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Norfolk Vision Now Coalition Hosts Education and Public Health Forum

October 16, 2024
Contact: Debra Freeman, [email protected], 757-452-1143

Norfolk Vision Now Coalition Hosts Education and Public Health Forum

Norfolk, Va. - Community members are gathering for a forum on education and public health on October 17, 2024 at 6 p.m. at the Jordan-Newby Library (1425 Norchester Avenue, Norfolk, Va.). The timely forum is hosted by Norfolk Vision Now, a coalition made up of community members from New Virginia Majority, Legal Aid Society of Eastern Virginia, Sierra Club Chesapeake Bay Group, NAACP Norfolk Branch, Norfolk GAINS, GEAR Recovery, and the Women League of Voters of South Hampton Roads. 

The Norfolk Vision Now platform has clear education and health demands: equitable redistricting that ensures a quality education for all Norfolk students; a language access plan for parents and students with limited English proficiency; trainings for firefighters, EMTs, and law enforcement to promote equitable emergency response and to discourage over-policing; and fresh food for underserved areas such as Norview, the St. Pauls Quadrant, and Titustown.

NVM organizer Carl Poole said, “Educators and other professionals cannot be the only ones expected to deliver services to aid students and their families. We all must see ourselves as partners in creating a thriving school community and addressing social stressors that diminish academic outcomes.”

Jazmine Garcia, founder and president of GEAR Recovery said, “As a mother of 5 children who live, work, and attend schools in Norfolk, equity at all levels is important. Mental illness truly is a public health concern that impacts more people than we know or can imagine.”

Sarah Black, deputy director of Legal Aid Society of Eastern Virginia said, “Residents are the ultimate experts on the problems that the city faces; their voices are vital if any lasting solutions to Norfolk’s problems are to be found. Too often experts impose solutions on communities that don’t work for those communities.”

For an overview of the Norfolk Vision Now platform and the issue forums, visit norfolkvisionnow.crd.co.

To speak with an NVM organizer or to speak with a member, contact Debra Freeman at [email protected] or 757-452-1143.

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New Virginia Majority builds power in working-class communities of color, in immigrant communities, among LGBTQ people, women, youth, and progressives across the Commonwealth. We organize for racial and economic justice through large-scale political education, mobilization and advocacy around dozens of issues. We fight for a Virginia that is just, democratic and environmentally sustainable. For more information, visit our website and follow us on Twitter and Facebook at @NewVAMajority.