As COVID-19 continues to spread across the United States and around the world, threatening the lives, health, and livelihoods of millions, we need Congress to act urgently to provide immediate protections for essential workers, families, women and non-binary folks across all communities. That’s why Resilience is joining women’s organizations across the country to create We Demand More, a c4, non-electoral coalition using our collective power to fight for people most impacted by COVID-19.
We Demand More: Coalition Campaign to Demand More of Congress, Political & Business Leaders to Face COVID-19
Our world has always been powered by courageous women workers and caretakers and now, with the threat and reality of COVID-19, our lives depend on Congress and corporations doing more.
In times of crisis and adversity like these, leaders must make a choice. To rise to the challenge, or shrink away from responsibility. To leave no one behind, or settle for good enough. To do no harm, or deepen divides and further inequities.
As COVID-19 rapidly spreads, threatening the lives, health, and livelihoods of millions, our elected officials are facing these very choices. This pandemic hasn’t created the problems we are seeing now, it has exacerbated them. Political and business leaders have an opportunity to right these wrongs, save lives and strengthen our economy and democracy in the process.
We Demand More. Our future as a country depends on it. Here’s How:
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- Prioritize our health and safety. Women, including trans women, and families, including immigrants, are our most valuable assets. Put their needs and interests ahead of corporations. We need comprehensive and affordable healthcare, paid sick time, paid family and medical leave, personal protective equipment for all health care providers and other essential workers, protective occupational safety and health standards for front line workers, and more.
- Provide life sustaining relief NOW. Move with the sense of urgency this pandemic demands by providing life-sustaining relief — including income and in-kind support — to the essential workers, women-owned small businesses and people struggling at home. Release vulnerable individuals in jails, prisons, and detention centers who do not pose a public safety risk.
- State governments are our lifeline, make them strong. Stabilize state and local governments and the jobs they support to ensure they have the tools to provide health coverage, education, and essential services like domestic violence programs and shelters. We also need relief for the child care sector – a critical backbone of our economy.
- Protect access to reproductive health care. We need more access to reproductive healthcare, not less. Federal and state governments should be eliminating barriers to accessing health care in our country and around the world, not creating new ones.
- Protect democracy and elections. No one should have to choose between their right to vote and their health and the health of their community. We need robust funding and policies that allow people to vote safely and securely, including vote by mail, expanding early voting, expanding voter registration options, safe polling location adjustments, and voter education.
Click here to read the coalition letter already signed by 115 organizations including Resilience.
