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Today is a new beginning for America, but it is just that: a beginning. What comes next is in our hands.

Without healing, we cannot transform broken systems, mend fractured relationships, and ensure equitable COVID-19 relief and recovery.

Today, nearly 60 years removed from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s speech during the March on Washington, countless barriers remain between his dream and America’s reality.

An economy that ultimately lives up to our country’s promise will require us to invest in public goods and health infrastructure, break up concentrated economic power, and ensure equitable access for Black and brown communities.

Demos and Boston University’s Center for Antiracist Research hosted a virtual convening to contribute to a growing movement that seeks to redefine who we think of as swing voters.

From the president of the United States downward, all involved — whether via their actions or their failure to act — must be held accountable.  

Those who aim to obstruct the peaceful transition of power must be held accountable.

“This stuff is hard and necessary to untangle… [but] we should actually start over.”

The response to the COVID-19 crisis must include investments in public goods and health infrastructure, breaking up concentrated economic power, and equitable access for Black and brown communities.

“They collect our data without our permission. They profit from our data. They fail to invest in processes to verify accuracy. And their models are not transparent. This puts Black and Brown consumers at a serious disadvantage.” 

Congress and the Biden administration must take a different route as they seek a more equitable recovery from the COVID-19 crisis.

The Biden administration should implement its public credit registry proposal to shift power away from an oligopoly that exercises inordinate control over consumers’ financial prospects and towards a fairer system that better respects consumers and reduces racial inequality.

Caregiving work has historically been undervalued. Today, Black women are disproportionately employed in caregiving work and facing the worst of the COVID-19 economic crisis.

“The actual dollar amount, it’s hard to put that at a figure that’s enough to help everyone who is struggling. And because of that, I’d err on the side of doing more.”