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community change action
Rallies Across Country Demand Congress Permanently 'Bake Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit Expansions Into the Budget'
Community Change Action and our partners held pie deliveries and rallies in D.C., West Virginia, New Hampshire, Illinois, Wisconsin and Maine
May 18, 2021
On Monday, May 17, Community Change Action and our partners hosted pie deliveries and rallies across the country to demand Congress bake the expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC) and Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) into the budget permanently. Funds from the expanded child tax credits in the American Rescue Plan are expected to hit families' bank accounts starting July 15, with payments up to $300 per month. On Tax Day, organizers called for these expanded tax benefits to be inclusive to all families, regardless of immigration status, and to be made permanent. They delivered pies to the U.S. Treasury Department and members of Congress across the country, with the message that there is enough pie to go around to end child poverty in the United States.
"This is a chance to see a generational shift in opportunity that we haven't seen in a very long time. For decades, the ability to live beyond paycheck to paycheck and build wealth has been reserved for the ultra rich," said Community Change Co-President Dorian Warren. "Permanent expanded direct cash payments to families will help us start to turn the tide away from this unsustainable inequality, build back the middle class, and end the cycle of poverty for millions of families."
Rallies took place at the U.S. Treasury Department in Washington, D.C., Sen. Manchin and Sen. Capito's offices in West Virginia, Sen. Hassan and Sen. Shaheen's offices in New Hampshire, Sen. King and Sen. Collins' offices in Maine, Chicago, Illinois and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Photos and videos from today's events can be re-published with appropriate credits (listed in comments of each file). You can also watch the recordings of events in D.C. and West Virginia.
"The Child Tax Credit raises the floor for our most vulnerable families and rebuilds the middle class. But more is needed. It should be permanent and should include all of America's children whose parents live and work in the United States, including all immigrant families," said SPACES in Action (D.C.) Executive Director LaDon Love.
"We have an opportunity to remedy one of our state's most pressing challenges by cutting poverty by a third and child poverty by half through the expansion of the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit. Young people without children who struggle to make ends and are all too often left without support, will benefit from this as well," said Mariah Baker, Charleston, West Virginia resident, aged 19.
"For my neurodiverse family of five, the child tax credit payments bring much needed peace of mind. To know that we will not have to take from the budget that meets our immediate needs if an unexpected medical bill arrives or something major in our older home needs to be replaced greatly eases the stress we have been facing," said Mom's Rising and Rights and Democracy New Hampshire member Marcella Termini. "I deeply appreciate the support our Senators brought for families like mine with the American Rescue Plan and I hope they will build on that victory by making the expanded Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit permanent."
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Community Change Action Engages More than 13.14 Million Voters
Black and Latina voters in our universe who did not vote in 2016, are making their votes count.
Nov 01, 2020
With one day left until Election Day, Community Change Action along with our partners in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada and Wisconsin have engaged more than 13.14 million voters, and made 33 million attempts. While the majority of the work to reach voters happened online, through phone calls and text messages, partners in Florida, Arizona and Wisconsin began door knocking in the final stretch. Together they knocked more than 1.5 million doors of low propensity voters. Take a look at the digital ads we're running as part of our seven figure ad buy here.
More than 92 million voters have already casted their ballots nationwide, and our voter engagement work is making the difference in key states. Black and Latina voters in our universe who did not vote in 2016, are making their votes count.
- In Arizona, nearly 33% of those voters have cast their ballots,
- In Colorado, 47.6% have voted,
- In Georgia, 23.5% of these women have voted,
- In Michigan, a whopping 76.3% of this voting bloc voted.
Unsurprisingly, women of color are leading the effort to elect a new administration and progressive candidates down ballot.
- In Florida, 28% of the people that did not vote in 2016 and that we have modeled as supporters of our ticket have already voted.
- In Minnesota, 25% of the people that did not vote in 2016 and that we have modeled as supporters of our ticket have already voted.
- In Nevada, 17% of the people that did not vote in 2016 and that we have modeled as supporters of our ticket have already voted.
- In Wisconsin, 38% of the people that did not vote in 2016 and that we have modeled as supporters of our ticket have already voted.
You can watch voters and supporters talking about why this election is critical to them here.
LUCHA, our partner in Arizona was featured in a CBS 60 Minutes segment and a Politico story about Arizona and the work they've done to flip the state since the passing of SB 1070 a decade ago. They talked to more than 14,500 voters on the doors.
In Michigan, our partners reached nearly 253,000 voters. Today, they will continue their efforts to reach Black voters with an "Ain't' No Stopping Us Now" party at the polls in Detroit. They have trained over 400 volunteers in election protection to monitor Civil Rights violations at the polls.
