I, like many in the region, sat down to watch the President’s State of the Union speech last night.  It’s an annual event that always engenders much anticipation (at least among the media pundits, political junkies, and those living in and around our nation’s capital), and this year was no exception.  Many called it “the” campaign speech, kicking off the 2012 election cycle.  Just a day before the speech, the White House said that the President would “outline his vision for an America where hard work and responsibility are rewarded, where everyone does their fair share, and where everyone is held accountable for what they do.”  Economic fairness was lauded as this year’s theme.

This month, we invited our Grantee Partners to share some of their New Year’s resolutions with us.  Their passion and commitment to transforming the lives of women and girls and improving our community are evident in the aspirational goals they’ve set for themselves this year.

In this week’s roundup of news affecting women and girls in our community: We wonder what Dr. King might say about the high rate of poverty among women and girls in the DC area.  The top five findings of 2011 from the Institute of Women’s Policy Research.  The impact of Pre-K on the achievement gap.  Is it time for a poverty revolution?  Plus, a young, aspiring scientist is headed for a national competition as her family deals with homelessness.

Earlier this month I attended a press conference on the new Government Accountability Office watchdog report “Gender Pay Differences: Progress Made but Women Remain Overrepresented among Low-Wage Workers.” Unfortunately, the disparity in the wage-gap continues to be very alarming.

In today’s rundown: The new poverty measurement finds Latinos to be the poorest group in the U.S.  It’s going to cost an additional $5 to feed your family at Thanksgiving this year.  And discounted broadband services for low income families starting next summer.

The 2010 American Community Survey has just been released and The Women’s Foundation has already identified grim statistics related to women, girls and poverty in our region.  Unfortunately, the number of women and girls living below the poverty line continues to rise: more than 202,000 live in poverty, up from 177,000 the previous year.  Click here for a pdf copy of the fact sheet.

Yesterday, the U.S. Census Bureau released the new report Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2010. The report found that in 2010, the median household income declined 2.3 percent to $49,445; the poverty rate rose to 15.1 percent, with 46.2 million people living in poverty; and the percentage of people without health insurance remained steady from 2009.

Many commentators have written about the current round of negotiations about the federal budget and how budget cuts will affect the poor. Women’s organizations and women columnists (see here and here, for example) have noted the disproportionate focus on cutting programs affecting women’s reproductive health and rights.

In today’s rundown: How a government shutdown might impact vulnerable residents. | A new study finds that health-related grantmakers do not make the needs of under-served communities a top priority. | A new report finds that low-wage workers are discriminated against based on their caregiving responsibilities.

In today’s rundown: A look at what DC budget cuts might mean for social services. | How you could be affected by a federal government shutdown.

– DCentric takes a look at DC Mayor Vincent Gray’s proposed budget for the 2012 fiscal year and details some of the $187 million in cuts.  60 percent of those cuts would come from social services.