WELCOME TO MATTER OF FACT, FOR WOMEN IN THE WORKFORCE, IT’S BEEN A MIXED FEW YEARS. WOMEN LOST THE MOST JOBS IN THE PANDEMIC, AND NOW THEY’RE THE ONES DRIVING THE LABOR MARKET’S RECOVERY. THEY’RE HOLDING NEARLY HALF OF THE JOBS. WHAT THIS FORMER ADVISOR TO A PRESIDENT SAYS IT WILL TAKE TO KEEP WOMEN AND THE COUNTRY MAKING ECONOMIC GAINS. AND THE COLORADO RIVER IS A WATER SOURCE FOR SEVEN STATES AND 30 TRIBES. AND IT’S IN TROUBLE. I FEEL RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE GOOD STEWARDS OF THIS RIVER. HOW THE TRIBES SAY THEY CAN HELP STATES MEET THEIR WATER NEEDS WHILE IMPROVING LIFE FOR THEIR NATIONS. PLUS, WE’RE VERY, VERY HAPPY, THIS SAINT LOUIS COUPLE SAYS ON THEIR FIRST DATE THEY KNEW THEY WANTED TO MARRY, BUT NOW THEY’VE BEEN ENGAGED FOR NEARLY THREE YEARS. WHY? THEY SAY THE LAW IS GETTING IN THE WAY OF THEM GETTING HITCHED. ALL THAT NOW ON MATTER OF FACT. A SLATE OF NEW STUDIES CAUGHT OUR ATTENTION THIS WEEK, PUT TOGETHER, THEY PAINT A PICTURE OF WHAT THE ECONOMY LOOKS LIKE RIGHT NOW FOR WOMEN. TAKE THIS REPORT BY THE HAMILTON PROJECT. IT FOUND THAT WOMEN BETWEEN THE AGES OF 25 AND 54 ARE PART DISSIPATING IN THE WORKFORCE AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL EVER. AND MOTHERS WITH KIDS UNDER FIVE ARE LEADING THE WAY WITH ABOUT 70% OF THEM NOW IN THE LABOR FORCE. BUT THERE ARE CHALLENGES THAT WOMEN CONTINUE TO FACE. A RECENT STUDY FOUND THE POVERTY RATE FOR FAMILIES HEADED BY A SINGLE WOMAN MORE THAN DOUBLED BETWEEN 2021 AND 2022. THE LARGER SINGLE YEAR INCREASE EVER RECORDED. SO WHAT’S HAPPENING HERE? BETSEY STEVENSON IS A PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AND WAS A CHIEF ECONOMIST AT THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR DURING THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION. DR. BETSEY STEVENSON, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING ME. SO THE PANDEMIC OBVIOUSLY TOOK A MAJOR HIT ON WOMEN HAVE WOMEN BOUNCED BACK FROM THAT TIME? AS OF NOW? YOU KNOW, THIS WAS OUR FIRST RECESSION WHERE OUR WOMEN LOST MORE JOBS THAN MEN, BUT THEY ACTUALLY COME BACK EVEN STRONGER IN TERMS OF THEIR LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION. SO FOR PRIME AGE WOMEN, MEANING SORT OF WORKING AGE WOMEN, THEY ARE IN THE LABOR FORCE AT A HIGHER RATES THAN THEY WERE PRIOR TO THE PANDEMIC PICK. