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by Sakeenah Shabazz, Emerson National Hunger Fellow&nbsp;</div>
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<p>I am a visiting <a href="https://www.hungercenter.org/fellowships/emerson/">Emerson National Hunger Fellow</a> who has been working at JSRI for the last six months. While here, I was tasked with highlighting the impact of SNAP in Louisiana through a written analysis and by gathering and sharing the real experiences of people who use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). As the project comes to a close, I would like to reflect on the importance of collecting stories and how they can be used to create change. &nbsp;</p>
<p>The SNAP Story Bank Project, at its core, is an attempt to understand the current state of hunger and food insecurity in Louisiana through both data and personal stories. It&rsquo;s not difficult to see that hunger and food insecurity are major problems in the state. In 2016, Louisiana ranked 49th in overall household food insecurity, with 18.4% of all households having low or very low food security. Even worse, the child food insecurity rate in Louisiana reached 24.5% in 2014. SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program was designed to combat hunger and food insecurity and 855,000 Louisiana residents rely on the program to purchase food each month. &nbsp;</p>
<p>Before I conducted my first interview for the story bank, I felt nervous. What do I know about Louisiana and who am I to tell someone else&rsquo;s story? This was a question I asked myself through spells of anxiety; but, much to my surprise, no one asked me this. From early October to late January, I interviewed 47 people across five cities in Louisiana, each person with a different story to share. Writing and story collecting required a balancing act that wasn&rsquo;t always so balanced. I would spend hours transcribing interviews; and, when it was time write, the succinct, policy-oriented language required for the report did not come easily.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>In the end, the tailored language of the report and unfiltered stories are all part of a messaging framework geared toward stakeholders and advocates. We need them to see that SNAP and the overall issue of hunger are worth their attention and action. As the story bank and report grew, the findings of my research and the stories began to overlap. The seniors we interviewed in Grand Coteau struggled with transportation; and that is a barrier for seniors who use SNAP that is also widely documented by researchers. Residents of Galliano struggled with unemployment, and SNAP was designed to provide food assistance in exactly those situations. The stories and the data refuted the stereotype of SNAP recipients being unworthy of assistance. They illustrated the reality that SNAP is temporary and effective, and its recipients deserve to be treated with respect and dignity.</p>
<p>Last week, JSRI hosted an event to share the <a href="https://jsri-chc.wixsite.com/snapstories">story bank </a>and <a href="https://jsri.loyno.edu/sites/loyno.edu.jsri/files/SNAP%20Report%202017.pdf">research findings</a> with the community, and it brought the experience full circle. To see story bank participants and advocates exchanging resources made me realize that the solution to hunger and food insecurity will come from collaboration and action at all levels. Aside from sharing the findings of the report, people left the event with tangible ways to get involved. This project will continue to be a resource to anyone who wants to learn more about SNAP, food insecurity, or the human experiences that make it worth your attention and action.&nbsp;</p>
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<p><a href="https://t.e2ma.net/message/ffs9m/vr8mje">MORE&gt;&gt;</a></p>
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<p><font color="#666666" face="Verdana"><span style="font-size: 11px;">Over a six month period, Sakeenah Shabazz (Emerson Congressional Hunger Fellow at JSRI), Jeanie Donovan (JSRI Economic Policy Specialist), and Colleen Dulle (Loyola University New Orleans senior), traveled around Louisiana and spoke with 47 SNAP recipients and coordinators.</span></font></p>
<p><a href="https://jsri-chc.wixsite.com/snapstories"><img alt="" src="https://jsri.loyno.edu/sites/loyno.edu.jsri/files/The SNAP Story Bank Project.jpg" style="width: 500px; height: 200px;" /></a></p>

<p><span style="color: rgb(29, 33, 41); font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">&quot;It&rsquo;s easy to cast Obamacare as a policy that was designed to redistribute resources to lower-class Americans. But what this research shows is helping marginalized people helps everyone live in better neighborhoods and be around more cohesive communities.&quot;</span></p>
<p><a href="http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/2/13/14551552/obamacare-repeal-splinter-neighborhoods"><span style="color: rgb(29, 33, 41); font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">FULL ARTICLE WITH ILLUSTRATIONS &gt;&gt;</span></a></p>

