COVID-19 has diminished the average U.S. lifespan by an entire year, but Black Americans and those of Latin American origin have lost 2.7 and 1.9 years respectively, according to the CDC. Overrepresented in essential occupations, these workers are still not being prioritized for vaccines even though one in 10 are being exposed to the virus at least once per week, while many white Americans who work at home have already been vaccinated.

In February, Essential Ohio sent a letter to Gov. DeWine and Ohio Health Department Director Stephanie McCloud urging them to prioritize essential workers for COVID-19 vaccines. Essential Ohio is still awaiting an answer from DeWine and McCloud.

There are over 15,000 undocumented workers in the food supply chain in Ohio, for example, and that’s only a portion of our undocumented essential workforce in this state. Ohio’s agricultural industry, which relies on a historically marginalized and vulnerable migrant workforce, has continued to employ and bring in thousands of workers to ensure that Ohioans and the rest of the country have food on their plates during this dangerous and challenging time.

“That's certainly our goal and our intention.” This was the non-committal answer given by White House Press Secretary, Jen Psaki, when, on February 12, she was asked by a reporter whether the new Joe Biden Administration intends to shut down the notorious Guantánamo Bay Prison by the end of the president’s first term in office.

Psaki’s answer may have seemed reassuring, that the untold suffering experienced by hundreds of men in this American gulag - many of whom were surely innocent – would be finally coming to an end. However, considering the history of Guantánamo and the trail of broken promises by the Barack Obama Administration, the new administration’s pledge is hardly encouraging.

On March 19th, climate activists around the world are taking to the street to demand immediate action on climate change. For too long, our leaders have delivered empty promises, while the climate crisis worsens and communities suffer. We have no time to wait.

Sunrise Columbus is calling for concrete action now. Join us at the Ohio State Capitol on March 19th, along with thousands worldwide in coordination with FridaysForFuture, to make your voice heard and demand climate justice.

We demand a greener Columbus, a just and sustainable Ohio, and a national Green New Deal for good jobs and a livable planet for all.

#NoMoreEmptyPromises

Bring a sign, a mask, water, comfortable shoes, and bring a friend or two to grow this movement.

Friday, March 191 – 3pm EDT,

Sunday, March 7, 8-10pm, this on-line event requires advance registration

Join the Revolutionary Socialist Network for two discussions on the book Corona, Climate, Chronic Emergency: War Communism in the Twenty-First Century. In our discussion, we will be addressing author Andreas Malm’s question: What does COVID-19 tell us about the climate breakdown, and what should we do about it?

• March 7 [Chapters 1 and 2]: Here, Malm lays out the foundational facts connecting the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and capitalism, while contrasting the world’s governments’ responses to this catastrophic era.

• March 21 [Chapter 3]: Malm proposes how the present emergency requires urgent and dramatic action, using historical references to the period of “war communism” after the Russian Revolution.

RSVP for this event by using this link.

Buy the book by using this link.