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT CAME OUT OF THE PANDEMIC, OF COURSE, WAS FLEXIBLE. IF YOU’RE LOOKING SPECIFICALLY AT CHILDCARE AND I’M CURIOUS IF WE HAVE FOUND THAT THERE’S A GREAT UPSIDE TO THE FLEXIBILITY OR IF THERE’S A GREAT DOWNSIDE TO THAT FLEXIBILITY FOR WOMEN, THAT FLEXIBILITY, I THINK HAS BEEN TREMENDOUS FOR THE US ECONOMY. THE SURPRISING THING IS WE DON’T HAVE AS MANY CHILDCARE WORKERS TODAY AS WE HAD PRIOR TO THE PANDEMIC. SO CHILDCARE IS NOT FULLY RECOVERED. THE THE THE LONG STANDING PROBLEMS OF CHILDCARE BEING SIMPLY NOT AFFORDABLE HAVE NOT BEEN ADDRESSED. THOSE ARE STILL PROBLEMS IN OUR ECONOMY. THEY’RE PROBLEMS FOR WORKING PARENTS. BUT THEY DID GET A BOOST FROM THE FLEXIBILITY THAT CAME FROM THE PANDEMIC. AND THAT’S THAT’S WHY YOU’VE SEEN SO MANY PEOPLE ARE RELUCTANT TO GIVE THAT FLEXIBILITY BACK. WHERE ARE WE RIGHT NOW WITH REMOTE WORK AND WHAT’S BEEN THE IMPACT SPECIFICALLY ON WOMEN WHO’VE CHOSEN TO BE REMOTE IN SURVEY AFTER SURVEY, WOMEN ARE WILLING TO GIVE UP MORE IN TERMS OF WAGES IN ORDER TO GET WORKPLACE FLEXIBILITY IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO DO SOME REMOTE WORK. AND THAT DOESN’T NECESSARILY MEAN BEING HOME 100% OF THE TIME, BUT I SEE THIS AS A GLASS HALF FULL SITUATION IRRGATION, WHICH IS NOW WE HAVE MORE JOBS THAT OFFER FLEXIBILITY. WOMEN WILL HOPEFULLY BE GIVING UP LESS TO GET FLEXIBILITY. BUT I THINK AT THE END OF THE DAY, WHAT WE REALLY NEED IS MEN TO VALUE FLEXIBILITY AS MUCH AS WOMEN SO THAT IT DOESN’T CONTRIBUTE TO THE GENDER WAGE GAP. IF I MADE YOU COME UP WITH A VERY SHORT LIST OF POLICIES THAT YOU THINK ARE IMPORTANT, CRITICAL FOR WORKING WOMEN, WHAT WOULD YOU WHAT ARE THE TOP THREE THINGS YOU’D HAVE ON THAT LIST IF YOU PUT TOGETHER PAID LEAVE WORKPLACE FLEXIBILITY AND AFFORDABLE CHILDCARE? YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK WE COULD SEE A SURGE IN FEMALE LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION. THERE HAVE GOT TO BE PEOPLE MAYBE WATCHING THIS WHO SAY, LISTEN, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THOSE THINGS ARE GREAT, BUT UTTERLY IRRELEVANT TO ME. WHY DOES IT OR DOES IT EVEN MATTER TO THE OTHER PARTS OF THE ECONOMY THAT AREN’T ABOUT WORKING WOMEN? IT’S 2023. AND LET’S BE HONEST, WOMEN HAVE BEEN THE MAJORITY. OF COLLEGE STUDENTS ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES NOW FOR 30 YEARS. THE MAJORITY OF STUDENTS IN GRADUATE PROGRAMS. THEY ARE THE MAJORITY OF OUR WORKERS WITH HIGHER EDUCATION. THEY’RE THE MAJORITY OF OUR SKILLED WORKERS. AND RIGHT NOW THEY’RE HOLDING NEARLY HALF OF THE JOBS WE CAN’T JUST IGNORE HALF OF THE LABOR FORCE. THAT IS BEEN AN IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTOR TO US. ECONOMIC GROWTH OVER THE LAST 50 YEARS. IS THIS EXPANSION OF WOMEN’S SKILLS AND THEIR TALENTS AND THEIR PARTICIPATION IN THE LABOR FORCE. IF WE ARE TO LOSE THAT. ST THE WHOLE ECONOMY STARTS TO SHRINK AND WOULD CERTAINLY SLOW GROWTH. DR. BETSEY STEVENSON SO NICE TO HAVE YOU. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE IT. NICE TALKING WITH YOU. NEXT ON MATTER OF FACT. DROUGHT IS TAKING A TOLL ON THE COLORADO RIVER AND THOSE WHO DEPEND ON IT ARE LOOKING TO CLAIM THEIR SHARE OF THE WATER. IF YOU’RE NOT AT THE TABLE, YOU’RE USUALLY ON THE TABLE. HOW THE COLORADO RIVER INDIAN TRIBES ARE WORKING TO HELP RESCUE THE RIVER AND I DIDN’T GO TO LAW SCHOOL TO ACTUALLY DO ANYTHING BESIDES JUST SURVIVE. HOW THIS SAINT LOUIS WOMAN NOW HOPES SHE CAN HELP CHANGE DISABILITY LAWS. PLUS, MEET THE FIRST CLASS OF INMATES GRADUATING FROM A TOP COLLEGE WHILE STILL BEHIND BARS. YOU’RE WATCHING MATTER OF FACT, AMERICA’S NUMBER ONE NATIONALLY SYNDICATED PUBLIC AFFAIRS NEWS MAGAZINE. A 23 YEAR LONG DROUGHT IS CREATING A NEW GOLD RUSH IN THE WEST. AND IT COMES IN THE FORM OF WATER. THE COLORADO RIVER PROVIDES WATER TO SOME 40 MILLION PEOPLE WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR DETERMINING HOW MUCH INDIVIDUAL CITIES AND STATES GET. ABOUT A QUARTER OF THE WATER IS ALLOCATED TO THE 30 NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES LIVING IN THE AREA, DESPITE THEIR FEDERALLY AUTHORIZED CLAIM TO THAT WATER, NATIVE TRIBES HAVE HAD VERY LITTLE SAY IN HOW IT’S MANAGED. OUR CORRESPONDENT DINA DEMETRIUS VISITS THE COLORADO RIVER INDIAN TRIBES RESERVATION ON THE CALIFORNIA ARIZONA BORDER. THESE ARE THE HUMBLE BEGINNINGS OF A MIGHTY RIVER, THE COLORADO. THIS RIVER HAS ALLOWED LIFE TO FLOURISH HERE, NOT ONLY ECOLOGICALLY, BUT ALSO THINKING ABOUT THE CULTURES OF THE FOUR TRIBES THAT HAVE CALLED THIS PLACE HOME. JOSHUA MOORE MANAGES THE COLORADO RIVER INDIAN TRIBES, OR CRITS 34,000 ACRE FARMING OPERATIONS. CRICKET SHARE OF WATER FROM THE COLORADO 719,000 ACRE FEET IS DIRECTLY TIED TO HOW MUCH LAND THEY FARM. BEING STEWARDS OF BOTH IS TRIBAL HERITAGE, ESPECIALLY IN TIMES OF DROUGHT. WE’VE TAKEN COMMITMENTS TO TO TRY AND SAVE AND CONSERVE WATER FOR. THE GENERAL BENEFIT OF ALL. WITHIN THIS REGION, WHETHER IT BE CALIFORNIA, ARIZONA OR AS WELL AS THINKING ABOUT FEDERAL RESPONSIBILITIES OVER LAKE MEAD. WHEN THE DROUGHT BROUGHT UN UNPRECEDENTED WATER CUTS IN THE PAST FOUR YEARS, CRIT WAS PAID TO FALLOW THOUSANDS OF ACRES, PROVIDING 150,000 ACRE FEET OF WATER TO ARIZONA OVER THREE YEARS. WE’VE BEEN TRYING TO LEASE OUR WATER FOR OVER 20 YEARS NOW. THE 2023 FEDERAL