FIRM Action collectively talked to nearly 200,000 voters in California,Illinois, Maine, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas.
The voter contact work in Florida, Minnesota, Nevada and Wisconsin is part of the Win Justice campaign that includes Community Change Action, Planned Parenthood Votes, Color of Change PAC, SEIU, and our local partners and affiliates.
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We Did This: Supreme Court Upholds DACA, Delivers Blow to Trump's Racist Agenda
The decision reaffirms DACA is right , and that for young immigrants home is here.
Jun 18, 2020
Today, the Supreme Court announced a 5-4 ruling on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program cases, ruling that Trump unlawfully attempted to end the DACA program.
Lorella Praeli, President of Community Change Action, said the following in response:
"Today's decision is evidence that people power is what will transform this country to one where everyone is welcomed. This decision will protect the nearly 700,000 DACA holders who rely on the program to work and live their lives here in the United States.
DACA is the most successful immigration policy of our generation and demonstrates the power of solutions generated directly from impacted people. We need more solutions that center our communities and our lived experience--the roadmap to transformational change.
While this decision affirms that home is here for DACA holders and their families, this Administration will continue to push their racist agenda without hesitation. Members of Congress must heed our calls to stop funding the law enforcement agencies that terrorize immigrant, Latinx and Black communities.
Our country is experiencing a reckoning as Black people in this country are protesting in defense of Black lives and fighting to root out systemic racism. We stand with them and know that our fights for justice are intertwined. We will continue to fight in the streets, in state legislatures, in Congress, and at the ballot box. Together, we will continue to build a country where we can all thrive.
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National Child Care Survey Finds: Full Government Investment in Child Care Is Badly Needed
May 27, 2020
A new survey by Community Change Action of early childhood educators and child care providers found that more than 78% of respondents reported having been laid-off or furloughed from their programs or are either continuing to work but earning less or have seen reductions in program revenue.
The report, Child Care Providers Need Assistance Now: Survey Results From the Front Lines, which surveyed 1536 respondents from May 1 - May 13, 2020, also found that more than 14% of open programs reported not having adequate PPE and cleaning supplies. Of those who did, almost 9 in 10 (89.4%) obtained and paid for them on their own, exacerbating their economic hardship. In an environment where PPE and cleaning supplies have been hard to come by, only 8.1% reported receiving them from their respective states.
"Safe and accessible child care is essential to the nation's economy and warrants full public investment," stated Wendoly Marte, Director of Economic Justice for Community Change Action. "This survey shows how this Administration is failing our country and how Congress is out of touch with the reality of working people. Child care providers are not getting the financial relief they need to continue to operate or to be in a position to reopen. Many are having to close their doors -- perhaps forever -- and parents will have no one to care for their children so they can go back to work. If we really want to re-open the economy and ensure that child care is safe for providers and families, we need a major federal investment - $100 billion - in child care."
The survey shows that 68% of providers that are open only to provide care to essential workers report that they are getting paid less or that their programs have lost revenue.
They also report that existing federal relief has been inaccessible and insufficient to meet the needs of child care providers. For example, fewer than one in three (30.4%) childcare centers and home-based child care owners who applied for the Economic Injury Disaster Loans, meant to provide economic relief to small businesses experiencing a temporary loss of revenue, received the funding; 49% reported that the program was out of money by the time they applied.
Among the responses received in the survey:
Child care educator from Kentucky:
"Want to go back to work asap to serve our families but WILL NOT do so until I'm confident MYSELF that it is SAFE."
A child care educator from Brooklyn, NY:
"Schools will be closed for the remainder of the year, restaurants, stores and other services will begin to re-open and begin their operations, with social distancing in mind, as we enter the "new normal." All this is done, without consideration, or direction for child care operations. Are we not part of the New York small business industry? We have been put under the umbrella of DOE, with regards to closing, but we do not have DOE level support. We do not operate out of city owned buildings, we have rents to pay. Our teachers and staff do not get a salary from budgeted city funds, we are tuition based operations and currently have zero revenue to pay our staff or anything else. More importantly, we have no time frame that allows us to plan as business owners. So many owners will be forced to close their doors. Not because they cannot keep the children safe, or because they cannot wait. The issue is, what are they/we waiting for, and how long? Why must we be the afterthought? If we are closed, same as with schools, who will watch the kids, when parents go back to work. We need guidance. I need guidance, so as a business owner, I can plan and hopefully be around when the dust settles."
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