Dear Friend - Ma’Khia Bryant should be alive today. Adam Toledo should be alive today. Daunte Wright should be alive today. George Floyd should be alive today. While a jury this week convicted former police officer Derek Chauvin on all three counts for the murder of George Floyd, as was right, we know that a conviction alone is not justice and we stand in support of the family of George Floyd, the people of Minneapolis, and Black and Brown communities across the country who still face rampant police violence each and every day. The white supremacy and systemic racism that pervades policing in this country cannot be allowed to continue. This week, our top actions include calls for justice for Adam Toledo and Daunte Wright, and support for the BREATHE Act, which divests from law enforcement while building community safety and real accountability. Please join us in the below actions if you haven't already done so, and make sure to spread the word. We will never stop fighting for a better future for our families, and together we will win.
-- Amber, Aryan, Beatriz, Beth, Casey, Christina, Claudia, Diana, Diarra, Donna, dream, Elyssa, Felicia, Gloria, Hanna, Jessica, Jordan, Joy, Julia, Karen, Keisha, Kelle, Kristin, Linda, Lisa, Lucrecer, Maggie, Mandy, Marysol, Monifa, Nadia, Namatie, Nancy, Nate, Nina, Ruby, Ruth, Sara, Shanette, Sheila, Sili, Sue Anne, Tasmiha, Taylor, Tina, Tola, and Xochitl
Stand with Adam Toledo’s family and take action to end police violence. He was a child, one of many children killed by police whose families still await justice. Families like that of Aiyana Stanley-Jones who was just 7 years old, Tamir Rice who was only 12, Michael Brown who was 18, and Laquan McDonald who was 17. No one should ever be murdered by police, and this rings especially true when we consider children.
The police officer responsible for the shooting of Daunte Wright, Kimberly Potter, has resigned -- but this is not enough. The scourge of police terror and police violence must end. If we are committed to creating a world where Black Lives Matter, we must have real police accountability. This includes re-imagining public safety and shifting resources so we invest in communities rather than extracting resources to criminalize them.
MomsRising stands with the Movement for Black Lives, a coalition of over 150 Black-led organizations that have come together to launch the BREATHE Act. This bill is for Daunte Wright, Adam Toledo, Breonna Taylor, Antonio Valenzuela, Tony McDade, Mohamed Bah, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Elijah McClain, Eric Garner, Mike Brown, Sandra Bland, and the countless other Black lives that have been stolen by the hands of police officers and government violence. This Act will ensure that our political leaders invest in our communities through education, housing, healthcare, mental health services, and address the needs of the people living in low-income communities.
Click here to sign the petition asking your member of Congress to support the BREATHE Act.
Immigrants have played a critical role throughout the pandemic and we know they will continue to play a critical role in our COVID recovery, particularly in our care infrastructure. We know nearly 23 million immigrants have been putting their lives on the line in essential roles that keep our children and families healthy, and keep our child care, health care system, long-term care, food supply chain, and our economy running. Giving immigrant essential workers, Dreamers and TPS holders a pathway to citizenship in the upcoming economic recovery package is an important step toward rebuilding our nation’s care infrastructure. With mothers stepping out of the labor force at a higher rate than fathers, it’s clear that to support their return to the workforce we must support child care and child care jobs.
A pathway to citizenship for immigrants is necessary for a strong care infrastructure!
Momentum is building for a better health care system! The American Rescue Plan, which passed in March, provides 14.9 million Americans with additional financial support to buy health care coverage and over half of those who enroll in through HealthCare.gov will be able to buy a Silver plan for $10 or less per month. Additionally, it begins to address racial health inequities in historically uninsured communities—especially those with significant health disparities—by expanding coverage, reducing costs, and initiatives to address social determinants of health including housing, food assistance, and clean water.
The American Rescue Plan has shown us that progress is possible when it comes to reining in the high cost of health care in the United States. We need Congress to capitalize on that momentum and take further action to lower health care costs across the board for our families.
P.S.– Yesterday, the Child Care for Working Families Act was introduced in both the House and the Senate. This legislation establishes a child care and early learning infrastructure that ensures working families can find and afford the child care they need to succeed in the workforce and children can get the early education they need to thrive. It would jumpstart our economy by creating roughly 700,000 new child care jobs, help 1.6 million parents—primarily mothers—go back to work, and lift one million families out of poverty. Urge your members of Congress to co-sponsor and support the Child Care for Working Families Act to expand access to affordable, high-quality early learning for families!
Also, great news! The new American Rescue Plan is making health care coverage through HealthCare.gov and COBRA more affordable! This is huge! The Biden administration has now extended the special enrollment period for health care coverage at HealthCare.gov thru August 15th so we have the chance to make sure everyone is able to get covered! The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us now, more than ever, how important it is to have good health care coverage. Sign up now to help get the word out about this Special Enrollment Period!
And, as always: This content is also on the MomsRising blog!
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