LAW FINALLY GIVES CRIT THE RIGHT TO MARKET PART OF ITS WATER ALLOCATION OFF RESERVATION AS AN ONGOING LEASE. CRIT CHAIRWOMAN AMELIA FLORES SAYS THE REVENUE WOULD EVENTUALLY PROVIDE MANY LONG OVERDUE IMPROVEMENTS TO LIFE HERE. WE COULD OPEN OUR OWN HOSPITAL OR OUR CARE. WE COULD PROVIDE FOR OUR ELDERS AND THEY WANT TO USE SOME OF THAT MONEY TO HELP THE RESERVATION MORE EFFICIENTLY USE THE WATER IT DOES KEEP FOR FARMING. THERE’S ABOUT 3000 ACRES THAT CAN BE UNLOCKED TO FARMLAND BY FIXING THIS CANAL, A FEDERAL INFRASTRUCTURE THROUGHOUT NATIVE LANDS IS OFTEN IN DISREPAIR, ESPECIALLY CANALS LIKE THESE, WHERE SIGNIFICANT CRACKS AND LACK OF LINING LEAD TO WASTED IRRIGATION. I’VE HAD CREWS OF MEN OUT HERE ALL SUMMER LONG REPAIRING CANALS CONSTANTLY, AND I FELT LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE WERE A BUNCH OF LITTLE KIDS WITH BUBBLE GUM IN OUR MOUTHS, TAKING THE BUBBLEGUM OUT AND PUTTING IT IN CRACKS ALL OVER, BOTH FLORES AND MOORE SAY LEASING PROVIDES SOMETHING ELSE VITAL TO TRIBAL SURVIVAL GREATER SOVEREIGNTY OVER THEIR RESOURCES. AS THEY’VE ALWAYS SAID, WATER IS GOLD. SO TRIBES HAVE LEVERAGE WITH OUR WITH THEIR ALLOCATION, ESPECIALLY CRIT. A DROUGHT IS HERE. SO NOW WE ARE BEING TAKEN SERIOUSLY. IS THE COLORADO RIVER A COMMODITY? I GUESS IN A SENSE IT CAN BE LOOKED AT AS A COMMODITY, BUT BUT FOR THE COLORADO RIVER, INDIAN TRIBES AND FOR MY PEOPLE, THE MOJAVE PEOPLE, IT IS NOT A COMMODITY. IT IS OUR LIFE. AND IF WE LEASE THE WATER, THEN THAT FALLS IN LINE WITH WHAT OUR CREATOR HAS TOLD US TO DO, TO LOOK AFTER THE LANDS, LOOK AFTER OUR WATER. WATER MARKETS ARE CONTROVERSIAL. RESEARCH ECONOMIST LESLIE SANCHEZ SAYS WHILE SOME MAY BALK AT DIVERTING RIVER WATER TO FAR OFF DESERT SPOTS. WATER MARKETING GIVES TRIBES A LONG OVERDUE SEAT AT THE TABLE OVER WATER MANAGEMENT AND SCARCITY ACROSS THE WEST, TRIBES ARE USING ABOUT LESS THAN HALF OF THEIR, YOU KNOW, COLLECTIVE WATER ENTITLEMENTS. IT ENDS UP BEING, YOU KNOW, UP TO. $1.8 BILLION ANNUAL FEE. THAT IS FOREGONE REVENUE AS MORE TRIBES GAIN LEVERAGE WITH NEIGHBORING STATES AND WATER DISTRICTS, THE HOPE IS THAT IT HELPS THE HANDFUL OF TRIBES STILL SETTLING THEIR WATER RIGHTS. IT’S MORE THAN ECONOMIC COSTS. IT’S A HUMAN COSTS. YOU HAVE 70,000 PEOPLE IN NAVAJO NATION WHO DON’T HAVE RUNNING WATER IN THEIR HOUSEHOLDS. IT ERODES THEIR ABILITY TO DEVELOP AND, YOU KNOW, PROSPER ECONOMICALLY. DO YOU SEE IT AS A PIVOTAL MOMENT FOR TRIBES? YES, IT IS. IT IT’S AND OTHER TRIBES ARE SEEING THAT ALSO OTHER TRIBES CAN USE OUR OUR LEGISLATION. YOU KNOW, FOR THEMSELVES. SO, YEAH, IT’S A BLUEPRINT. AND ALSO HAVE THAT ABILITY TO TO LEASE THEIR WATER ARE LOOKING AT THIS RIVER. WHAT DO YOU HOPE FOR THE FUTURE, FOR BOTH CRIT AND THE COLORADO. SO I’M HOPING THAT YOU KNOW I CAN CREATE A SPACE THROUGH MY WORK THAT FUTURE GENERATIONS WILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO FARM THIS LAND AND TO LIVE ALONG ITS BANKS AND THAT THERE WILL STILL BE WATER IN THE COLORADO RIVER IN 20 YEARS ON THE RESERVATION IN ARIZONA, I’M DINA DEMETRIUS. FOR MATTER OF FACT, CRIT IS CURRENTLY NEGOTIATING THE TERMS OF THE LEASE AGREEMENT WITH ARIZONA AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. THEY SAY IT WILL LIKELY TAKE ABOUT FIVE YEARS TO IMPLEMENT IT. COMING UP, I WAS REALLY DEPRESSED THAT I WAS STILL SINGLE. THIS MISSOURI LAWYER DELETED ALL HER DATING APPS EXCEPT I FORGOT ONE. THE NEXT DAY SHE RECEIVED A MESSAGE FROM THE LOVE OF HER LIFE. WHY? THE COUPLE SAYS A LAW IS PREVENTING THEM FROM OFFICIALLY TYING THE KNOT. PLUS. A TOP US COLLEGE GRADUATES ITS ITS FIRST CLASS OF INMATES. A LOOK AT THE RESEARCH THAT’S INSPIRING SCHOOLS TO LAUNCH DEGREE PROGRAMS FOR PRISONERS. WELCOME BACK. TO MATTER OF FACT, WE’RE GOING TO INTRODUCE YOU TO A COUPLE THAT’S BEEN STUCK IN LIMBO FOR YEARS. GABRIELLA GARBERO AND JUAN JOHNSON MET IN 2015. SIX YEARS LATER, IN 2021, THEY GOT ENGAGED. THAT’S IT. NO WEDDING, JUST ENGAGED. AND IT’S NOT BECAUSE THEY DON’T WANT TO BE MARRIED. THEY DO. BUT GABRIELLA, A LAWYER, HAS DISABILITY AND RELIES ON SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS. IF SHE AND JUAN MARRY THE SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION WOULD CONSIDER HIS ASSETS WHEN DECIDING HER BENEFITS, MEANING SHE COULD POTENTIALLY LOSE HER CAREGIVER AND GOVERNMENT FUNDED INSURANCE. IT’S A PREDICAMENT MANY COUPLES FIND THEMSELVES IN. LEADING ADVOCATES TO TERM IT THE MARRIAGE PENALTY PRODUCER TERESA KRUG TAKES US TO SAINT LOUIS, MISSOURI, TO SEE HOW THE MARRIAGE PENALTY IS PLAYING OUT, BOTH IN GABRIELA’S WORK AND HER LIFE. MY NAME IS GABRIELLA GARBERO AND I’M A LAWYER BASED OUT OF SAINT LOUIS, MISSOURI. I HAVE A DISABILITY CALLED SPINAL MUSCULAR ATROPHY TYPE TWO. IT’S A NEUROMUSCULAR DISEASE AND THAT CAUSES A LOT OF PROBLEMS WITH LIKE SCOLIOSIS. AND I HAVE A LOT OF PROBLEMS WITH MY LUNGS TO RUN. AND I STARTED TALKING ON NEW YEAR’S DAY OF 2015. WE HAD OUR FIRST DATE AT BREAD COMPANY AND IT FELT LIKE I WAS TALKING TO MY BEST FRIEND FOR THREE HOURS. DON’T FORGET GIBBS, IF YOU POST, YOU NEED TO USE THE HASHTAG NEW MO LAW. THAT ONE DOES NOT ROLL OFF THE TONGUE IN THE SLIGHTEST. I ALWAYS WANTED TO GET MARRIED, BUT PART OF ME DIDN’T EVER REALLY THINK I WASN’T GOOD ENOUGH FOR IT. IN A WAY. AND THEN AS I GOT OLDER, I BECAME MORE CONFIDENT AND I REALIZED THAT A LOT OF THAT INSECURE CAME FROM SOCIETAL MESSAGING. LEGALLY, MARRIAGE GIVES YOU A LOT OF PROTECTION. IT GIVES YOU RELATIONSHIP WITH A LOT OF SOCIETAL PROTECTION BESIDES JUST LIKE GETTING A TAX BREAK. WHEN WE FIRST STARTED DATING, I DID KNOW THAT THERE WAS A MARRIAGE PENALTY, BUT I DIDN’T KNOW A LOT ABOUT IT. IF JUAN AND I WERE TO GET MARRIED, I WOULD LOSE MY SOCIAL SECURITY PAYMENT, WHICH IS AN INSURMOUNTABLE, BUT I WOULD ALSO LOSE MY MEDICAID BENEFITS, WHICH ABSOLUTELY WOULD BE INSURMOUNTABLE ABLE. SO I WAS LOOKING AT VENUES THE LAST TIME I DID THE CALCULATIONS. IT WOULD BE AT LEAST 100,000 JUST FOR MY CAREGIVERS, NOT FOR MY MEDICAL EQUIPMENT OR MY MEDICATION. EVEN BACK WHEN THESE LAWS WERE WRITTEN, IT WAS ASSUMED THAT IF YOU WERE WELL ENOUGH TO GET MARRIED, THEN YOU WERE WELL ENOUGH TO BE TAKEN CARE OF BY YOUR SPOUSE. BUT THAT’S JUST NOT REALISTIC. SO ONE WOULD BE EXPECTED TO BE MY 24 OVER SEVEN CAREGIVER. BUT HE HAS A JOB TO PAY FOR HIS SHARE OF THE HOUSE AND EVERYTHING, AS DO I. AND THAT’S NOT EVEN INCLUDING JUST THE STRESS THAT THAT PUTS ON OUR RELATIONS SHIP. SO WE’RE GOING TO HAVE AN ART DECO WEDDING. WE’RE STILL PLANNING ON GETTING MARRIED EVENTUALLY. WE THAT JUST GIVES US MORE TIME TO MAKE THE BEST WEDDING EVER. FOR THAT EITHER OF US HAVE EVER BEEN TO. SO THIS IS OUR CEREMONY ROOM. I THINK IT’S VALID IN SOME WAYS TO BELIEVE THAT MARRIAGE IS BECOMING LESS AND LESS IMPORTANT OVER TIME. BUT I WILL SAY THE PEOPLE WHO SAID THAT WHEN WHEN SAME SEX MARRIAGE WAS BECOMING LEGALIZED AND THE PEOPLE WHO SAID THAT WHEN INTERRACIAL MARRIAGE WAS BECOMING LEGALIZED ENDED UP BEING ON THE WRONG SIDE OF HISTORY, GIVING US THAT CHOICE IS WHAT’S REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT. AND I JUST THINK WE REALLY NEED TO PUSH THROUGH UNTIL THE MARRIAGE PENALTY IS ONE OF THOSE LAWS THAT YOU READ ABOUT ON THE BOOKS AND SAY, OH, I CAN’T BELIEVE WE WERE LIKE THAT BACK THEN. THERE’S A PROPOSAL CURRENTLY IN CONGRESS THAT WOULD FIX THE SITUATION THAT GABRIELLA AND JUAN ARE IN, BUT IT’S BEEN SITTING IN COMMITTEE FOR MORE THAN A YEAR AHEAD ON MATTER OF FACT, HOW A NEW PROGRAM HOPES TO CHANGE INMATES FUTURES THROUGH EDUCATION. PLUS BOOKS. UNBANNED THE STEPS ONE LIBRARY IS TAKING TO EXPAND ACCESS TO BOOKS. OTHERS ARE TAKING OFF THE SHELVES TO STAY UP TO DATE WITH MATTER OF FACT, SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER AT MATTER OF FACT. WRTV. NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY IS A TOP TEN RANKED SCHOOL BY US NEWS AND WORLD REPORT, AND THEY’VE JUST DONE SOMETHING THAT NO OTHER SCHOOL AT THE TOP OF THAT LIST HAS EVER DONE. TAKE A LOOK AT THIS GRADUATE CLASS. EACH OF THESE PEOPLE EARNED THEIR BACHELOR’S DEGREE WHILE SERVING TIME IN PRISON. NORTHWESTERN ACCEPTED THE STUDENTS INTO THEIR NEW PRISON EDUCATION PROGRAM IN 2022. FOR THESE GRADUATES, EDUCATION IS A LIFE CHANGER. GRADUATION DAY, FOR ME MEANS THE CULMINATION OF A TUMULTUOUS JOURNEY, AND IT’S A MAGNIFICENT ACCOMPLISHMENT. BUT IT’S THE JOURNEY THAT IT TOOK ME TO GET TO THIS POINT, WHICH IS REALLY WHAT I’M REALLY THE MOST PROUD OF. TODAY MEANS VALIDATION, UN AND ACCEPTANCE OF BEING ABLE TO SHOW SOCIETY THAT I MATTER. IT GAVE ME A SENSE OF HUMANITY. LET ME SEE THAT MY DREAMS ARE POSSIBLE. RESEARCH HAS FOUND THAT WHEN INCARCERATED, PEOPLE GET AN EDUCATION, RECIDIVISM DROPS BY 43%, AND THE LIKELIHOOD OF EMPLOYMENT GOES UP BY 13%. WITH THIS IN MIND, THE FEDERAL PELL GRANT WAS EXPANDED THIS YEAR TO INCLUDE FINANCIAL AID FOR INCARCERATED PEOPLE SEEKING TO CONTINUE THEIR EDUCATION. STILL AHEAD, ON MATTER OF FACT, A RECORD BREAKING PUSH TO BAN BOOKS FROM LIBRARY SHELVES. NEARLY 2000 TITLES CHALLENGED BETWEEN JANUARY AND AUGUST ALONE. HOW ONE LIBRARY IS GIVING READERS THE ACCESS. OTHERS AREAND FINALLY, THE HATE BLUEST EYE AND HARRY POTTER ALL FREQUENTLY APPEAR ON BANNED BOOKS LISTS. OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, WE’VE SEEN POLITICALLY BASED BOOK BANS SWEEP THE NATION. IN 2021, ABOUT 1600 SEPARATE TITLES WERE REMOVED FROM CLASSROOMS, ROOMS AND LIBRARY SHELVES FOR HAVING RACIAL AND LGBTQ PLUS SUBJECT MATTER IN RESPONSE, THE BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY EXPANDED ACCESS. IT’S MAKING 500,000 DIGITAL TITLES AVAILABLE TO ANYONE BETWEEN AGES 13 AND 21 ANYWHERE IN THE UNITED STATES. THE PROGRAM IS CALLED BOOKS UNBANNED, AND IT JUST ONE FAST COMPANY’S WORLD CHANGING IDEAS AWARD IN THE SOCIAL JUSTICE CATEGORY. THE PROGRAM GIVES AN ELECTRONIC MEMBERSHIP CARD GRANTING ACCESS TO THE DIGITAL CATALOG WITHOUT A NEED FOR A PARENTAL SIGN OFF. SINCE APRIL OF 2022, MORE THAN 7300 YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE SIGNED UP ACROSS ALL 50 STATES, D.C. AND PUERTO RICO. THEY’VE CHECKED OUT MORE THAN 170,000 BOOKS. THAT’S IT FOR THIS EDITION OF MATTER OF FACT, I’M SOLEDAD O’BRIEN. I’LL SEE YOU BACK HERE NEXT WEEK TO WATCH MORE STORIES LIKE THIS. ANY TIME. HEAD TO MATTER OF CFAC-TV.