The Heising-Simons Foundation is proud to regularly see its grantee partners featured in media outlets across the country, providing an expert voice on a timely issue or being highlighted for their accomplishments and hard work. Here are some news items that have featured our grantees in June 2020.

Our Future Depends Upon Caring for the Early Educators
The Hill, June 25, 2020
The Early Educator Investment Collaborative (EEIC) has published an opinion piece about the urgent need to “redesign the preparation and compensation pathways for early educators” in the wake of the economic crisis brought on by COVID-19. The Heising-Simons Foundation is a founding member of EEIC.

Transition to Online Learning Presents Challenges for Students in Job Training Programs
ABC 7 News, June 25, 2020
This news piece highlights JobTrain, a workforce development agency in Menlo Park, and its shift to provide professional training and support to students amid California’s shelter-in-place order. JobTrain is supported by the Foundation’s Community and Opportunity program.

Two Black Holes Colliding Not Enough? Make It Three
The New York Times, June 25, 2020
“We have seen a visible signal from a previously invisible part of the universe,” said astronomer Matthew Graham of the California Institute of Technology. Dr. Graham is part of a group of astronomers that have published a paper in Physical Review Letters describing a collision of black holes so massive as to produce light as well as gravitational waves. Dr. Graham’s work is supported by the Foundation’s Science program.

Nevada to Adopt California’s Stricter Car Pollution Standards, Rejecting Trump Rollback
Los Angeles Times, June 22, 2020
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is quoted in this article about the state of Nevada adopting California’s car pollution rules. NRDC is supported by the Foundation’s Climate and Clean Energy program.

Trump Will Stand Atop a Land of Tragedies
The Atlantic, June 19, 2020
Journalist Rebecca Nagle relays the history of racial violence in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where President Trump held a campaign rally on June 20. Rebecca Nagle is a recipient of the Heising-Simons Foundation’s 2020 American Mosaic Journalism Prize.

FERC to Examine Carbon Pricing, as Climate Pressure Ramps Up
The Houston Chronicle, June 19, 2010
Advanced Energy Economy (AEE) is quoted in this article about the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission looking into “what role it might play in state efforts to set a price on greenhouse gas emissions.” AEE is supported by the Foundation’s Climate and Clean Energy program.

Lyft Says All Vehicles On Its Network to Go Electric By 2030
Forbes, June 17, 2020
“Lyft’s commitment accelerates momentum toward this future and sets the standard for other tech and transportation leaders to follow suit,” said Fred Krupp, president of the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). In partnership with EDF and other environmental organizations, Lyft has pledged to shift to all-electric vehicles by 2030. EDF is supported by the Foundation’s Climate and Clean Energy program.

‘It’s About Time’: Ethnic Studies Coming to Alum Rock School District
San Jose Spotlight, June 17, 2020
More than 300 people co-signed a letter by SOMOS Mayfair in support of the Alum Rock school district in East San Jose to establish an ethnic studies program, starting in the 2021-2022 school year. “Of more than 10,000 students at Alum Rock, 98% of them are nonwhite,” the article notes. SOMOS Mayfair is supported by the Foundation’s Community and Opportunity program.

A Diabetic Immigrant in Ice Custody Sued for Her Release. Instead, She Got Covid-19
The Guardian, June 16, 2020
In this piece, journalist Valeria Fernández tells the harrowing story of Marisol Mendoza, a Mexican national with a pre-existing medical condition who contracted COVID-19 while under detention by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in central Arizona. Valeria Fernández is a recipient of the Heising-Simons Foundation’s 2018 American Mosaic Journalism Prize.

Urging Action, a New Film Paints a Harrowing Portrait of Female Scientists’ Experiences in Academia
Science Magazine, June 12, 2020
“Picture a Scientist” is a new film documentary that tells the story of a remarkable group of women scientists who join forces to reveal persistent gender bias in academic science. In addition to the film review linked above, the documentary has also garnered reviews from Variety and WBUR. The filmmakers and the scientists depicted in the film held a virtual panel discussion, which can be viewed here. “Picture a Scientist” received principal funding from the Foundation’s Science program.

Coronavirus Could Make America’s Gun Problem Even Deadlier
The New York Times, June 11, 2020
“Stress and isolation combined with another feature of American life — easy access to firearms — could form a deadly brew,” a group of researchers wrote in this op-ed that shares findings from the largest study to-date about the connection between gun ownership and suicide. Authors include Dr. Garen Wintemute, who leads the University of California’s Firearm Violence Research Center. The researchers were also interviewed in the Sacramento Bee. The Foundation’s Community and Opportunity program supports the U.C. Davis Violence Prevention Research Program, where the research center is located.

Child Care Is Still the Missing Ingredient For a Fast Economic Recovery
Los Angeles Times, June 8, 2020
“It’s such a fragile system already and now we’re seeing how it doesn’t hold up in a crisis,” said Nina Perez, senior campaign director of MomsRising, in this piece that shines light on the devastating effect the COVID-19 crisis is having on child care providers, and its ripple effects on the larger economy. Grantees the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the Center for Law and Social Policy, and the Center for American Progress are also featured. These  organizations are supported by the Foundation’s Education program.

COVID-19 Forces the Question: Should the Youngest Learners Have Devices?
Education Week, June 8, 2020
The National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University (NIEER) is quoted in this article that surfaces differing opinions about the benefits of equipping our youngest learners with digital devices to support remote learning during the COVID-19 crisis. NIEER is supported by the Foundation’s Education program.

50 Board Books Featuring Faces of Color
School Library Journal, June 4, 2020
The Storytelling Math series, developed by Technical Education Research Centers (TERC), is included in this list of books that show “Black, Indigenous, and people of color learning new skills, fighting for justice, and simply living their lives—and they’re all appropriate for ages 0–3.” TERC’s Storytelling Math series is supported by the Foundation’s Education program.

Fear, Illness and Death in ICE Detention: How a Protest Grew on the Inside
The New York Times, June 4, 2020
“Across the United States, when the virus has hit carceral facilities, it has spread ferociously,” writes Seth Freed Wessler, a reporter and a Puffin fellow at Type Investigations. The piece tells the story of a group of men and women detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) who organized and demanded protections against COVID-19. Type Investigations, a program of Type Media Center, is supported by the Foundation’s Human Rights program.

The Time is Now: Defund Police & Abolish Prisons
Medium, June 2, 2020
“Now is the time to redirect resources to fund research, to pilot alternatives to the police and incarceration, and to invest in caring for our communities,” writes Taina Vargas-Edmond, co-founder and executive director of Initiate Justice, an organization that works to end mass incarceration by activating the political power of the people directly impacted by it. Initiate Justice is supported by the Foundation’s Human Rights program.

Opinion: By Working Together, We Can Build a Better Silicon Valley
San Jose Mercury News, June 2, 2020
Suzanne St. John-Crane, CEO of American Leadership Forum Silicon Valley (ALF), penned this opinion piece about the link between systemic racism and the impacts of COVID-19 in Silicon Valley. ALF is supported by the Foundation’s Community and Opportunity program.

Campaign Funds for Judges Warp Criminal Justice, Study Finds
The New York Times, June 1, 2020
A new study co-authored by Jay Jenkins, Harris County Project Attorney at Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, and professor Neel U. Sukhatme of the Georgetown University Law Center, analyzed “how campaign finance distorts criminal trial court decision-making.” This is the first study of its kind. Texas Criminal Justice Coalition is supported by the Foundation’s Human Rights program.