October 21, 2019. KCUR.
Maria Galvan used to make about $25,000 a year. She didn’t qualify for welfare, but she still had trouble meeting her basic needs.
“I would just be working just to be poor and broke,” she said. “It would be so frustrating.”
When things got bad, the single mother and Topeka resident took out a payday loan. That meant borrowing a small amount of money at a high interest rate, to be paid off as soon as she got her next check.
September 5, 2019. Topeka Capital-Journal.
According to Ruben West, moderator of Thursday night’s “The Turning Point” event, “you cannot wake up a person that’s pretending to be asleep.”
That tidbit of wisdom was the punchline to a personal anecdote West shared early on in the evening. It was one of several anecdotes he used to encourage Topekans to get excited about their city.
“If you can’t see all of the changes happening in Topeka right now, you’re pretending to be asleep because there is change happening,” West said to applause.
August 25, 2019. The Topeka Capital-Journal.
Despite overcast skies and rainy weather, more than a hundred community members showed up on Sunday afternoon to Betty Phillips Park in southeast Topeka to call for an end to gun violence in the capital city.
Chants of “Enough is enough” and “The violence must stop” filled the air as attendees of the Neighborhood Peace Walk made their way through Topeka’s Hi-Crest neighborhood. The peace walk was organized by community volunteers, the Topeka Center for Peace and Justice and Topeka JUMP, an organization of faith leaders who advocate for sound policy at the grassroots level. And their message was clear.
June 7, 2019. KSNT
People in the Topeka community are taking a stand against gun violence.
One of them is Angela Lee, whose 18-year-old son Justice Mitchell was shot and killed in 2017.
The annual basketball tournament to honor his memory was held Friday at Hillcrest Community Center.
Lee said seeing how much her son was loved by those who knew him makes it difficult to know he’s not here to see it.
June 3, 2019. WIBW
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – Topeka JUMP raised its voice Monday night to advocate for people struggling to find low-income housing.
Before its celebration to thank members for their work, the organization emphasized the importance of city support for a low income housing ordinance.
