After signing an Executive Order last month to increase the minimum wage to $10.10 for federal contract workers, President Obama continued his efforts to put pressure on Congress to raise the minimum wage for millions of Americans when he delivered remarks at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Connecticut last week. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez and four New England Governors—Lincoln Chaffee of Rhode Island, Dannel Malloy of Connecticut, Deval Patrick of Massachusetts, and Peter Shumlin of Vermont—joined the President. All are taking the lead and working with their state legislatures to raise the minimum wage at the state-level while Congress remains stonewalled.  → Read More

“I learned taking care of a child isn’t all unicorns and glitter.”– Female (15)
“I learned that you have other ways to educate your kids instead of justhitting them.” – Male (17)
“I learned even if I want a child right now, if I just wait and finish school my child will have a better life.”- Female (17) These telling comments were made by high school students after recently attending the program “Healthy Foundations for Future Families.” Developed by the nonprofit organization Education for Successful Parenting (ESP), this program provides adolescents with information and life skills so they can make thoughtful choices before they conceive their first child.  → Read More

Washington, D.C. — Putting a face on the economic inequality of working women struggling in this country, Sabrina Jenkins—an Air Force veteran and working single mother from South Carolina—will be First Lady Michelle Obama’s invited guest to hear President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address tonight. Sabrina is featured in The Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation Pushes Back from the Brink.  → Read More

The most common shared story in our country today is the financial insecurity of American families. Today, more than one in three Americans—more than 100 million people—live in poverty or on the edge of it. Half of all Americans will spend at least a few months churning into and out of poverty during their lifetimes. This economic immobility and inequality is a systemic and pervasive problem that President Barack Obama recently described as “the defining challenge of our time.”  → Read More

Olivia Morgan has been at the creative edge of government, public policy and political communications throughout her career. She served as Managing editor of two Shriver Report Project– Special Editions and is currently Senior Advisor to A Woman’s Nation,  → Read More