Posts by Cassandra Brandt
Humanists on the Holidays
As a humanist, how do you celebrate the holidays?
Read MoreHow Food Waste and Rescue Affects the Climate Crisis
Wasting food is one of the significant ways we contribute to climate change.
Read MoreCollege Students Face Food Insecurity
Food insecurity among college students is more widespread than many Americans may assume. More than 1/3 of college students today experience insecurity with food and/or housing because of the rising cost of tuition and high cost of rent.
Read MoreParticipating in Humanist Communities Makes a Difference
Like many humanists I was raised religious. In the years that followed my apostasy, sometimes I missed the camaraderie and community: church potlucks, theatrical plays, holiday celebrations, and charitable volunteering and fundraising. Studies show that community is important for pro-social behavior, volunteerism, health, happiness, and well-being. Community connection can be complicated in today’s society, though,…
Read MoreEnding Child Marriage in the U.S.
The U.S isn’t the first country that comes to mind when one considers married children, but New York and Rhode Island just became the mere fifth and sixth states to ban the practice outright. (Following New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Minnesota.) The marriage age is set by each state and territory, either by statute or…
Read MoreWhy Kids Need a Summer Without Hunger
Every day 13 million children in the U.S. aren’t sure where their next meal is coming from. One in six kids don’t have enough to eat at least some of the time. While that number is significant, during summer months it’s even more alarming, nearly doubling as kids lose access to school lunch and breakfast…
Read MoreHurricane Season To Exacerbate Food Insecurity
June 1 marked the official start of hurricane season. When hurricanes hit they can demolish homes, devastate communities and displace people. In most cases electricity is cut, and keeping food fresh is impossible. Food insecurity is a significant dilemma that always emanates in the event of a disaster like a hurricane. An estimated seven million…
Read MoreAnti-Homeless Laws Across the U.S. Criminalize Survival
U.S. cities with a high number of people without housing keep passing new laws to push unhoused people out of view. Camping is often banned, as well as sleeping in public and living in vehicles. People are routinely evicted from encampments, many losing their belongings. Government restriction of these essential, life-sustaining activities criminalizes the very…
Read MoreFood Insecurity Rising Rapidly: Who Is Being Affected?
Food insecurity is defined as the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food to live an active, healthy lifestyle. It might mean that sometimes you have enough food and sometimes you have healthy food but rarely do you have enough healthy food. Food insecurity is at the worst…
Read MorePeople Without Housing Targeted by City Ordinance in Austin
Early voting on a city ordinance to sweep people without housing out of view is underway in Austin. A ban on public sleeping was lifted in 2019, but now Austin’s homelessness problem has become too visible for some. A May 1 vote will determine whether or not to criminalize being homeless again. Hundreds of jurisdictions…
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