Metropolitan Group

EMO is hiring a part-time Database and Development Coordinator! The primary responsibility is maintaining the Raiser’s Edge database for reporting, communications, fundraising campaigns, and events. Participate in other activities of the Development and Communications department related to donor relations, reconciling financial records, special events, and fundraising appeals.

Mixed-status immigrant households expected to lose benefits under new public charge rule • Michigan Advance New rules going into effect next week allow immigrants’ enrollment in safety net resources to be taken into account for lawful immigration status applications, the latest in the Trump administration’s immigration overhaul.

At Metropolitan Group, we believe a functioning democracy depends on every voice being heard safely and equally.

As we approach the 2026 midterms, data shows that 92% of LGBTQ+ adults are motivated to vote—yet many face real concerns regarding voter ID laws, racial profiling, and polling place intimidation.

To help break down these barriers, we are proud to share the newly released [Civic Engagement Guide for LGBTQ+ Communities](https://www.hrc.org/resources/civic-engagement-guide-for-lgbtq-communities) produced by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. This comprehensive, nonpartisan resource provides essential information for navigating the polls, including:
✅ Step-by-step voting plan checklists
✅ Guidance for voting while trans or nonbinary
✅ Multilingual support and language access resources
✅ Core rights to remember if challenged at the polls

Whether you are heading to the ballot box or organizing your community, this guide is a vital tool to help everyone vote with confidence. Share it with your networks, make your plan, and let’s protect our democracy together. 🗳️🏳️‍🌈


https://www.hrc.org/resources/civic-engagement-guide-for-lgbtq-communities

Civic Engagement Guide for LGBTQ+ Communities Your vote protects our rights, our communities, and our democracy. This guide will help you navigate the voting process, understand your rights, and…

How can higher education rebuild public trust in turbulent times?

It starts with moving from talking points to proof points. In a new guest post on APT Words, strategic communicators Kevin T. Kirkpatrick and Nima Shirazi explore how colleges and universities can earn confidence through actions that genuinely advance the public good.

Their key takeaway? Trust grows through “promises made and promises kept.” To share their impact effectively, institutions must embrace a narrative grounded in shared values, everyday community impact, and honest self-reflection.

Read more about the new Pro-Democracy Narrative Framework and how to put it into practice: https://aptwords.substack.com/p/from-promises-made-to-promises-kept

From Promises Made to Promises Kept Metropolitan Group and Spitfire Strategies on why the new Pro-Democracy Narrative Framework can be transformative for higher education messaging.

Just as a pendulum swings back and forth, the effect of this stain painting changes dramatically depending on the distance from which it is viewed. Looking closely at the canvas reveals a marbled, static surface with blue, yellow, and green daubs and blotted-away paint. When observed from a distance, the mottled composition seems to move.

The painting is characteristic of Howard Mehring’s work from the late 1950s and early 1960s, when he was investigating the complex relationship between colors and space in his “all-over” paintings. Mehring became associated with the Washington Color School following his studies of art at Catholic University, where he met fellow founding members Kenneth Noland and Thomas Downing.

Amazing initiative!

“Ask where the landfill is, and you’ll find where the Black people live.”

That sentence shaped Vernice Miller‑Travis’s life — and helped launch a movement.

From co‑founding WE ACT to leading national EJ initiatives, she’s spent decades turning community wisdom into policy change.

Now at Metropolitan Group, she’s still pushing for the justice our environment has long needed. Watch her interview with Environmental Working Group

Vernice Miller-Travis and the roots of the environmental justice movement "Ask where the landfill is, and you'll find where the Black people ...

Have you ever wished for plain-English definitions of the immigration words you hear every day but don’t understand?

Take "asylum seeker" and "asylee." News stories use them like they mean the same thing. They don't!

An asylum seeker is someone already in the U.S. who has applied for protection because they fear persecution back home, based on their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group. Their case hasn't been decided yet.

An asylee is someone who already won that case. They proved they can't safely return home, and the U.S. granted them protection.

Same root word. Two different points in the process. One is waiting for an answer; the other already got a yes.

Want to know what an A-Number is? What about “adjustment of status?” A full glossary is available now as a free PDF (link in comments).

Which immigration term have you always wanted explained?