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-Miami Shores Vice Mayor Sean Brady has installed a solar panel system on his roof, a step that he hopes encourages others to get on board with the technology.
-When he was elected to the village council in 2017 Brady said that he was challenged by a resident about what he had actually done on climate change.
-The resident said to Brady: “I really don’t want you doing this pie in the sky stuff, what have you personally done to be able to reduce your carbon footprint?”
-Brady said that he was glad he was able to tell the resident that he was pursuing a solar panel system at his home.
Some of the solar panels on Miami Shores Vice Mayor Sean Brady’s house.
-Brady said that the system has been running since the end of April and that it usually generates more power than he uses on a typical sunny day.
-Brady should make up for the price of the system in 7 years time due to his lower monthly electric bill. He eventually wants to be off of the FPL grid entirely.
-Brady said that Florida’s regulatory environment is not conducive for consumers who are interested in going solar.
Brady shows off his solar panel system. He said that the system should be pay for itself in 7 years due to energy savings.
-As a result, Brady said that he wants Miami Shores to lead the way by making things easier for residents to install solar units.
-An example of this is the fact that the village has waived permitting fees for panels for the next year.
-There is also a local Northern Miami-Dade Solar Co-op that Brady hopes can build enough scale to make a difference. Miami Shores has signed on as a partner with the co-op.
Brady in front of his Miami Shores home.
-Brady said that he wants Miami Shores to eventually put solar panels on all of the village’s municipal buildings and he hopes to see change in state laws so that homeowners can have more choices on the issue.
——Here’s Something Completely Different: ——
There’s A Secret Buddhist Temple In This El Portal House
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Why Don’t Democrats Pay Their Interns?
Every year, thousands of young progressives descend on Washington to intern for Democratic lawmakers.
And around the country, thousands more take internships on state and Congressional races each election cycle.
For many young Progressives, an internship like this is the surest way to get a feel for politics.
Perhaps it’s that campaign fellowship with the local Democratic committee that leads to a lifelong interest in political organizing.
Or perhaps it’s that summer stint with a Democratic representative in Washington that sparks a commitment to fight for progressive causes.
That’s how it was for me.
When I first took a serious interest in politics, I was a freshman in college.
That summer, I volunteered with a Senate race in my home state of New Jersey and was immediately hooked on campaign organizing.
That position led to another, and eventually I landed an internship with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Of course, as is common with these positions, they were all unpaid.
Since then, I’ve been able to find work in the private sector – as a paid consultant for some of the very groups where I once worked for free.
Interns. Like a tiger standing in the subway, they are easy to spot. And they often don’t get paid. Photo Credit: IAEA Imagebank/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
While I was privileged enough to take an unpaid position for several semesters – and never worry about having to pay bills thanks to the generosity of my parents – others aren’t always so lucky.
Guillermo Creamer had an unpaid internship with a Democratic member on the Hill, and later with the DC Mayor’s office.
For him, it wasn’t always easy making ends meet.
“The lack of funds really put me against the corner at times when it came to eating lunch, dry cleaning and even paying for rent,” Creamer said in an interview. “I was working 40 hours a week while being required to work a minimum of three days a week. If I ever had a gig that would come up, I’d call out of my internship because it is really hard to turn down money.”
Having had enough, Cramer, and several other Washington, DC students founded Pay Our Interns, a bipartisan campaign dedicated to pressuring more organizations to offer paid internships.
Guillermo Creamer Jr is the chief of staff for Pay Our Interns. Photo Credit: Guillermo Creamer Jr/ Facebook
So far they’ve has some success in getting Democrats to listen.
Several of the candidates currently in the running to be the next DNC chair have since pledged to create a paid internship program if elected.
Hopefully these actions will spur other Democratic organizations to do the same.
Yet challenges remain.
“We worked really hard in this internship and all we got was this lousy cake. Gee, thanks.” Photo Credit: Eden, Janine and Jim/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
Hardly any Democratic members of Congress offer paid internships.
Neither do most campaigns or state parties.
Though there are a few exceptions.
Bernie Sanders pays interns at his Senate office $12 an hour as do Senators Martin Heinrich and Heidi Heitkamp.
For a party that claims to fight for the rights of workers, not paying interns is especially hypocritical.
In fact, it’s downright embarrassing.
The Republicans certainly don’t have a problem paying their interns.
The Republican National Committee runs the Eisenhower program, which pays a cohort of students to work at the party headquarters every summer.
Meanwhile, the DNC doesn’t even have an established budget line-item for its College Democrats and didn’t even have a full-time staffer dedicated to supporting these students in the midst of the 2016 campaign.
While some may say that a lack of resources are an issue, I find that argument hard to believe.
The DNC raked in $372 million in the 2016 cycle alone, while members of Congress have office budgets that run into the millions.
It costs less than $5,000 to hire an intern for a 10-week semester.
Meanwhile, there always seems to be enough money lying around for multimillion dollar ad buys, or lavish fundraisers at fancy D.C restaurants.
If the Democrats are going to be a party that stands for economic justice and the next generations of young leaders, it needs to first stop profiting from free millennial labor.
Disclaimer: Conor McGrath is a graduate student at the George Washington University and Finance Director of the DC Federation of College Democrats.
RISE NEWS is a grassroots journalism news organization that is working to change the way young people become informed and engaged in the world. You can write for us.
Cover Photo Credit: SUARTS.ORG/CAMPAIGN
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INFOGRAPHIC: Some Simple Tips To Help You Job Hunt In The Digital Age
By Nick Rojas
If you’ve ever created a profile online, you have a digital footprint.
