National Poetry Month
Each week in April, we will include a poem in our newsletter! If you have a favorite, please email us so we can post it!
Harlem - Langston Hughes (1951)
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore—
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over—
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sag
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
Professional Opportunities
WORK FOR THE NEWSLETTER!
We are looking for a first-year MAP student to become the editor for the 2025-2026 school year! If you are interested, please email russwswpn@gmail.com.
Community Organizer - League of Women Voters of New Jersey (hybrid: NJ)
Worker Organizer - Make the Road New Jersey (Elizabeth, NJ)
Camden Parent and Community Organizer - Mastery Charter Schools (Camden, NJ)
Coordinator of Advocacy Services - Women Aware, Inc. (New Brunswick, NJ)
PAID Fellowship Opportunities:
Advocacy Corps Fellowship - Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) (remote/hybrid: Washington, DC)
Summer Fellow - PA Stands Up (Various: PA)
Fellowship Initiative - Twelve Plus (Camden, NJ)
National Policy News Highlights
Judge Limits Trump’s Ability to Withhold School Funds Over D.E.I.
The New York Times
“A federal judge in New Hampshire limited on Thursday the Trump administration’s ability to withhold federal funds from public schools that have certain diversity and equity initiatives. The judge, Landya B. McCafferty, said that the administration had not provided an adequately detailed definition of “diversity, equity and inclusion,” and that its policy threatened to restrict free speech in the classroom while overstepping the executive branch’s legal authority over local schools.”
Ballot measure seeks to end discrimination based on source of rental income in Lincoln, Nebraska
PRISM
“Landlords across 26 states in the U.S. are legally able to discriminate against tenants based on the source of their rental income, a practice that housing advocates say contributes to a mounting homelessness crisis in America. In Lincoln, Nebraska, housing advocates and national civic engagement organizations hope that a ballot measure in a May 6 special election can end the practice…”
Algorithmic Advancement in Artificial Intelligence
RAND
“In this report, the authors make evidence-based projections about the direction, pace, and indicators of algorithmic advancements to help inform policymaking. They describe possible channels for algorithmic improvement related to AI and explore the implications of how progress might be made along each of those channels. They identify the empirical mechanisms by which new algorithms are introduced and how to define an improvement by looking at algorithms from numerical analysis, operations research, and computer science.”
Florida students lobby to keep 2018 gun control law in wake of recent shooting
The Guardian
“Florida students who were traumatized by the 2018 Parkland school shooting – and last week’s deadly shooting at Florida State University – are urging lawmakers in the Republican-controlled statehouse not to roll back gun restrictions they passed in the wake of the killing at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school.”
Regional Policy News Highlights
Rutgers international students sue feds over revoked status
The New Jersey Monitor
“Five international Rutgers University students and a recent graduate of the state school are suing the federal government for abruptly terminating their records in a student visa status database, saying it has upended their lives and left in doubt whether they can remain in the United States.”
A LI“HEAP” of Trouble: Slashing Federal Utility Assistance Will Hurt New Jersey Seniors, Families, and Working-Class Households
New Jersey Policy Perspective
“For hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans, a federal program called the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) has helped reduce energy costs by hundreds of dollars each year, especially for those who spend a high percentage of their income on utilities. On April 1, the Trump administration laid off all federal Department of Health and Human Services staff administering the program, leaving billions in funds unable to be sent to states. A leaked draft budget for the department proposes eliminating the entire program’s funding.”
Navigating NJ’s youth mental health services can be daunting
NJ Spotlight News
“For a young person in a mental health crisis, schools, hospitals, advocacy groups, statewide organizations and community-based nonprofits in New Jersey offer a range of options…For parents who are new to interacting with mental health providers and who are not familiar with mental health resources, navigating the web of services and coordinating effective care for their child can be very challenging.”
NJ city delays vote on jailing of homeless people living in encampments
Gothamist
“Officials in Summit, New Jersey, voted Tuesday to delay their vote on a controversial ordinance that would allow the city’s police department to jail homeless people who camp in public spaces. The measure faced widespread outcry from residents at a packed public meeting that carried over into the early hours of Wednesday.”
Upcoming Events
Workers’ Memorial Day March & Rally
Facilitated by New Labor
Sunday April 27th, 2025
1:00pm - 3:00pm
Rutgers University, New Brunswick - Voorhees Hall 105
71 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick
Labor justice and immigrant justice are intertwined – come out and call for safe workplaces for ALL! RSVP by calling 732-246-2900 or 732-762-7687
Making the Transition from MSW Graduate to New Professional
Facilitated by the RU School of Social Work
Thursday May 1st, 2025
4:00pm - 5:00pm
**online**
Join for a facilitated discussion with the National Association of Social Workers New Jersey Chapter (NASW-NJ) on making the transition from an MSW graduate to a new social work professional.
Topics include:
- Membership benefits with NASW -NJ
- Licensing requirements and issues
- Career services opportunities
- "YOUR" professional organization
To register for this event, click here.
Highlight of the Week: The 2025 Gubernatorial Primary (6/10/2025)
(some content from WHYY 4/17 article: New Jersey primary election 2025: What you need to know before you vote)
When is the last day to register to vote for this election?
May 20th is the deadline to register for the upcoming election. You can find out whether you are registered to vote (or to register!) online here. You can also sign up to receive a mail-in ballot via mail by filling out this form and mailing it to your County Clerk by Tuesday, June 3, or drop it off by 3 p.m. Monday, June 9 at your County Clerk's office.
When is my mail-in ballot due, and where can I put it?
You have until 8 p.m. on June 10th to return mail-in ballots to the County Clerk's office in person, or drop them off in one of your county’s secure ballot drop box locations. Mail-in ballots sent through the mail must be postmarked by Election Day and received by the county boards of elections on or before Monday, June 10. If you have questions or concerns about mail-in voting, visit the Department of State, Division of Elections Vote-by-Mail page here.
Why is this primary different than the general election in November?
New Jersey has a closed primary system, meaning only Democrats and Republicans can vote for their party’s nominees to run in the general election. When you receive your mail-in ballot or go to the polls, you are eligible to vote only for the candidates in the party you are registered for. If you are registered for a different party, or are not affiliated with any party, you will not be able to vote.
What if I want to vote, but I'm not registered as a Democrat or Republican?
If you vote by mail, when you receive your ballot, you can choose between all Democratic or all Republican candidates. Once your ballot has been processed, you will automatically be registered for the party whose candidates you voted for. If you are voting in-person at the polls, you can register by speaking to a poll worker and they will assist in registering you as a Democrat or a Republican.
What if I register as a Democrat or Republican for the primary in order to vote, but want to remain unaffiliated?
After the primary, you can fill out a Political Party Affiliation Declaration Form and mail it to your County Clerk, or your Municipal Clerk (you can locate their information on your town's website).
Where can I vote in-person?
Before June 10th, there are locations where you can vote early. To locate these polling sites in your county, click here. On June 10th, you must vote at your designated polling location, which can be located using this tool. As of today, you have 25 days to register to vote! Local elections matter, and every vote counts.
