Friend,

Trump just signed into law a bipartisan Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which ensures free coronavirus testing regardless of insurance, some paid emergency leave, stronger nutrition security initiatives and Medicaid funding, and increased unemployment insurance.

These are crucial first steps, but there’s a lot more work to do.

Now is the time to come together—not literally in person, but by pushing for meaningful action to address the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The current crisis has shed light on how vulnerable everyday Americans are. It is up to us to take action to protect our loved ones and the most vulnerable in our communities who will be hit hardest by this public health crisis.

We can take care of each other by forming groups in our neighborhoods and regions.

As the third poorest congressional district in the country, Michigan’s 13th district was already on the front lines of crisis before COVID-19. We’ve already had to be so resilient—every day I see neighbors coming through with compassion and determination to fight through this. Our team is staying #RootedInCommunity by listening to and supporting our residents, but also taking their lead.

Because here and around the country, local governments and communities have been coming together to provide resources, information, and networks of “mutual aid” (direct support for one another’s needs).

Here’s how you can get involved in mutual aid work with your neighbors:

• In Michigan, people are picking up and dropping off groceries for those at high-risk for contracting COVID-19. If you’re in Michigan and high-risk, sign up here—or if you want to help, sign up to volunteer here.

• You can also check out this resource toolkit with links to mutual aid projects around the country, resources for educators and workers, and resources for coping with emotional effects of the crisis.

• If you’re already starting a mutual aid network, here’s a Slack team for coordinating and sharing best practices.

• Many communities are forming online, including this Facebook group for discussing responses to COVID-19.

And if you have ideas for how we can help support you and your community, I want to hear from you.

Right now we must also join together nationally as a united force.

Together, we can demand a just society where each of us is treated with dignity and respect.

Side-by-side with grassroots groups, our team has been pushing for national actions that put people’s needs first in the short- and long-term, including:

• Stopping unconscionable water and power shutoffs in Detroit and across the country. Not only is clean drinking water a human right, but without water, people aren’t able to wash their hands to stop COVID-19.

• Bailing out communities, not just corporations. I’ve been pushing for the Federal Reserve to act within their power to help local governments and municipalities financially struggling right now. We must focus on stabilizing communities, not just helping Wall Street.

• Putting money directly in the pockets of all our neighbors: $2,000 payments to every person in the U.S., no matter their work status (households with two parents and two kids would get $8,000), then additional $1,000 payments per month per person to continue until one year after the end of the COVID-19 crisis. Bills are piling up for everyone, and we must chip away at economic inequality in our society. People need help first, not corporations.

• Putting a moratorium on mortgage/rent/loan payments, as well as foreclosures and evictions. (We’ve had a partial win! Trump just directed the Department of Housing and Urban Development to temporarily suspend evictions and foreclosures—though we’re still figuring out what that will actually look like.)

• Urging the major credit reporting agencies to stop reporting adverse credit events during the pandemic, so people don’t get punished for missed medical bills like from hospital visits, missed credit card payments, or missed rent or mortgage payments.

• Passing Medicare for All, so we can all access the care that we need to survive and thrive, especially the most vulnerable among us—including people with chronic health conditions, people without shelter, undocumented people, incarcerated and detained people, and low-wage workers, who are disproportionately affected by this pandemic.

• Passing ongoing paid sick and family leave, so people never have to choose between a paycheck and taking care of themselves or a sick loved one.

• Calling on the Federal Bureau of Prisons to better respond to the pandemic and take care of incarcerated people, who are especially vulnerable in confinement.

• Encouraging all states to adopt universal vote-by-mail immediately, so people can be engaged in the democratic process without putting themselves or their neighbors at risk.

If you’d like to stay updated about these efforts and how you can help, check out updates from me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

We must come together with strength and compassion during this challenging time. Together, we can take care of one another and take this crisis seriously—while pushing back against division and corporate greed.

In solidarity,

Rashida