How does that footprint impact your current job search efforts?
It’s important to understand how powerful an online presence when searching for new positions.
Seventy-five percent of recruiters say they will research a candidate online.
Another seventy percent say they have rejected candidates based on the results of online research. Cleaning up your online reputation is a smart strategy for job hunters in the digital age.
Reputation
Establish your online reputation with a LinkedIn account.
The basic account is free to setup. You can provide a digital resume by completing the available sections. Ensure your text is free of grammar and spelling errors and complete as much of the profile as you can. Uploading a professional picture makes it 14 times more likely that your profile will be found by potential employers.
Managing your personal profile is another important part of establishing a professional, digital reputation. Assess your personal social media accounts.
If you post links or images that might paint you in a less than professional manner, your social media accounts should either be deleted, set to private, or not associated with your full name.
These simple steps will go a long way in giving employers a professional overview of you and your experience.
Resumes
Video resumes are a great way to separate your application from ninety percent of the available resumes in circulation.
Social media platforms like YouTube, Vimeo, or Vine can be used to host your video.
For best results, work with an editor to produce a polished final product. While a video is a great way to introduce yourself to a potential employer, a low-quality result can leave a horrible first impression.
Video Interviews
Employers are taking advantage of the stable and affordable options in video conferencing to conduct video interviews.
These interviews can be both one or two-way interviews. In either case, prepare before the interview to ensure you have the proper connection speed and equipment to conduct a seamless conversation.
Practice with a friend to make sure you are comfortable with the format. Make sure your dress, grooming and visible surrounding are in order to project a professional appearance.
The tools available for job seekers in the digital age are powerful if used appropriately.
Take advantage of the benefits of a professional online reputation and avoid the pitfalls that can affect your chances before you have a chance to present your case to potential employers.
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Spend A Night At The Lorraine Motel For History And Progress
By Courtney Anderson
MEMPHIS, TN- The Lorraine Motel is a renowned institution that has both a dark and hopeful history.
Famous guests of the motel include Jackie Robinson, Isaac Hayes and B.B. King. At its peak, the motel was high-end, hosting the biggest black stars, politicians and activists of the day.
The iconic “Lorraine Motel” sign has lasted through history as a symbol for a safe place of black people to come and stay.
The motel is best known however for a tragic reason.
The motel, located on 450 Mulberry Street, is the site of one of the most famous assassinations in the whole of human history.
In 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King came to Memphis for the Sanitation Worker’s Strike. On April 3, 1968, King gave his famous “I’ve Been to the Mountain Speech,” in which he urged sanitation workers to keep pushing forward for their rights. King did not want the fight to end in Memphis.
But King’s fight did end in Memphis. On April 4, 1968, King was assassinated on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel. From then on, the Lorraine Motel was known as the place where King drew his last breath.
Following King’s death, the Lorraine Motel fell on extremely hard times. Its owner, Walter Bailey, was unable to continue to pay for it and declared bankruptcy in 1982. The motel was about to be shut down, until an organization called “Save the Lorraine” bought it for a measly $144,000. It was then that the motel would be prepped to take on its new life.
Years later, the Lorraine Motel became home to and one of the most attended attractions of the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis.
The room where King stayed, room 306, has been preserved. The museum is filled with interactive exhibits, movies and artifacts from the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Attendance is free on Mondays, so that more of the public can wander through the halls of history.
The museum has been home to many events and speakers, including a poetry reading and interview with the poet, Nikki Giovanni, and a reading festival hosted by actress Kathy Bates and activist Ruby Bridges, the first black person to integrate a school after the Brown v. Board of Education decision.
The spot where MLK was shot and killed. Photo Credit: Mr. Littlehand/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
And on June 4, 2016, the museum is hosting another historical event.
The National Civil Rights Museum is hosting the “Night at the Lorraine” event from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
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Organized by museum employee Jeanette O’Bryant, the event is being held to “celebrate the vibrant history of the Lorraine Motel for the benefit of the National Civil Rights Museum.”
The event will feature live music, food catered by Memphis restaurants, a silent auction and tours of the museum.
Those who attend the event will be able to see how well-preserved everything is.
The 1959 Dodge Royal and 1968 Cadillac are still parked outside, right underneath the white wreath that hangs from of the balcony where King died.
The font of the “Lorraine Motel” sign is still the same and so are the colors. The song Mahalia Jackson sung at King’s funeral still plays in room 306 and the adjacent hallway.
But the history isn’t the only thing attendees will see.
Event volunteer Nicole Gates, who initially heard about “Night at the Lorraine” through email, says the museum has seen some upgrades. Gates said it sounded like a “really fun” event that could show off new aspects of the museum and motel.
“I think it’s a great idea getting Memphians out to see this amazing renovation and walk through of the civil rights movement,” Gates said in an interview with RISE NEWS. “Having this event at night will expose more people to the newly renovated venue.”
According to the National Civil Rights Museum website, renovations began in 2013 and have cost over $27.5 million.
The online description of the updates states that the changes, “reminds visitors of its charge to keep pushing civil rights issues forward.”
Gates said she hopes this event will encourage native Memphians to visit the museum, the Lorraine Motel and all of its history.
“Although I am not a native Memphian, I have been to the old museum and have seen the renovations of the new museum,” Gates said. “I find it absolutely amazing to meet people that were born and raised in Memphis, but have never visited the museum. I hope this changes the game.”
RISE NEWS is a grassroots journalism news organization that is working to change the way young people become informed and engaged in public affairs. You can write for us.
Cover Photo Credit: Carl Wycoff/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
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