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Friend,
Here in Columbus, Ohio -- where I grew up and am now running for Congress -- I see the reality up close that spurs headlines like this.
Economic segregation in a pandemic means living in densely-packed communities with no way to effectively isolate. It means continuing to go to your high-risk job because you and your family can't afford to lose your modest income.
And it means living with preexisting health conditions stemming from systemic barriers like economic instability and limited access to healthy food and healthcare systems -- conditions that make you more susceptible to the worst effects of the virus.
Now more than ever, we need a new generation of leaders who will fight for solutions for underserved communities. Elizabeth Warren's Essential Worker Bill of Rights would make sure essential workers during the crisis get paid sick leave and premium pay. Medicare for All would begin to address the health disparities in our communities.
My opponent in next week's election, Rep. Joyce Beatty, has called Medicare for All a "pipe dream." Until we replace elected officials like her with people who will fight for the change we need, she's right. That's why this election is so important.
As I shared with PCCC members on a Zoom video call last week, a major takeaway from my years as a senior advisor at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is that a big reason people are skeptical of government is that we have had a generation of corporate-driven political leadership. Voters have grown up seeing government working for big business while their basic needs remain unmet.
My opponent is a perfect example of this. Rep. Beatty has taken over $2 million from corporate PACs, and it's easy to see how that impacts her work as a legislator. She has sheltered predatory payday lenders and let auto lenders off the hook for discriminating against people of color. In this very blue district, we can do better -- and I'll win with your help.
There’s no way I would ever sell out my community like that -- this is the community that gave me, an infant with an uncertain future, a real shot at life.
My mother, an immigrant from Trinidad, supported me and my brother while facing constant financial stress throughout our childhood. I received financial aid to attend a prep school in OH, and then received financial aid to Tufts (BA), Princeton (MA) and Stanford (JD). I developed an intense commitment to fighting inequality after seeing how opportunities open up, no matter your upbringing, once you're equipped with resources.
My number one priority is ending systemic economic segregation. I’m convinced we need a new generation of bold leadership in Congress to ensure that my story is every child’s story regardless of the circumstances of one’s birth.
(You can also sign up to join other volunteers and contact key voters by phone. Put your own social distancing time to good use! Ads are important, but these calls are our key to victory.)
The coronavirus crisis has put the ugly face of inequality on full display. Let’s use this moment of clarity to make some real, lasting change.
-- Morgan Harper, Candidate For Congress, Ohio's 3rd district
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