As Maine rebuilds from the pandemic, our "new normal" should be more equitable.
This moment is an opportunity to help people regain lost ground, and to build a more resilient future where everyone has the chance to reach their full potential.
Now is the time. Maine's recovery from this pandemic will be stronger and more equitable if we support bold measures to right the systemic wrongs of the past. Together we can create a "new normal" that is more just and equitable for all Mainers. Sign the petition and join us!
Mainers are working harder than ever just to keep from falling behind, because policies have favored the wealthy and corporations rather than creating opportunities for all. Families are struggling, the middle class is shrinking, and many rightly feel that the deck is stacked against us.
The pandemic has shown so clearly how inequality hurts us all. Now more than ever, we see that poor wages, unsafe workplaces, a degraded environment and more are a matter of life and death for millions of Americans. While people across the country protest systemic racism in our policing and justice systems, Black people continue to be brutalized and even killed by police. The victims of these inequitable systems continue to be held in facilities that put them at great risk from the coronavirus.
In the wake of COVID-19, the new normal should be more equitable.
Equity means...
...we make a conscious effort not to leave anyone behind as we recover from the pandemic, whether we are Black or white, Latinx or Asian, Indigenous or newcomer.
...systems and policies no longer perpetuate inequities based on skin color, gender or gender identity or expression, age, sexual orientation, ability, disability, physical or mental health, immigration status, social or economic class, religion, or background.
...recognizing the inherent sovereignty of indigenous tribes in Maine and ensuring they enjoy the same rights, privileges, and immunities as other federally-recognized tribes across the country.
…more families have the resources they need to build their futures and raise the next generation healthier and stronger.
Equity means...
...workers can stand together to ensure they have basic safety and standards in workplaces that are free from discrimination.
...immigration reform to meet the nation’s societal, cultural, and economic needs that advances just and humane policies in line with our core values.
...a functional democracy where everyone is able to easily exercise their fundamental right to vote, and have their vote matter.
...we have clean and healthy air to breathe and a clean energy economy based on renewable resources.
Equity means...
...our children are not exposed to lead poisoning or toxic chemicals and we have clean water to drink and recreate in.
...people and corporations are paying their fair share through progressive taxation to end hunger and homelessness and invest in community building.
...expanding educational opportunities and providing working families with access to affordable, quality child care and learning.
…ensuring that older Mainers have access to health care and home supports that allow them to live with dignity in their own homes.
Legislation
We helped guide a collaborative process to build a shared Vision for an Equitable Maine that 61 Maine-based organizations support. Our shared Vision provides a blueprint for the systemic change we need. This year many initiatives that would advance our vision became law.
Download our most recent reports: Positive Outcomes 2023 and Ongoing Initiatives 2023
See last year's: Positive Outcomes 2022
Better Outcomes: Stronger Democracy
Often the most technical details of a policy have the most impact on people’s lives; policy administration should help directly affected people connect with each other, share ideas, expand their knowledge, and have formal power in implementing policy. This approach not only guarantees better outcomes, it helps strengthen our democracy and counterbalance the outsized power of wealthy special interests and corporations.
We sign on to the Vision for Equitable Maine because we recognize that we must reimagine systems and policies in light of COVID-19 and the inequities that have been laid bare. While many groups and individuals have worked together to craft different parts of this shared Vision, and while we may not be as familiar with or supportive of every provision, we support the Vision as a whole and the underlying values and goals behind it. All these areas are important and inter-connected and there is value in coming together to demand multi-dimensional change that spans issue areas. We are stronger together than we are apart. We hope that the Vision for an Equitable Maine will provide an opportunity to work together across different issue areas and constituencies to advance systemic change that we all have a stake in. We hope this Vision will inform and shape public policy decisions when it comes to our collective response to the pandemic.
