Our folks are struggling to make ends meet like never before, with over 30% of Black households facing food insecurity, and at least 60% of Black renters at risk of houselessness. Just last year, it was reported that the unemployment gap between Black people and white people is the widest it has been in five years, with Black women facing the deepest rates of job loss across the board. Meanwhile, US billionaires have gotten 1.3 trillion dollars richer since March 2020 alone.

Our people deserve better. The American Jobs Plan, an infrastructure package recently proposed by President Biden, would represent a $2 trillion dollar investment in the things our communities need not just to survive but to thrive, including improved and affordable public transportation, community-based interventions to gun violence, affordable housing, clean water, and expanded access to affordable broadband. That’s why it’s so important that we use this moment to demand that our Representatives push this plan forward, and invest in the job and resource creation that our communities so urgently need.

Here is the Petition:

Dear Member of Congress, 

We are calling on you to prioritize passing President Biden’s American Jobs Plan: 

From the very beginning of its history, the wealth of this country has always been built on Black exploitation. That was true when our people’s labor was taken by force during slavery, and it’s been the throughline of racist policies such as redlining, mandatory minimums, GI bill exclusion, and the housing crisis of the ‘08 recession, just to name a few. The American Jobs Plan would provide a crucial intervention — one that would bring economic resilience and support to those parts of our communities that have been the most underdeveloped. We need it now.

If we’ve learned anything over the course of this pandemic, it’s that the greatest investment we can make is in people. For far too long, Black people have watched the government invest more in punishing and criminalizing us than they have in making sure we have clean water, resourced schools, or functioning hospitals. The American Jobs Plan would give us the opportunity to build the infrastructure our communities deserve, while disrupting the cycle of state violence.

Our families need sustainable ways of taking care of ourselves and each other. We need sustainable ways of building and maintaining the safety of our communities. This moment requires a systemic shift from harm-based punitive legislation to public health strategies that prioritize harm-reduction, racial equity, and community empowerment. That's why we're calling on you to use push the American Jobs Plan forward, and to invest in Black communities today. 

Sincerely, 

Your Name