities are forced to endure. We continue to see the over-policing of Black communities and the unjust use of force against Black citizens. Segregated schools and segregated educational opportunities reproduce inequality and racial disparities. These societal issues entrench racial injustice in our schools, neighborhoods, and jobs, which ultimately lead to the violence perpetrated against innocent people such as George Floyd.

​On Wednesday, February 5, Appleseed hosted its fifth “Seeds of Learning” event at The Mansion on O Street. We were excited to welcome Ed Chung, the Vice President for Criminal Justice Reform at American Progress, an independent, nonpartisan policy institute that develops new policy ideas to improve the lives of all Americans and future generations. Mr. Chung joined us to share his experience and plans to change the way Americans approach imprisonment and criminal justice reform.

On January 21, 2020, the Appleseed Foundation, and multiple Appleseed Centers (Chicago Appleseed, Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice, Kansas Appleseed, Louisiana Appleseed, Nebraska Appleseed, New Jersey Appleseed Public Interest Law Center, South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center, and Texas Appleseed) submitted a Comment Letter to the CFPB on Remittance Transfers Under the Electronic Fund Transfer Act. You can read our full comment here.

Please join us on Wednesday, February 5, for a conversation on reducing the footprint of the criminal justice system while making it fairer, more equitable, and more effective. We will be joined by Ed Chung, Vice President for Criminal Justice Reform at American Progress. Mr. Chung will share his thoughts on policies and legislation around comprehensive public safety strategies, sentencing and prison reform, opportunities for those who are justice-involved, and more.

Save the Date! Our next Seeds of Learning event will take place on Wednesday, February 5, 2020 at 6pm. Please stay tuned for more info about our speaker and location in the New Year.

​As we come to a close on Appleseed’s 25th anniversary year, we look back at achievements and accomplishments from around the Network. In this issue of our newsletter, you can find updates about our 25th Anniversary celebration, our Seeds of Learning event in September 2019, a spotlight on the work of Alabama Appleseed, and much more. 

​​On Tuesday, September 17, Appleseed hosted the fourth installment in our “Seeds of Learning” event series at Teddy & the Bully Bar in downtown DC. We were excited to welcome Meg Wiehe, Deputy Director of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) to discuss the organization’s recent report, “The Illusion of Race-Neutral Tax Policy.” The report highlights how tax policy is both a symptom and an instrument of systemic racism.

​We are proud to congratulate Carla Crowder, Executive Director of Alabama Appleseed, for her role in the recent release of Alvin Kennard from prison in Alabama where he had been serving a life sentence without parole for robbing a bakery of $50 thirty-six years ago.

Last month, Carla stood with Alvin as the judge righted this wrong and resentenced this 58-year-old man to time served. The courtroom erupted with joy from the crowd gathered to support a man who previously had been condemned to die in prison.

Please join us on September 17, 2019 for an open conversation on the impact of tax policy on the racial wealth gap with Meg Wiehe, Deputy Director of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP). ITEP's recent report, "The Illusion of Race-Neutral Tax Policy," discusses how tax codes are both a symptom of and a tool of systemic racism. It proposes that we must look at the tax code through a racial equity lens in order to dismantle the policies that give white families an economic advantage.  

Here at Appleseed, we believe the first step to meaningful systemic change is to bring an array of diverse stakeholders together to discuss social justice issues and develop sustainable solutions. As a thought leader and resource distributor, we understand the importance of bringing experts together, sharing bold ideas, and taking action for change.