Dear John,

This week, the Child Tax Credit went into effect—and it could reduce child poverty in the U.S. by an incredible 60%! This one benefit can change lives on a scale comparable to the introduction of Social Security. We are already hearing from people grateful for the help for everything from buying simple supplies like toilet paper to saving for a down payment on a house.

But Congress must act to keep the Child Tax Credit from expiring later this year. Check out our Facebook Live recording for more information, and please join us in urging Congress to vote this summer on this and other policies that can help propel an economy that truly works for everyone.

Here are this week's picks to inform and support your activism:

Sign the petition: The Department of Justice MUST act to end police brutality: In recent years, mass protests have brought attention to police brutality against Black people in the U.S. But hundreds more die in police custody each year – often without investigation. Please join AFSC, Daily Kos, and other partners in urging the Justice Department to act now.

Interfaith vigil for global COVID-19 vaccine access: Please join a coalition of many faith leaders, including AFSC’s general secretary Joyce Ajlouny, for a vigil on the National Mall (and on Facebook Live) on Tuesday. We will mourn the more than four million lives lost to COVID-19 and call on wealthy nations to increase vaccine production and end the pandemic. If you’re not in D.C., join on Facebook on July 20 at 12:30 pm Eastern.

Accelerating racial justice work among Friends: A new community project called Quakers Uprooting Racism envisions animating and amplifying deep racial justice work toward social change, writes AFSC’s Lucy Duncan.

Not a single dollar more to the Pentagon: AFSC was one of 48 signers to a letter to Congress reading in part: “We are recovering from a year of record unemployment and housing insecurity, reeling from the loss of loved ones, staggering under the weight of multiplying medical and student loan debt, confronting systemic racism and violent white nationalism, and combating the ongoing climate crisis. Militarized spending has not solved these problems, and in many ways has made them worse.” Read the joint letter.

Forced displacements and demolitions: A conversation with Sahar Vardi: In this Q&A, AFSC’s Sahar Vardi shares examples from just one day for Palestinians living in Area C. “It is extremely normalized—the concept of knowing you live in a house that could be demolished every day; knowing tomorrow you may wake up and there may not be a bathroom there.”