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Dear John,
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A few days ago, I read the obituary of a beloved third-grade teacher from Brooklyn, believed to be the first New York City teacher to have died of coronavirus. Sandra Santos-Vizcaino was a legend at the Brooklyn dual-language elementary school program she served, known for her magic touch in helping children who struggled to read, the emotional support she gave students and their families, and her generous mentorship of younger colleagues. She was 54.
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Reading about this gifted educator, I thought about the collective loss to our society of the nearly 80,000 lives gone so far, many of them needlessly, as the result of the pandemic and our flawed government response.
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On this Mother’s Day, I think of the pain of Sandra Santos-Vizcaino’s family and friends. I think of all the children who’ve lost mothers or mother figures, of the mothers who’ve lost children or other loved ones; of families and communities mourning their matriarchs.
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I think of the moms who are frontline responders -- healthcare providers, teachers, child welfare workers, domestic violence hotline counselors; farm, food service and retail workers; bus drivers, janitors and domestic workers. They risk their lives, along with their physical, mental and emotional health, and many work without equal pay, healthcare, childcare, or personal protective equipment.
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I think of all of the women around the world, holding up so much more than their half of the sky, at a time when it seems to be falling.
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I think of the moms who’ve lost jobs, businesses,and the healthcare coverage connected with their livelihoods. Unlike other economic disasters, women are disproportionately impacted by pandemic-driven job losses. Our friends at the Fuller Project released a pathbreaking analysis of this economic data at the state level. Policy makers must design and fund response and recovery efforts with these disparities in mind.
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So while it may be true that we are all in this together, it is equally true that we are not all experiencing Covid-19 and its brutal costs in the same way.
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This pandemic is exposing the appalling racial and gender inequities that we at FUTURES have spent decades working to close.
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Right now, we are advising and giving real time support to frontline responders, partner organizations and policymakers. Our online programs have been attended by thousands on a weekly basis; thousands more have used and shared our Covid-19 resources.
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I am proud of our response, and I want you to know that as we enter the recovery phase of this catastrophe, it can’t be business as usual.
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We can’t just repair a broken healthcare and public health system, or an egregiously unjust economic system. We can’t patch up an economy in which 20 percent of children are going hungry, and even more are living with other forms of trauma; where lower income parents and their kids make do with what they get, and where there is no universal childcare.
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As we move forward, you will find FUTURES where we have always been: on the frontlines, helping to drive an urgently needed movement to build back better. That is who we are as an organization -- and as a community.
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As we honor those lost to this pandemic so far, let’s care for those mourning them, those trying to heal, and those struggling. Please hold all moms in your heart this Mother’s Day, even if you can’t hold one you love in your arms.
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With love and support,
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