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Despite outperforming most of the nation in education, Mississippi ranks last on overall child well-being, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s latest KIDS COUNT Data Book, particularly in health and poverty.
During a “Families Count in the Deep South” event hosted by Mississippi Today on Tuesday, the newsroom’s staff joined leaders from health, education and community engagement across the state to highlight gains, build momentum for a way forward and bring data from the report to life.
Voting rights affect children’s well-being
“‘Families count’ must mean something beyond counting families in a report. It must mean their lives count when decisions are made,” said Rep. Zakiya Summers, a Democrat from Jackson, addressing about two dozen people in the Mississippi Public Broadcasting Auditorium in Jackson.
Summers, the event’s keynote speaker, called on her colleagues in the Legislature to prioritize funding childcare, maternal health and education.
She also gave a nod to problems that have arisen during the latest midterm elections, and said the chaos highlights the need for easier online voter registration, early voting and universal suffrage. Summers said voting rights are intertwined with children’s well-being because they determine who is given the power to make decisions that will affect future generations…