The latest from That Suits You … Oasis Community … Census Deadline

The deadline is tomorrow to submit comment about the inclusion of a citizenship question in the upcoming U.S. Census. Here’s a link to where comment can be submitted to the Census Bureau, courtesy of one advocacy group.

Critics of including the question say it would deter people from participating in the decennial Census, especially undocumented people who currently count towards determining the congressional representation of New York City and other immigrant-heavy areas. This article from The New York Times explains these concerns in more detail. New York funders have also taken notice.

The nonprofit That Suits You has garnered attention for its ongoing work providing suits to Black men and boys in need. Black Enterprise recently featured the work of the New York City-based organization, which stresses the role of a good suit in securing a job, among its other goals. About 7,300 people have received help since the nonprofit began its efforts five years ago.

Of course, it’s not the only New York nonprofit that engages in such work.

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded a $3.5 million grant to the Center for the Scientific Studies in the Arts. The money will fund art conservation in partnership with the Art Institute of Chicago, according to a press release. About $1 million of the grant will support a permanent endowment that funds the position of a center co-director, with another $2.5 million earmarked to support the center over the next five years.

There’s a new online community that aims to help adoptive parents. Oasis Community offers training, resources and parent-to-parent support via its website. A July article in the Chronicle of Social Change has all the details on the effort and the people behind it – the creators of a blog called Confessions of an Adoptive Parent.

“The group provides several downloadable guides and articles that help families deal with situations that are often specific to fostering or adopting children who’ve experienced early childhood trauma,” reads the article. “Oasis hosts Q&A sessions with adoption professionals and therapists on its platform, as well as having several video-based training options available to the group.”

Send your press releases, photos, and word of your latest happenings to reporter Zach Williams at zwilliams@nynmedia.com.