Our legal system is old, flawed, and has many broken parts and pieces: all its faults have been laid bare over the last few years. While it may take time, hard work, collaboration, and honesty to address the inequities within the system, there are actions we can take right now to initiate the change required...
Author: Eboney Thornton (Eboney Thornton)
How to be a more prepared, patient, and joyful voter
The Ohio May Primary opened with a glitch: the ballots wouldn’t scan. It became a problem that made Twitter and local news segments, but wasn’t the only interesting or exciting thing that happened that day. As serious as voting is, it is also a day to celebrate, remember, and feel accomplished. Voting is a serious...
HSAN: The Cuyahoga County Diversion Center: Past, Present, and Future
On June 28, 2022, Community Solutions’ hosted a Human Services Advocacy Network (#HSAN) discussion on the past, present and future of the Cuyahoga County Diversion Center. The discussion was moderated by Mental Health & Addiction Advocacy Coalition’s Executive Director Joan Englund, and featured panelists, Megan Testa, M.D., University Hospitals, Brandy Carney, Director of Public Safety...
Racism as a Public Health Crisis: Mental Health Pipeline
A temper tantrum over a pair of sunglasses led to the arrest of a six-year-old. That six-year-old child with known medical issues was arrested by the school’s resource officer, placed in zip ties by another officer, put in the back of a police car, taken to a juvenile center for processing fingerprinted, had their mug...
CROWN Act 101
This post has been updated to reflect changes made to the CROWN Act as of May 2022. Earlier this year for Black History Month, I wrote about the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act. The CROWN ACT is a law that was introduced to prohibit race-based hair discrimination, which is...
More than just a refund: EITC helps lift people from poverty
It was a brand-new bedroom set, with a dresser and a nightstand. Nothing fancy, something mass produced and on sale. But for me, it was like a golden ticket because it was new and, most importantly, mine. Like many families, gently used, hand-me-down furniture was the norm in my house growing up, especially when paying bills,...
2021 Celebration of Human Services Virtual Event
Welcome to the 2021 Celebration of Human Services Event!