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We didn't know when the first COVID case arrived in NYC in March 2020 that we’d spend the next two years masked and distanced. We didn’t know that we’d lose jobs and income, feel constant fear and anxiety about being out in public, get into fierce debates about masks and vaccines, and miss out on precious in-person schooling. We didn’t know that we’d lose one million people across this country, touching every one of our lives.
But we also didn’t know what we were capable of.
Doctors and nurses fought for their patients in crowded hospitals. Teachers learned to make the best of Zoom classrooms. Sanitation workers made their rounds despite budget cuts and illness. Parents grappled with remote learning, disrupted work, and the agonizing choices about how to keep their kids safe and healthy. New Yorkers created mutual aid networks to support their neighbors, and stood on street corners banging on pots and pans at 7 pm to thank essential workers.
New York City is a community that knows how to come together in moments of disaster.
In those early days of lockdown, we created The Neighbor Network, [[link removed]] turning organizing tools and volunteer energy into a friendly caller program to support seniors through weeks and months of isolation. Ultimately 1500 volunteers participated in phone and text banking, reaching 150,000 seniors.
We socially distanced, but we found ways to come together. We became Zoom experts and held dozens of webinars to help people access resources — including one with 3,000 freelancers in attendance to learn about the CARES Act expanded unemployment assistance. We fought for pay and protections for gig workers, created a small grant fund for small businesses, and held a town hall with Elizabeth Warren to fight for an Essential Workers Bill of Rights.
The resilience of New Yorkers and our capacity to care for one another has been one bright spot of these two long pandemic years. If you have not already, please consider finding your local mutual aid group and getting involved. [[link removed]]
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New Yorkers stepped up to care for each other in the early days of the lockdown with solidarity and courage. In these anxious times, that sure is something we need much more of.
With hope,
Brad
Brad Lander served in the New York City Council representing District 39 for 12 years—co-founding the Progressive Caucus and leading the way alongside advocates to win policies to support workers, protect tenants, and make government more transparent. Recently elected to citywide office, Brad will use the Office of the Comptroller to hold city government accountable to its promises to New Yorkers and secure a more sustainable future .
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Lander 2025
68 Jay Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
United States
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