“We need real investment in our communities, in our safety and our ability to access jobs and our ability to access good quality education and housing and not to be discriminated against in every aspect of society.” – Opal Tometi, Black Lives Matter Co-Founder

The key question facing all who are committed to systemic change rooted in economic, racial and social justice is “what now?” Now, we commit to balance, healing, and sowing. As a community, state and nation, we must strike the balance between immediate, significant repair of our institutions and deep structural change to remedy systemic inequities. We must also acknowledge and heal from the pain of our recent history. We’ve suffered the vitriol, reinvigorated pride, and empowerment of white supremacists within our culture while witnessing over seventy-three million voters choosing to perpetuate an administration that denies, excuses, and inflames hatred.

There is hope. There is reason to feel inspired and emboldened in the fight for justice. Hate has not and will not win. Despite immeasurable burdens and ruthless opposition, communities across this nation came together for a future that is diverse, engaged, compassionate, equitable, and inclusive. Progress is palpable as the United States elected a woman of color Vice President. In the months and years ahead, we build upon this momentum to ensure a future where every child, family, and community can thrive. We sow basic principles of democracy, justice, and equity into every institution and system. We invest in our people, our communities, and our economy.

Invest in Our People: Everyone should be able to support their families, put food on the table, and make ends meet.

• Ensure that everyone, regardless of where they work, has quality, affordable health care. Expand BadgerCare and eliminate unnecessary barriers to health care and other public assistance programs that harm people farthest from opportunity.
• Require businesses to provide paid sick leave and family leave, so workers can afford to stay home if they are sick or someone in their family needs care.
• Improve access to child care. The pandemic showed how critical high-quality, safe child care is for families.
• Increase the minimum wage, and establish a method for it to be automatically adjusted each year for the cost of living.
• Lift limitations on who can get a driver’s license. Limit the practice of suspending driver licenses for people who can’t afford to pay fines or are behind in paying child support, and allow immigrants who are undocumented to get licenses.

Invest in Our Communities: Our economy is only as strong as the communities within it.

• Increase state support for local governments, especially aid distributed based on need.
• Support strong schools, and make sure they have the resources to safely educate children and address racial gaps in academic opportunity.
• Bring high speed internet to broadband deserts in rural areas, low income areas, and communities of color.
• Address the damaging impacts of systemic violence and racism in policing and mass-incarceration, and reassess how to most effectively use the state and local funding currently dedicated to law enforcement.
• Promote safe, affordable housing. Support local efforts to alleviate the dangers posed by lead paint and pipes, strengthen a tax credit that enables homeowners on fixed incomes and people earning low-wage to stay in their homes, and expand the legal rights of renters.

Invest in Our Economy: Public resources should be invested in a way that broadly benefits everyone in Wisconsin.

• Close tax loopholes that favor big corporations and the well-connected.
• Reverse tax structures that uphold and reinforce structural racism.
• Increase and expand a state tax credit for working parents with low wages.

As we embark on a transition to new national leadership, Kids Forward will continue to advocate for an aggressive policy agenda for the future of Wisconsin by placing justice at its core, centering people of color, and closing the gap for those furthest from opportunity. Policy matters now more than ever. In a climate where xenophobia, sexism, and racism appeared to have won, policy through an anti-racism lens is the only way forward. We must work together to deconstruct oppressive institutions and build a new, more equitable future.

Kids Forward conducts community-informed research, policy analysis, and advocacy that seeks to ensure a Wisconsin where every child thrives. Your support and commitment to advance racially just policy solutions is essential. Will you consider making a gift for racial equity and transformative system change as we embark on this time of balance, healing, and sowing for a shared Wisconsin future?

To learn more about investing in our people, our communities, and our economy, visit Reimagine Wisconsin at www.reimaginewisconsin.org, a campaign of Kids Forward’s Wisconsin Budget Project.