<p>As members of a global religious order that works to form men and women of conscience and compassion, we denounce the Trump Administration&rsquo;s Executive Order suspending and barring refugees and banning nationals of seven countries as an affront to our mission and an assault on American and Christian values.</p>
<p>The Jesuits &ndash; through our work in high schools, colleges, parishes and signature ministries such as Jesuit Refugee Service &ndash; have a long, proud tradition of welcoming and accompanying refugees, regardless of their religion, as they begin their new lives in the United States. We will continue that work, defending and standing in solidarity with all children of God, whether Muslim or Christian.</p>
<p>The world is deeply troubled, and many of our brothers and sisters are justifiably terrified. Our Catholic and Jesuit identity calls us to welcome the stranger and to approach different faith traditions and cultures with openness and understanding. We must not give in to fear. We must continue to defend human rights and religious liberty. As Pope Francis said, &ldquo;You cannot be a Christian without living like a Christian.&rdquo;</p>

<p>POSTED BY KAT STROMQUIST ON SAT, JAN 28, 2017 AT 2:18 PM</p>
<p><span>Before the &nbsp;Affordable Care Act (ACA), schoolteacher Alaina Comeaux viewed age 25 as a death sentence.</span><br />
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<span>That&#39;s the age when she would be ousted from her parents&#39; insurance and forced to try and find insurance on the private market to cover her treatments for Crohn&#39;s disease and ankylosing spondylitis. One treatment she receives as many as eight times a year costs $21,000 &mdash; per session.&nbsp;</span><br />
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<span>&quot;My doctor actually tried to hide my diagnosis from insurance companies for more than a year,&quot; she said. &quot;[Without regulations related to the ACA] I&#39;d go bankrupt pretty quickly. ... It&#39;s pretty hopeless.&quot;</span><br />
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<span>Comeaux benefits from&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/facts-and-features/key-features-of-aca/benefits-of-the-affordable-care-act-for-americans/index.html" target="_blank">key provisions</a><span>&nbsp;of the health care law popularly known as Obamacare, including its ban on lifetime limits for coverage and its rule that insurers may not deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions. In Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 on a chilly Saturday morning, she and several other people gave short testimonials on how the ACA has improved their lives.</span></p>
<p><span>The Jan. 28 event, organized by&nbsp;</span><a href="https://jsri.loyno.edu/" target="_blank">Jesuit Social Research Institute</a><span>, the&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.gcclp.org/" target="_blank">Gulf Coast Center for Law &amp; Policy</a><span>&nbsp;and Progressive Social Network, highlighted the grim reality of health care repeal. Public health experts&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2017/01/23/repealing-the-affordable-care-act-will-kill-more-than-43000-people-annually/?utm_term=.13c9f9b631ab" target="_blank">recently have estimated</a><span>&nbsp;that as many as 43,956 people will die each year if the law is repealed without a meaningful replacement. (They&#39;d fill up &nbsp;the seats in the Smoothie King Center, two and a half times.) A fact sheet distributed at the event estimated that as many as half a million Louisiana residents could be left uninsured by the law&#39;s repeal, which will almost certainly lead to deaths as people forego regular medical screenings and begin to rely on emergency rooms for routine care.&nbsp;</span><br />
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<span>Nonetheless, barreling through the law&#39;s repeal has been a top priority for President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans, though the president and Congress have begun to disagree on what should follow and how and when the law should be replaced. In closed-door meetings, lawmakers&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/27/us/politics/affordable-care-act-republican-retreat.html" target="_blank">are beginning to express trepidation</a><span>&nbsp;about &quot;owning&quot; health care, especially in the face of angry and, most of all, frightened constituents.&nbsp;</span><br />
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<span>In the cemetery, a small crowd of about 50 people gathered on the grassy path between crumbling mausoleums to listen to stories of lives changed thanks to the law.&nbsp;</span><br />
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<span>There was Red DeVecca, the elderly bass player who was able to buy ACA insurance for the first time just before he needed an expensive hernia operation. When ACA-subsidized state insurance markets opened, Whitney Babineaux was able to leave her full-benefits government job to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming an artist.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><a href="http://www.bestofneworleans.com/thelatest/archives/2017/01/28/surrounded-by-gravestones-protesters-speak-out-in-favor-of-aca-health-care-law?utm_content=buffer20eea&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter.com&amp;utm_campaign=buffer"><span>MORE&gt;&gt;</span></a></p>

