"THRIVE Agenda" is an awesome name
I'd like to introduce to you one of my favorite bills of 2021 so far: the THRIVE agenda resolution.
This resolution, first introduced to Congress in September 2020, centers on 8 pillars, including creating millions of good, safe union jobs and averting climate catastrophe.
Ok, so why do we need THRIVE?
Well, how about some bold action to meet these “unprecedented times”? I don’t even need to elaborate on the interlocking issues and crises we're facing in America: racism, poverty, climate disasters, a bitter presidential election ending in impeachment and an uncertain (yet hopeful?) transition, and more. And I'm focusing on America right now because that's the scope of the THRIVE Agenda. [side note: COVID-19 relief should absolutely be global, and we can write letters to the editor about that]
So many Americans have lost their jobs and housing in the pandemic and recession. THRIVE emphasizes rebuilding vital infrastructure and public services to get people back on their feet, working together towards stability, recovery, and positive change. As for work, THRIVE focuses on creating new clean energy jobs and making sure that existing low-wage or frontline jobs can support families.
Socially, our country is divided and wounded. As we work to alleviate overlapping crises in terms of vaccine coverage, parts per million of carbon in the air, or dollars injected into the economy, none of this can be achieved without a human touch and commitment to justice. One concrete way this agenda proposes to help is directing “at least 40 percent of investments to communities that have been excluded, oppressed, and harmed by racist and unjust practices.”
As we do all this, we also know that we can’t heal and grow in the shadow of the next environmental disasters destroying homes, livelihoods, and lives. That’s why averting climate catastrophe is a big part of the THRIVE agenda. Have you seen the Biden-Harris administration's recent executive action on climate change? It's a good start! Let's get all branches of government working together, now, so that we can facilitate a nationwide mass mobilization to respond to the climate emergency.
THRIVE states that we have to move to “carbon pollution-free electricity” by 2035. Critically, this would also have to pass “an environmental justice screen to prevent concentrating pollution in Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities." This is just one example of climate justice in action that the government can implement.
Another specific example has a direct connection to my region. According to the 2019 report, “Environmental Racism in St. Louis” by the Interdisciplinary Environmental Clinic at Washington University School of Law, “Black children in the City of St. Louis are 2.4 times more likely than white children to test positive for lead in their blood and account for more than 70% of children suffering from lead poisoning.” The THRIVE Agenda specifically highlights replacement of lead pipes as an intervention to combat this environmental injustice.
The most important thing about the THRIVE Agenda is that it’s built on people power. It’s an impressive feat to introduce such a plan into Congress with over 80 cosponsors in the first few days— a hard-won victory for grassroots activists!
We'll get to what's in it in a second, but by the name alone I'm already hooked: this is an agenda to Transform, Heal, and Renew by Investing in a Vibrant Economy (THRIVE). We Model UN nerds and political advocates love a good acronym!
Put together by leaders in the movements for environmental justice, Indigenous rights and sovereignty, and racial justice, this resolution outlines a plan for recovery that would be the first step towards our country’s healing, and part one of the decade of the Green New Deal.
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| Making signs for Earth Day 2020 "10 years to act" is catchy, but January-April 2021 is crucial for setting the pace, so don't get comfortable! It's go time. |
This resolution, first introduced to Congress in September 2020, centers on 8 pillars, including creating millions of good, safe union jobs and averting climate catastrophe.
Ok, so why do we need THRIVE?
Well, how about some bold action to meet these “unprecedented times”? I don’t even need to elaborate on the interlocking issues and crises we're facing in America: racism, poverty, climate disasters, a bitter presidential election ending in impeachment and an uncertain (yet hopeful?) transition, and more. And I'm focusing on America right now because that's the scope of the THRIVE Agenda. [side note: COVID-19 relief should absolutely be global, and we can write letters to the editor about that]
I remember a few months ago, when one of my teammates on the Sunrise phone-bank team "Force to be Reckoned With" (FTBRW-- not the best acronym ever) excitedly told us that she got to see the sun for the first time in over a week. The sky was clearing up over Washington state after the west coast fires.
That's definitely not supposed to be normal.
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| Sunrise Movement folks learning to turn outrage and hope into action |
So many Americans have lost their jobs and housing in the pandemic and recession. THRIVE emphasizes rebuilding vital infrastructure and public services to get people back on their feet, working together towards stability, recovery, and positive change. As for work, THRIVE focuses on creating new clean energy jobs and making sure that existing low-wage or frontline jobs can support families.
Socially, our country is divided and wounded. As we work to alleviate overlapping crises in terms of vaccine coverage, parts per million of carbon in the air, or dollars injected into the economy, none of this can be achieved without a human touch and commitment to justice. One concrete way this agenda proposes to help is directing “at least 40 percent of investments to communities that have been excluded, oppressed, and harmed by racist and unjust practices.”
As we do all this, we also know that we can’t heal and grow in the shadow of the next environmental disasters destroying homes, livelihoods, and lives. That’s why averting climate catastrophe is a big part of the THRIVE agenda. Have you seen the Biden-Harris administration's recent executive action on climate change? It's a good start! Let's get all branches of government working together, now, so that we can facilitate a nationwide mass mobilization to respond to the climate emergency.
THRIVE states that we have to move to “carbon pollution-free electricity” by 2035. Critically, this would also have to pass “an environmental justice screen to prevent concentrating pollution in Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities." This is just one example of climate justice in action that the government can implement.
Another specific example has a direct connection to my region. According to the 2019 report, “Environmental Racism in St. Louis” by the Interdisciplinary Environmental Clinic at Washington University School of Law, “Black children in the City of St. Louis are 2.4 times more likely than white children to test positive for lead in their blood and account for more than 70% of children suffering from lead poisoning.” The THRIVE Agenda specifically highlights replacement of lead pipes as an intervention to combat this environmental injustice.
The most important thing about the THRIVE Agenda is that it’s built on people power. It’s an impressive feat to introduce such a plan into Congress with over 80 cosponsors in the first few days— a hard-won victory for grassroots activists!
You can learn more about the THRIVE Agenda here: https://www.thriveagenda.com/
I am so excited that we get a chance to pass major federal legislation in the first 100 days of the Biden administration. We need to move fast to make it happen.
So, today's call to action is to call your member of Congress and ask them to cosponsor the THRIVE Agenda resolution.
- You can use this really useful online tool to help you make your calls. It even includes a call script!
- I also wrote a blog post a while back with tips for calling Congress
(When I made the call in this video, we were using a script that had several other requests in addition to THRIVE for our January 21 Day of Action.)
If you're feeling ambitious, consider writing a letter to the editor for your local newspaper about why you called!
When we build political momentum with a lot of cosponsors on the THRIVE Agenda resolution, the sooner we can get to work on legislation that fills in all the details and makes the vision a reality. It's time to thrive.
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