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In this special episode of the "Voices for Human Needs" podcast, we continue our last discussion on the fight against child poverty, but with a focus on creating greater equity both before, and after a child is born. Our featured speaker is Joy Spencer, the Executive Director of Equity Before Birth, a nonprofit in Durham, North Carolina, and a member of MomsRising. Co-hosts Abigail Alpern Fisch and Leo Nguyen from the Coalition on Human Needs speak with Joy about how she channels her lived experiences as a single mother navigating limited paid leave policies and the lack of child care infrastructure into her professional and community advocacy work on behalf of positive health outcomes for all children and families. Joy’s story not only highlights the need to pass critical proposals within the American Families Plan that would expand infrastructure for paid family leave, medical leave, and child care, but also, how such policies will promote greater equity and support all families across the socio-economic spectrum, especially BIPOC parents. Last, but not least, Joy advises listeners on how to connect with other advocates in their communities and utilize storytelling to inform the elected leaders on these needed policies. Read more about this episode, and actions you can take now, at the Voices for Human Needs Blog: https://www.chn.org/voices/episode-3-podcast-paid-leave-child-care The full transcript of this podcast episode is available here. To learn more about the work being done by Joy and the organizations mentioned in this episode, please see below: Joy Spencer, Equity Before Birth: https://www.equitybeforebirth.com, Moms Rising: https://www.momsrising.org Joy Spencer’s Full Testimony before the House Ways & Means Committee April 21, 2021: https://waysandmeans.house.gov/sites/democrats.waysandmeans.house.gov/files/documents/Joy%20Spencer%20Testimony.pdf Full House Committee Hearing: “In Their Own Words: Paid Leave, Child Care, and an Economy that Failed Women” April 21, 2021: https://waysandmeans.house.gov/legislation/hearings/full-committee-hearing-their-own-words-paid-leave-child-care-and-economy-failed National Partnership for Women and Families Report on Paid Family and Medical Leave: A Racial Justice Issue and Opportunity: https://www.nationalpartnership.org/our-work/resources/economic-justice/paid-leave/paid-family-and-medical-leave-racial-justice-issue-and-opportunity.pdf This podcast was produced by the Coalition on Human Needs: http://www.chn.org/