<p><strong style="font-family: &quot;Myriad Pro&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.208px;">Colleen Dulle</strong><br style="font-family: &quot;Myriad Pro&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.208px;" />
<em style="font-family: &quot;Myriad Pro&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.208px;">Contributing writer</em></p>
<p>About 60 people gathered in Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 on Saturday (Jan. 28) to protest the possible repeal of the Affordable Care Act and scaling back of Medicaid.</p>
<p>No signs were allowed and there was no shouting. Instead, the group prayed together quietly and told stories of how having health insurance had affected them.</p>
<p>Sara Magana, a single mother, explained how she had to choose between refilling her asthma medication and buying healthy food for her daughter before the Affordable Care Act.</p>
<p>Jacqueline Brubaker said she had only been able to afford her skin cancer treatments because of her prize money from winning the game show, &quot;Wheel of Fortune.&quot;</p>
<p>&quot;Americans should not have to go on a game show to have to pay their medical bills,&quot; Brubaker said.</p>
<p>Alaina Comeaux, another of the speakers, explained how one medication she takes for Crohn&#39;s disease every six weeks costs thousands of dollars.</p>
<p>&quot;Before the ACA was passed, I kind of saw age 25 as a death sentence, because I knew at that point, coverage would become very difficult to get, and I might not be able to afford my expenses,&quot; Comeaux, 27, &nbsp;said.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Comeaux said that with the Affordable Care Act, she no longer had to worry about exceeding a lifetime maximum or being denied insurance because of a pre-existing condition.</p>
<p>&quot;I felt like I finally had a future when the ACA was passed,&quot; Comeaux said. &quot;It&#39;s pretty terrifying to think about it being repealed.&quot;</p>
<p>Three local groups organized the protest: the Jesuit Social Research Institute, the Gulf Coast Center for Law and Policy and the Progressive Social Network of Greater New Orleans.</p>
<p>The Affordable Care Act is in effect, though President Trump and Republican lawmakers have said they will repeal the law and replace it with an alternative, though no plans for the replacement have been released.</p>
<p>The Rev. Fred Kammer, director of the Jesuit Social Research Institute, said at the protest, &quot;We cannot afford to have politicians in Washington put lives in danger while they debate a replacement for the ACA.</p>
<p>&quot;We came to a cemetery because of the fear of deaths being caused by the removal of health care.&quot;</p>
<p>Tourists at the cemetery walked quietly around the protest group.</p>
<p>Kammer said the the Harvard School of Public Health estimates that because of Medicaid expansion in Louisiana, 800 lives were saved within the last year.</p>
<p>&quot;The inverse is likely to be true, then. If we take full Medicaid coverage away from 385,000 Louisianans, there&#39;s going to be premature and unnecessary death among people in Louisiana,&quot; Kammer said. &quot;The Affordable Care Act is not perfect, but it is saving lives.&quot;</p>
<p>One woman attending was Mary Margaret Gleason, a pediatrician and child psychologist.</p>
<p>Gleason said she came to the protest because she wants her young patients&#39; parents to have access to health care for conditions such as post-partum depression.</p>
<p>&quot;We know that parent well-being is an incredibly important influence on how children develop in terms of school readiness, in terms of emotional regulation, and overall well-being,&quot; Gleason said. &quot;So with ACA, I&#39;ve seen children do better because their parents were able to get treatment.&quot;</p>
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<p><em>The Loyola Student News Service is a multimedia content partnership between the Loyola University School of Mass Communication and NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. Reporters are advanced-level journalism students, directed by faculty advisers and NOLA | TP community news editors.</em></p>

