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New Virginia Majority Newsletter: Janaury 2021

Thank you for your continued support for New Virginia Majority. For 2021, we are launching monthly newsletters to stay up to date on all the events, actions, and advocacy from our organization. Here are a few updates about the work our organization participated in this January.


Policy

On January 13th, 2021 the General Assembly of Virginia began their 45 day session. Debra Freeman, NVM’s Communication Director, and Kenneth Gilliam, NVM’s Policy Director, published an opinion piece in the Virginian Pilot discussing how the legislature needs to prioritize protecting vulnerable communities harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic and economic recession.

New Virginia Majority is lobbying and advocating for legislation for economic justice, healthcare, education, criminal justice, immigrant justice, environmental justice, and voting rights. Check out the full list of NVM’s 2021 Legislative Priorities and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for live General Assembly updates. 


Take Action

You can help us advocate for legislation by emailing your representatives to support HB 2074, the Environmental Justice Omnibus Bill. Also, show your support by signing our petition in support of the Virginia Voting Rights act sponsored by Sen. McClellan and Del. Price. This law would be a watershed moment: making Virginia the first state in the south to pass a Voting Rights Act.


Organizing

As the General Assembly reconvened, a coalition of activists and organizers took to the streets to pressure their representatives to prioritize healthcare, voting rights, and tenant protections in this year's 2021 session. New Virginia Majority and other coalition partners demanded legislators to restore voting rights to formerly incarcerated people, extend eviction protections, help tenants pay rent, and end barriers for immigrants accessing healthcare. 

Ingrid Vaca, an undocumented activist with Tenants and Workers United - Inquilinos y Trabajadores Unidos told the crowd through a translator that many immigrant workers aren’t getting treated for COVID-19 because they don’t have access to affordable healthcare. “Due to our immigration status, a lot of us fear to even go to the doctor or even go to the ER, because we’re afraid of the bill we are going to receive,” Vaca said.


Political

Our goals to elect democrats and progressives into public office did not end in November 2020. NVM endorsed and elected Candi King for the House of Delegates seat in District 2 which represents areas of Prince William and Stafford county. Candi is a champion for working families and will fight for meaningful COVID relief for our communities. We mobilized our community members to lit-drop to 5,000 households, and made 6,000 phone calls to voters in District 2 to get out the vote for Candi King on the January 5th special election. 

The Co-Director of the Virginia Student Power Network, Ibby Han, was quoted in a New York Times article featuring the response from Charlottesville community members and activists about President Biden’s call for national unity in the rise of right-wing violence fueled by the Trump administration. “When I hear those calls from Biden for unity, I’m thinking again, ‘What are the steps for justice that needs to happen before we can get there?’” Ibby and her team at the Virginia Student Power Network lead a grassroots network of progressive college students across the commonwealth and hold training and workshops in political advocacy, direct action, and expanding voting access to students.

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We would once again like to thank you for your donation to New Virginia Majority in 2020. Your donation big or small helps support many initiatives, projects, and actions organized by New Virginia Majority staff, volunteers, and community members. Make sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for the latest updates. Together, we can lead the way towards a more just Virginia for all of us.

In solidarity, 

The Development Team

New Virginia Majority

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