This Turkey Day, power our efforts to ensure that no one is forced to choose between a hot meal and a warm place to lay their heads.

This Turkey Day, we’re putting Congress in the pressure cooker and demanding that direct cash relief be made permanent! 

Dear John,

In the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, many of us scour the grocery stores for the largest turkey, debate which family member will bake the coveted mac ‘n’ cheese, and dust off the fancy dinner sets that have been sitting in storage for the past year. But as we approach the holiday season, John, it is important to acknowledge that some Black and low-income families are unable to afford needed foods, let alone an entire Thanksgiving spread. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated food hardship, especially among children. Nearly 40 percent of Black households with children have reportedly experienced food insecurity, defined as “the lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life.”1 And Black and Latino households are more than twice as likely as white ones to go hungry.2 

But, John, the Child Tax Credit has been a powerful tool in ensuring that all children have enough to eat. Around 45 percent of parents spent the first payment on groceries, the first two checks lifted 3.5 million children out of poverty, and the remaining checks lowered the rate of food hardship among Black adults with children to 15 percent.3 

While Congress has extended the Child Tax Credit until 2022, if extended through 2025 alone, it could cut the child poverty rate by nearly one-half.4 And if made permanent, the lowest-income families will never have to worry about when their next meal will come. 

Before you enjoy your Thanksgiving feast, will you power the fight against food insecurity?

YES, I WILL GIVE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON!

Your one-time contribution would empower Color Of Change with the resources needed to: 

  • Run powerful digital advertisements targeting legislative aides  
  • Hold press conferences and briefings to educate White House personnel and Congress members on the importance of direct cash relief to Black and low-income communities 
  • Bring about real-world change for folks hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic fallout

donate now

Until justice is real,

— Jade, Erica, Johnny, Evan, Amanda, Gabrielle, Marie, Eesha, Imani, FolaSade, Sam, Taurjhai, Angel, Ciera, Jennette, and Stasia


Hi, John:

Earlier this fall, President Biden unveiled his Build Back Better agenda—a multi-trillion-dollar spending package aimed at expanding the social safety net and setting our families on an equitable path toward economic recovery. But last month, Congress spent weeks debating which social goods would be slashed from the agenda and which campaign promises would ultimately be broken. 

With the fate of the Child Tax Credit seemingly bleak, Color Of Change sent a detailed letter to the White House and Congressional leaders to demand that universal child allowance remain. And on November 5, when the House passed a key procedural vote to line up passage of the Build Back Better Act, an expanded and extended child tax credit was included!5 

Thanks to the 18,000 Color Of Change members who signed our petition, 60 million children—including those with undocumented status—will receive direct cash assistance for at least one additional year! 

This is a step in the right direction, but we believe that the CTC should be made permanent! To date, the Child Tax Credit has lifted 3.5 million children out of poverty and slashed the food insufficiency rate by more than 20 percent for households with children.6 As Black and low-income families look for some semblance of financial security, it’s crucial that pandemic relief continue. 

John, Help Us Send a Message to Congress: Direct Cash Relief Should Never Expire!

More than half of workers are currently living paycheck to paycheck.7 Meaning, an unexpected expense—whether it be a trip to the emergency room or an unusually high utility bill—can be utterly devastating. No one should live in economic limbo, or be forced to rely on high-interest installment loans to send their children to daycare and stock their refrigerators.  As we’ve seen with the CTC, direct cash assistance empowers our communities with the additional income necessary to make ends meet. If our elected officials truly wish to support Black and low-income families, then they must introduce and advance legislation that provides much-needed relief to our communities. 

And with your donation, John, Color Of Change would be able to amp up our advocacy around this issue—from running powerful digital advertisements targeting legislative aides to briefing White House personnel and lawmakers on the importance of direct cash relief to Black and low-income folks. We truly cannot do this work without you. So, John, will you power the fight to keep our families economically afloat?

donate $5

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OTHER AMOUNT

Until justice is real, 

—The Color Of Change Team

References:

  1. Poonam Gupta, Dulce Gonzalez, and Elain Waxman, “Forty percent of Black and Hispanic parents of school-age children are food insecure,” Urban Institute, December 8, 2020, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/334510?t=17&akid=52486%2E4731121%2EJnI9Zv. 
  2. Helena Bottlemiller Evich, “Stark racial disparities emerge as families struggle to get enough food,” Politico, July 6, 2020, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/334511?t=19&akid=52486%2E4731121%2EJnI9Zv. 
  3. Carmen Reinicke, “Just one child tax credit payment reduced financial anxiety for 56% of families,” CNBC, August 19, 2021, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/334512?t=21&akid=52486%2E4731121%2EJnI9Zv; Carmen Reinicke, “The earliest child tax credit payments meant 3.3 million households with kids had enough to eat,” CNBC, September 1, 2021, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/333977?t=23&akid=52486%2E4731121%2EJnI9Zv. 
  4. Carmen Reinicke, “The enhanced child tax credit will continue for 1 more year, per Democratic spending plan,” October 28, 2021, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/334513?t=25&akid=52486%2E4731121%2EJnI9Zv.
  5. Christina Wilkie, “Biden social and climate bill clears procedural vote in House, where it still awaits final approval,” CNBC, November 6, 2021, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/333976?t=27&akid=52486%2E4731121%2EJnI9Zv. 
  6. Carmen Reinicke, “The earliest child tax credit payments meant 3.3 million households had enough to eat,” CNBC, September 1, 2021, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/333977?t=29&akid=52486%2E4731121%2EJnI9Zv. 
  7. Hillary Hoffower, “70% of millennials are living paycheck to paycheck, more than any other generation,” Business Insider, September 21, 2021, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/333978?t=31&akid=52486%2E4731121%2EJnI9Zv.