Author Bios

Heidi Schultheis is a policy analyst for the Poverty to Prosperity Program at the Center for American Progress. Follow her on Twitter: @H_Schultheis.

Porshéa Patterson is the public opinion research associate for The Opportunity Agenda, a social justice communication lab in New York. She consults with allies in the field to identify …

Aparna Rajagopal-Durbin (she, her, hers) is co-founder of the People of the Global Majority in the Outdoors, Nature, & Environment Summit , an Earth Island project which convenes Black, …

Kevin Morris is a quantitative researcher with the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice, focusing on voting rights and elections. His research focuses on the impact of …

Claudia Torrisi is an Italian freelance journalist focused on social issues such as migration and civil rights. She writes monthly features for openDemocracy. Follow her on Twitter: @clatorrisi.

Mason Adams wrote this article for YES! Magazine. Mason has covered Blue Ridge and Appalachian communities since 2001. He lives in Floyd County, Virginia, with his family, goats, chickens, dogs, and cats. 

Kaitlin joined the Center for Responsive Politics as a fall reporting intern in August 2018. She is in her senior year at the Missouri School of Journalism where she …

Dr. Greg Witkowski is a senior lecturer in the Nonprofit Management Program at Columbia University.

Michelle Meyer is the Associate Executive Director of the Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center and an Assistant Professor in the Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning Department at Texas A&M …

Jeff Hermanson is an organizer who has worked since 1977 with the ILGWU (later UNITE), Carpenters, Writers Guild, and AFL-CIO Solidarity Center. He is currently working with the International …