Friend,

The tragic year behind us has inflicted deep pain on our nation. After
more than a quarter million lives were lost to the pandemic, many of
us entered 2021 with heavy hearts and the knowledge that healing from
the year's turmoil will take significant time. In the words of
President Biden, "few people in our nation's history have
found a time more challenging than the time we are in now."

However, there is hope on the horizon.

We hope that you will allow yesterday's peaceful transition of
power to inspire hope and optimism in your heart. Yesterday, we began
making history we can be excited about. The swearing in of Biden and
Vice President Harris, the first woman, Black woman and Asian American
elected to the office, marks a new chapter of our nation's
story. The American people chose Biden and Harris to put our
country on a new path, and that work begins now. During his first days
in office, Biden has already made several important motions. 

Biden's COVID-19 response is grounded in a commitment to
prioritizing all efforts to protect our communities from COVID-19,
which has a starkly disproportionate impact on Black, Indigenous and
Latinx communities, and investing in economic recovery. The president
has set a clear goal to boost vaccine distribution, in part by working
with cities and states to improve distribution efficiency. He has used
executive power to extend the eviction and foreclosure moratorium and
extend the pause on student loan payments, protecting millions of
Americans whose livelihoods have been threatened by the COVID-19
crisis. 

In a year marked by a long-overdue awakening to racial injustice
sparked by the death of George Floyd and so many other people of color
killed at the hands of police, Biden spent his first days in office
beginning the implementation of an "ambitious
whole-of-government equity agenda" to advance racial and social
justice for all - including historically
underserved communities, such as people of color, individuals
with disabilities, LGBTQ people, and those living in poverty. We
welcome this focus and the reversal of hundreds of discriminatory
Trump-era civil rights rollbacks and attacks. Further, extensive and
bold work from the White House and Congress on criminal justice reform, LGBTQ and
educational equity, immigration, voting rights, confronting white
supremacy and extremism, workplace discrimination and food insecurity
is necessary to create a nation that is more just and equitable for
all.

After witnessing four years of hateful anti-immigrant policies and the
cruel, inhumane treatment of people in ICE detention centers, people
across the country have demanded a just, fair and welcoming
immigration system. Yesterday, Biden unveiled the U.S. Citizenship Act
of 2021, a comprehensive legislative package on immigration outlines that
path to citizenship for millions of immigrant families, among other
essential and overdue proposals. In addition, Biden has announced a
series of immigration-related executive orders, including protecting
DACA recipients, revoking the Muslim and African bans, stopping
border wall construction and revoking the executive order that
directed harsh and extreme immigration enforcement. The scope of the
injustices levied against Black, Brown and Indigenous immigrants over
the years demands a complete reimagination of our immigration system,
and the legislation and executive orders announced today are first
steps in the right direction. 

However, Congress must act quickly to enact legislation that will
provide real relief. Immigrants have waited for far too long for fair
and equal treatment under our laws. Our immigrant families, neighbors,
friends, and co-workers are valued members of our communities, and
it's past time we treat them as such.

Now is the time to build the kind of world we want - a world
where all of us can thrive. But, we must be bold and courageous to
build the just future we envision. 

As we stride forward into this new chapter, let the words of Poet
Laureate Amanda Gorman guide us: 

For while we have our eyes on the future,

history has its eyes on us.

Thank you,

The Southern Poverty Law Center

 

 


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