29 Dec Unprecedented Challenges Require Extraordinary Actions
It’s been an extraordinary year! I can assure you that MCJ has fought for the most vulnerable Mississippians throughout this unprecedented health and economic crisis. Our work is testament to our conviction. Fighting difficult battles and overcoming insurmountable odds is what we do in Mississippi. It’s in our DNA. It’s in that spirit that I ask you to support the urgent work we still have before us.
Here are some disturbing facts about our state: In Mississippi, 6.1% of children do not have health insurance, making them likely to have unmet health needs, which diminishes their chances to grow into healthy and productive adults. Mississippi also ranks 50th in the nation for healthcare access and healthcare quality. That’s right, 50th.
Angry yet? Here’s more:
Mississippi has the highest concentration of payday lenders per capita in the nation, with about 1,000 storefronts concentrated in low-income areas and communities of color. During a global pandemic, Mississippi enforces an immediate removal statute that allows landlords to remove tenants and dispose of their possessions the same day an eviction is granted, even after a single missed payment. And Mississippi has an estimated 3,000 Dreamers, all of whom want nothing more than to legally live and work in the only country they know as home, but who often can’t access the benefits to which they are entitled.
If you share my outrage at these facts, I hope you will make a financial contribution to support the work of MCJ. Your gift of $1,000, $500, $250, $100, $50, or whatever you can afford will enable us to take on ALL – yes ALL of these issues. In 2021:
- MCJ will work to expand Medicaid and foster a healthy Mississippi where all Mississippians have equitable access to quality healthcare.
- MCJ will hold Mississippi’s lawmakers accountable for their responsible use of the $1.25 billion in CARES Act funding. Mississippi’s poor, rural children deserve the same access to resources as every other school child in Mississippi.
- MCJ will continue to fight hard for Mississippians being unfairly removed from their homes and ensure that all Mississippians have access to fair and affordable housing.
- MCJ will work to provide traditional means of credit to underserved populations and to regulate predatory lenders.
- After the results of the census are released in 2021, MCJ will be on the front lines to ensure that the new voting districts comply with the Voting Rights Act and provide fair representation for all people.
- MCJ will stand beside the Dreamers and fight for every immigrant in Mississippi to have access to a fair hearing with due process.
I am grateful to have you standing with us as we take on the most pressing challenges faced by those who are most vulnerable.
We fight to move Mississippi forward.
Please join us by making a pledge or gift at mscenterforjustice.org/donate.
Wishing you a safe and healthy holiday season,
Vangela M. Wade
President and CEO
Mississippi Center for Justice