Photo Credit: Quinn Clark
Christine Neumann-Ortiz, executive director of Voces De la Frontera, points out that COVID-19 is an “equal-opportunity predator” as she calls for all immigrants to be included in COVID-19 relief.
Milwaukee activist groups have worked tirelessly to increase voter turnout in the city, especially within communities of color. Now, they’re making sure that their elected officials hold up their end of the bargain.
Voces de la Frontera and Youth Empowered in the Struggle (YES), social justice organizations fighting for immigrants’ rights, held a press conference outside of the Milwaukee Federal Courthouse on Saturday to demand citizenship for essential workers and inclusion for all immigrant taxpayers in the COVID-19 relief bill, and to cite their overall demands for the Biden administration.
Immigrants and children of immigrants shared their stories of struggling without any government assistance during the pandemic, and contracting the virus themselves, putting them out of work without funds to support themselves.
“The black and brown voters elected this new administration to combat institutionalized racism. So what are they going to do about it?” asked Mandeeq Abbulahi, member of YES. “This pandemic has disproportionately affected both the black community and Latinos and the immigrant community in this country, and, of course, the Afro-Latinos in this country. Our struggle is linked, so we have to be united.”
Angela Lang, executive director of Black Leaders Organizing for Communities, voiced her support for uniting with Voces and YES to demand action from the Democratic Party. “Right now, we are all feeling the injustice of the pandemic,” Lang said. “In fact, we've been feeling injustice for several years and generations. Our community has been hurting and this pandemic is only a magnifying glass on all of the existing issues.”
Keeping the Country Afloat
Lang recognized that as people of color endure the worst of the pandemic, they also continue to work and keep the country afloat. “The most impacted people by COVID are also the people that continuously show up for our communities when our country doesn't always show up for us,” Lang said. “We need to include everyone in relief that we deserve. Not watered down scraps, but the relief that our communities actually deserve.”
Rev. Greg Lewis, executive director of Souls to the Polls, has worked to increase voter turnout in the black community. However, a Democratic majority and Biden-Harris win is not the end of his activism. “This pandemic is a problem, but it's a great opportunity for us to come together and be one, and fight this battle to win,” Lewis said.
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The press conference ended with all attendees calling Senator Tammy Baldwin’s office to demand inclusive COVID-19 relief.
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Photo Credit: Quinn Clark
Rev. Greg Lewis, executive director of Souls to the Polls, says he wants to work together with all communities of color to make sure future generations have a “fair chance in this world.”
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Photo Credit: Quinn Clark
Mandeeq Abbulahi, member of YES, calls for the Democratic Party to acknowledge and put an end to institutionalized racism.
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Photo Credit: Quinn Clark
Christine Neumann-Ortiz, executive director of Voces De la Frontera, joins the rest of the group in calling the office of Senator Tammy Baldwin to demand inclusive COVID-19 relief.
