We're In This Fight Together

These are difficult times for all of us. At Advancement Project California, we are laser-focused on two things: keeping our staff safe and healthy and monitoring what will surely be a disparate impact of this crisis on low-income communities of color.

To the first priority… as of this writing, none of our staff have contracted COVID-19, for which we are very grateful. I sincerely hope that you and your loved ones are similarly safe and well.

We began planning a response to the coronavirus several weeks in advance, which allowed us to make a seamless transition to remote work. We closed our physical office and asked staff to work remotely beginning Friday, March 13th. Luckily, we were well set up for this, as many of our staff travel extensively and are accustomed to using Zoom and other tools to connect with colleagues and community-based partners.

As to the second priority, we have been working closely with partners across the nonprofit, philanthropic, and governmental sectors to track the latest policies being enacted. We applaud the quick and largely equity-based decisions being made at the State level by the Newsom Administration, and locally in Los Angeles. We are blessed to have progressive elected leaders in office at this time.

We have been inundated with requests to jump into new coalitions, sign onto advocacy letters, and participate in new conversations about how to ensure the rush to respond to the virus does not come at the expense of low-income people of color. Here are just a few examples:

• Healthy LA Coalition (focusing on protections around housing stability, support for the unhoused, protection for workers, protections for children and families
• PUSH LA (convened by our able board member Alberto Retana and the Community Coalition)
• CHIRLA (focusing on federal and state-level demands to protect immigrants and refugees) 

Responding to this public health crisis is paramount, but we also need to remain vigilant around equity issues. Some areas where disparities may be deepened include: schools shifting toward distance learning when many homes do not have computers or internet access; continuing over-criminalization of Black and Brown communities with heightened police, ICE, and National Guard presence; and impacts on basic democratic functions such as the Census, redistricting, and voting processes. We are actively monitoring these situations and others to ensure that our communities are protected and feel safe enough to access vital services and health care.

We are so grateful to our grassroots partners and their quick response to provide information, food, access to health care, and hope to those most impacted by the coronavirus, and the attendant hardships it brings. 

My message to our staff has been three-fold: we are privileged to be safe at a time like this; we are privileged to be fighting on behalf of those who are not; and stay healthy and remember that this too shall pass.

I extend this message of solidarity and hope to you, as well. We are all realizing now more than ever before how deeply intertwined our lives are. We are so glad that you are part of the Advancement Project California family.

Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

Be well,

John Kim
Executive Director