<p>by Fred Kammer, SJ, JD</p>
<p>In the first Reagan Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981, the Administration and Congress raised the rent on every elderly, disabled, blind, and poor resident in any kind of federally subsidized housing unit by 20% (phased in over five years)&mdash;from 25% of residents&rsquo; income to 30%. &nbsp;It was only one of many ways in which the lives of the &ldquo;least among us&rdquo; were savaged in the budget bill.</p>
<p>In the same bill, lucrative tax cuts, programs, and other benefits were ladled out to the wealthy and special interests in so egregious a fashion that Reagan&rsquo;s Budget Director David Stockman later acknowledged that it resembled &ldquo;pigs at the trough.&rdquo; &nbsp;It was only a part of a greater trend that has brought us to today&rsquo;s America that is ever more unequal and divided in income and assets.&nbsp;</p>
<p>A little tax cut here; a little crony capitalism there; a little squeeze of the &ldquo;un-deserving poor&rdquo; there; and no real gains for middle America while the wealthy and powerful blame it all on the poor and stow their riches in overseas bank accounts and undertaxed assets.</p>
<p>Now we await a new set of bills and budgets designed to do what? &ldquo;Health insurance for everyone,&rdquo; President Trump tweets&mdash;but what will it cost, what will it cover, and who will pay for it? &nbsp;&ldquo;Repeal and replace,&rdquo; the Republican Congress has declared about the Affordable Care Act (&ldquo;Obamacare&rdquo;) for seven years. &nbsp;But has anyone seen a replacement that the Republicans and President Trump can agree on?&nbsp;</p>
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<p class="e2ma-p-div">What about future block grants to states for hungry families now eligible for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)&mdash;the former food stamps program?&nbsp; What does Speaker Paul Ryan&#39;s proposal about SNAP really mean? The last big block grant promise of the 1990s replaced the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program (AFDC), which provided modest cash assistance to 68% of poor U.S. families, with Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF).&nbsp; The TANF block grant has lived up to its cruel name and today supports only 23% of poor families.&nbsp; It does so with significantly less money per state and per family (which is the way block grants always seem to work &hellip; or are they designed to do precisely that?).&nbsp;<a data-type="url" href="http://www.cbpp.org/research/family-income-support/chart-book-tanf-at-20" name="_ednref1" title=""><span class="e2ma-style">[1]</span></a></p>
<p class="e2ma-p-div">What too about block granting Medicaid&mdash;which is designed now as a federal-state partnership to provide health care to the poor and the medically needy?&nbsp; The Affordable Care Act extended Medicaid coverage to 11 million of the working poor,<a data-type="url" href="http://kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/what-coverage-and-financing-at-risk-under-repeal-of-aca-medicaid-expansion/" name="_ednref2" title=""><span class="e2ma-style">[2]</span></a>&nbsp;meeting their needs with the federal government funding no less than 90% of the costs.&nbsp; Will the Republican plan to replace Medicaid with block grants to the states provide the usual &ldquo;cure&rdquo; of less-money-for-more-sick-folks?</p>
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<p>&nbsp;The traditional three questions asked about political and economic decisions from a Catholic social justice perspective are:</p>
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Who is making the decisions?</li>
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Who is paying for the decisions? and</li>
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Who is profiting by the decisions?&nbsp;</li>
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<p class="e2ma-p-div">It is time for the American people&mdash;often too busy or too distracted to notice&mdash;to pay careful attention to the details of what will be hidden in the landslide of legislation that will be enacted in this first year of President Trump. &nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="https://t.e2ma.net/webview/bo0um/fc499872d59c92f8655a2ee997a35c73">WEB&gt;&gt;</a></p>
<p><a href="https://jsri.loyno.edu/sites/loyno.edu.jsri/files/January%2017%20JustSouth%20Monthly.pdf">PDF&gt;&gt;</a></p>
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<p><img alt="" src="https://jsri.loyno.edu/sites/loyno.edu.jsri/files/Story Bank Event.jpeg" style="width: 500px; height: 800px;" /></p>

<p>Young immigration activist Sophie Cruz amazed a crowd of hundreds of thousands with her rousing speech of hope and love at the Women&rsquo;s March on Washington on Saturday.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Joined on stage by her parents and younger sister, 6-year-old Cruz told the crowd that she had joined the demonstration to make &ldquo;a chain of love to protect our families.&rdquo;</p>
<p>&ldquo;Let us fight with love, faith and courage so that our families will not be destroyed,&rdquo; Cruz said. &ldquo;I also want to tell the children not to be afraid, because we are not alone. There are still many people that have their hearts filled with love. Let&rsquo;s keep together and fight for the rights. God is with us.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Cruz made headlines in 2015 when on behalf of her undocumented parents, she bravely asked the Pope to support the protection of DAPA (Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents).&nbsp;</p>
<p>Cruz also delivered her speech in Spanish, ending with a rousing chant of &ldquo;Si se puede! Si se puede!&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>
<p>Cruz melted hearts on Saturday, but more importantly, she&rsquo;s broadening minds. Her powerful message about the future of the country wasn&rsquo;t just a touching moment ― it was history in the making.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/sophie-cruz_us_58839698e4b096b4a23201f6">WATCH&gt;&gt;</a></p>

<p><img alt="" src="https://jsri.loyno.edu/sites/loyno.edu.jsri/files/16195684_1481649031875357_2541970752293677979_n.jpg" /></p>
<p><a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2017-health-summit-advancing-policy-for-a-healthy-louisiana-tickets-30497313285">TO REGISTER&gt;&gt;</a></p>