Undoing Trump’s Damage

When we elected Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to take office, it was because we knew one of their first priorities will be to undo the terrible damage done by the Trump Administration to women’s health, gender equality, LGBTQIA+ rights, racial justice, reproductive freedom and so much more.  

In the first 100 days, we hope racial justice and criminal reform is a priority for the new administration, and that stronger legislation we’ve advocated for like The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act  will finally leave the Senate graveyard. Asking tough questions and bringing marginalized voices to the table is the only way to ensure lasting structural change in our society. NOW wants to be part of this change and will continue to #SayHerName and to lift up the Black Lives Matter movement through our work and activism. 

Another urgent challenge we need to address is the disproportionate impact COVID-19 continues to have on communities of color. We’ve already seen how Black women, Latinas, Native women, and immigrant women are more likely to be overlooked, unseen, or neglected when it comes to health care and how areas with primarily communities of color and areas are often counted as “medical deserts.” And we know that when it comes time to distribute the vaccine, that racial inequity will also factor in to its distribution, so we must make sure that the vaccine rollout plan does not overlook these populations.    

From the beginning of this pandemic, we’ve been concerned about the catastrophic impact on women. Black mothers have been especially impacted by the “she-cession” and now that schools are closing again, women are once again facing the intolerable choice of going to work or staying home for their children and other family members. We are reminded once again what women sacrifice – some are forced to leave their jobs during this pandemic and some do not have the choice – these are life-or-death situations. More than 2.2 million women (about the population of New Mexico) have left the workforce since February, and with no relief coming from Congress the situation is increasingly desperate.  With a new administration we are hopeful that a relief package will be passed without delay.  – I urge you to contact your Senators about the Heroes Act today. 

Under this current administration, we’ve been worrying about our health care and Trump’s on-going war on women both of which are rooted in racism, misogyny and junk science.  At the top of President Biden’s Reproductive Freedom To-Do List must be an immediate rollback of Trump’s global and domestic gag rule, repeal of the Hyde Amendment, and repairing the harm done to Title X. NOW will make sure the Biden-Harris administration knows that this is a priority. .  

Even though we a facing what seems like a massive cleanup in the wake of the Trump administration, we are encouraged because so many activists, organizations and strong women have helped us get to the point where we can look forward. We’re going to need all our strength, all our commitment and all our energy to undo Trump’s damage and accelerate progress towards justice and equality.  

I have no doubt that together, that’s just what we’ll do.