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Dear EARN partners,
Earlier this month, staff from 12 of our Southern EARN groups, along with representatives from 17 grassroots and labor partners, met in Jackson, Mississippi for the 2024 EARN in the South Convening. During our 1.5-day trip in Jackson, we went on a civil and labor rights tour led by Mr. Frank Figgers and learned about the racist designs that persist to this day to segregate the state into two unequal Mississippi’s.
As we walked through the Civil Rights museum, I was struck by the recurring themes and malicious tactics that sounded all too familiar to many current policy fights. The segregation and attacks on public education then and the use of vouchers to divert funds from public schools today. The violent suppression of worker organizing then and the continued anti-union hostility by elected leaders today. Voices calling for equity shot down then as lawmakers actively suppress public discussion of race and gender today.
Striving to disrupt repetitive historical cycles, the EARN in the South cohort is building a strategy to stop harmful policies from being copied and pasted across the South. On day two of our convening, we strategized together on ways to advance a shared agenda, The Agenda for a Thriving South, that envisions a strong, just, and equitable South where all workers and families thrive. The agenda focuses on advancing and defending policies related to paid leave, minimum wage, childcare and unemployment insurance.
The EARN in the South project is one way that EARN groups are working together to advance equity and economic justice. We are excited to continue to build community and power with you through our listservs, the Worker Power Project, the Families and Economic Security efforts, and EARNCon. We are all needed in the ongoing fight to combat poor labor standards, school voucher bills, anti-union efforts, and other regressive policies circulating the country.
We also wanted to wish you a happy Juneteenth! In true EARN/EPI fashion, we are celebrating in part with research to advance racial justice! We recently released Rooted in Racism Part II and a spotlight discussing the racist history of tipping.
In solidarity,
Jasmine Payne-Patterson
Senior State Policy Strategist
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