Research & Publications

As we look back at 2024, we’re celebrating the local and statewide victories we’ve accomplished in the sunflower state. This year, we focused on three issue campaigns—expanding voting rights to make elections safe and available to all eligible Kansans, reforming our broken criminal legal system, and fighting for a more inclusive Kansas for LGBTQ+ constituents. Here are just some of the highlights:

Recently, many of us may be feeling disappointed and frustrated in our national politics. In times like these, when our faith in government institutions and higher systems of power is wavering, our local community resources remain steadfast in their commitment towards progressive advocacy. Here are some local resources for you to plug into.

In honor and celebration of Native American Heritage month, ACLU of Kansas highlights some of the literature and authors that preserve Native Kansas culture and address Native Kansans’ futures. With special thanks to The Raven Bookstore, we have gathered a list of Indigenous Kansas authors and literature we would like to platform as recommended reading for all Kansans.

Democracy is, at its core, the idea that every person counts and has an equal say in the governance of the nation. Today, that foundational idea is frequently under attack. There are relentless efforts to make it harder for eligible citizens to register to vote, cast a ballot, and have their ballots counted. Beyond the right to vote, politicians consistently advocate for or implement policies of exclusion, isolation, and marginalization, especially towards communities of color, LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, and vulnerable populations. The thread connecting these actions is that they all undermine the values of our democracy by explicitly or implicitly asserting that some people are not fully included in our shared community, that their voices need not be heard, or that they have no role to play in holding government and politicians accountable to the people.

In September of this year, I sat down with a friend of mine to discuss the collateral effects of mass incarceration, how he found himself caught in the cradle-to-prison pipeline, and how he now works to disrupt the pipeline for the youth in his community.

For 18 months, Wyandotte County community members and local organizations have called on Election Commissioner to make voting easier for voters who speak a primary language other than English. This week, Mayor Tyrone Garner and Unified Government Commissioner Melissa Bynum joined them, and we delivered a petition signed by over 1,000 people calling on Secretary of State Scott Schwab and Election Commissioner Michael Abbott to provide multilingual voting materials.

A Guide to Best Practices for Getting Your Voice Heard In Kansas Policy-Making.

This guidence manual was developed to better support our storytellers and advocates. Storytelling is the glue of our advocacy work and only exists because of brave Kansans like you who speak up!

This past primary election, we had volunteers at 86 polling locations in the state. Here are the Reports From the Field: