Alabama Arise

10/23/2026

For most of Derrick Webb’s life, Medicaid was how he went to the doctor.

Medicaid covered him as a child growing up in Montgomery, when his family traveled to Birmingham to treat his severe asthma.

“It’s gotten so much better over the years, but I lived in and out of Children’s Hospital,” he said.

It covered him when he left Alabama for college in New Orleans. And it covered him through graduate school in Rhode Island, where he studied global public health.

Over those years, Medicaid paid for every surgery and hospital visit. It gave Derrick access to specialists while he managed school expenses and academic demands. He could seek treatment without first figuring out how his family would pay for it.

That changed when he returned to Montgomery last year at age 24. He said he no longer qualified for Medicaid in Alabama. After years of using the program, he had to learn how to buy health insurance for the first time.

His lifelong experience with Medicaid — and the difficulty of replacing it — now drives his advocacy for expansion in his home state.

“I’m a fierce advocate for expanding Medicaid,” he said. “Because I’ve benefited from the resources and the power of Medicaid expansion.”

10/22/2026

Federal officials have proposed a rule that would exclude non-citizens from Census enumeration. Alabama Arise’s senior policy analyst Carol Gundlach submitted a comment Tuesday to the Census Bureau and the Department of Commerce urging officials to withdraw the proposal.

10/21/2026

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides essential food assistance for hundreds of thousands of Alabama families. Alabama Arise’s senior policy analyst Carol Gundlach submitted a comment last Thursday to the Food and Nutrition Administration urging federal officials to stop implementation of a proposed waiver that would limit food choice for SNAP participants.

10/20/2026

Arise is thrilled to welcome Dr. Regina Moorer as our new senior director of policy and research. She brings nearly two decades of experience in public policy, higher education, research and advocacy.

Moorer previously served as a senior policy analyst at HOPE Policy Institute, focusing on economic mobility, financial inclusion, housing, higher education and the racial wealth gap across the Deep South. Before HOPE, she served as a tenured associate professor of political science at Alabama State University. She earned a B.A. in English from Alabama State University, an M.S. in judicial administration from Auburn University at Montgomery and a Ph.D. in public administration and public policy from Auburn University. She is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.

10/19/2026

“This is not a partisan issue,” Arise's Chris Sanders said about the grocery tax in al.com. “It is a human issue, a moral issue. Everybody has to eat to survive, and that makes the grocery tax a tax on survival.”

10/18/2026

After repeated assaults on Alabamians’ voting rights this year, it’s important that voters show up to make their voices heard. Check your voter registration, register or review a sample ballot at AlabamaVotes.Gov.

Identify the issues that are important to you and use Arise’s candidate questions guide to reach out to candidates.

10/15/2026

“We’ve expanded postpartum coverage to one full year, we’ve streamlined presumptive eligibility for Medicaid for pregnant women, but we have so much to do, and we’re going backwards because of the Big Ugly Bill,” Arise's Robyn Hyden tells Alabama Daily News.

10/14/2026

Alabama Arise Action, our 501(c)(4) partner organization, is now on Facebook. Follow them for more on their work to improve life for Alabamians marginalized by poverty.

Welcome to Alabama Arise Action! Visit our website in the comments to learn more about our work to build a better Alabama for all.

10/14/2026

Safety and security should be accessible to every family, regardless of where they were born. Our partners at Protecting Immigrant Families (PIF) have launched an individual sign-on letter in opposition to the Trump administration’s recent public charge rule.

10/13/2026

“From not having enough money to afford basic needs to demanding the power to shape decisions that impact their communities, Alabamians are asking policymakers to take up real solutions to everyday problems,” Arise's Robyn Hyden tells The TimesDaily.

DECATUR — Some of Alabama Arise’s top legislative priorities for 2027 include ending state sales tax on groceries and empowering counties to respond to data center concerns.