Standing By Our Values On Valentine’s Day

Feb 14th is normally a day to celebrate our relationships, and the one I have with my partner has been one of the healthiest relationships I’ve been able to grow. We share values around respect, communication, encouraging each other’s growth and supporting our communities.Yet, I have another one which continues to be dysfunctional, and as I speak with other DC residents and activists across the city, it seems we’re all in the same bad relationship.

Too many on our City Council, led by Chairman Phil Mendelson, have forgotten their #DC values and have left residents reeling from the repercussions of failed systems. Although the District has grown in wealth with a budget of $13.8 billion, including $2.4 billion in reserves, it also has one of the largest rates of inequality between its poorest and wealthiest residents in the US. The Council is underfunding our values around housing for all, community safety and transportation. Residents won paid leave, but are seeing delays in implementation. We are going unheard on passing a strong language access bill and a plan to save healthcare in the District, all at the expense of the most vulnerable residents.

On this Valentine’s Day, I’m left heartbroken by the Council; their inaction to contribute to their relationship with D.C. residents have real and devastating effects. I had to watch the consequences of these system failures on the life of a friend, mother and community advocate Kesha Scrivner. Last week during her funeral service, the family reflected on the values Kesha held around supporting and standing up for her community. Throughout her cancer treatment she advocated for paid family leave because she understood the importance of having time for self care and time to care for her family. Through her work with the city government, she fought for access to quality early childhood programs. She stood by her values and spoke out for communities who aren’t being heard. However, in her time of need, the Council did not stand up for her and countless residents across the District.

Kesha lost her life to cancer, but she suffered also from failed access to adequate housing, lack of paid time off, a failing healthcare system and lack of access to transportation. Her story is one that resonates for too many black and brown residents in the district as we face the city’s growing divide.

This Valentine’s Day, I will celebrate Kesha and honor her life by continuing to fight for my DC values alongside countless others residents who are demanding changes to this city. I’m asking you to join us in this fight. Call and visit your Council Member and ask them to move on these issues and create a fair budget that reflects the needs of all DC residents. As humans with complex lives, we are not a single issue community. We demand the district listen to all of our needs in order to repair this broken relationship.

Check out some ways you can be informed and get involved:

• Support families needing affordable time to care by implementing Paid Family Leave
• Pass a Fair Budget that is restorative and prioritizes racial justice in order to end inequality in the district.
• Increase public housing, shelters and change policies on income guidelines for affordable housing.
• Implement and fully fund Language Access so all residents can access District resources and services, such as medical, housing, worker protections, and education services, regardless of the language they speak.
• Keep the community safe. Implement and fully fund the NEAR ACT
• Increase food access and end food deserts in the district.

To hold our council accountable, we must stand together on all of our values.

By Sade Moonsammy, staff at Family Values @ Work