Spitfire Sparks

From canned corporate, lawmaker and nonprofit equity statements, to policies and top-down organizational efforts that attempt to improve equity without changing internal power structures, the language of neoliberalism is prevalent throughout the social justice field...

For our 2022 new year's message, we asked ourselves: What brings us joy? What makes us feel welcome? And we came up with an obvious answer: our Petfires! We're sharing their warmth, welcomes and wishes with you. We're so thankful to our partners for joining us on our journey to...

Back in 2006, I (Ellie) was working for UnidosUS (when it was National Council of La Raza) and if you know anything about UnidosUS, you know they do a lot of immigration advocacy. It was the height of the immigration debate, and it was not uncommon for us to receive hate email...

This week, October 24 – 31, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is raising awareness for its tenth annual Global Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Week. A lot has changed since the creation of MIL Week over a decade ago – and even...

As Latinx Heritage Month comes to a close, we’ve seen brands and organizations across sectors churn out Latinx geared content, some of which is thoughtfully made while others left Latinxs like myself scratching their heads. When it comes to communicating with Latinx communities...

The marketplace of ideas is crowded and gets busier every day. I edit a lot of content. People send me op-eds (which some news outlets have switched to labeling “commentary” or “guest essays”), social posts, statements and speeches. While I am paying attention to if the content...

Who represents you and your community matters. In 2020, millions exercised their right to vote to have a say in who represents us at the local, state and federal level. The promise of a true democracy is to ensure that every voter can have a say in who represents them. Yet, every...

As schools look to safely reopen, we must consider the lack of safety that Black, Latinx and disabled students face because of police presence in their schools. While the movement to end the school-to-prison pipeline has seen support from advocates, activists, parents, teachers...

Spitfires are passionate about a variety of things in our work and in our free time, and we're excited to talk about all the issues we care about, from advocating for LGBTQ+ rights and improving access to higher education to the best new books and TV shows. We're spotlighting...

I read a headline in Axios today that said “What IPCC report?” They are referring to the essential report from the U.N. that tells us exactly how serious the climate threat is. The report got covered. People heard about it. When a small group of swing voters was asked what it...

The late Congressman John Lewis once said, “Democracy is not a state. It is an act, and each generation must do its part.” On the 56th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, his words have never meant more than they do right now. Voting is one of the most fundamental features of...

Spitfires are passionate about a variety of things in our work and in our free time, and we're excited to talk about all the issues we care about, from advocating for the rights of immigrants and improving childcare policies to the best new books and TV shows. We're spotlighting...