Matthew Cardinale is a Ph.D student in Sociology at Georgia State University.  He has an MA in Sociology from UC Irvine and an MPA from University of New Orleans.  He is a member and consultant for the Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless and is Founder and News Editor of Atlanta Progressive News, an online and print source that seeks to provide progressive news of concern to the working people and working families of Atlanta, GA (www.atlantaprogressivenews.com).  He has written previously for the Sun-Sentinel Newspaper, Shelterforce Magazine, The Advocate Magazine, Southern Voice, OnEarth Magazine, The San Francisco Bay View, and the Berkeley Daily Planet Newspaper. He has also written for numerous online publications including OpEdNews, BuzzFlash, CommonDreams, AlterNet, RawStory, and TruthOut. His research interests include: diversity/inclusion, political process, democratization, media reform movements, grassroots organizing, and media justice issues. His previous research includes a study recently conducted for the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, where he taught homeless youth how to research the experiences of other homeless youth during Hurricane Katrina.  He has previously interviewed homeless youth about their political beliefs and participation, and has interviewed ex-felons about losing the right to vote.  He currently is working with the Task Force to empower shelter residents to be citizen journalists, with the support of SSRC's NKDPS program.