COVID-19 Is a Civil and Human Rights Issue

The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the walls in America between who can and cannot afford resources like health care and child care, who can access economic mobility and higher education, and who can participate in our democracy. This crisis has magnified the crises we have for too long ignored.

That’s why the civil and human rights community is mobilizing in response to this emergency ― to ensure those in power make decisions to support public health, a functioning and inclusive economy, and a strong democracy. We know that the choices we make now will determine not just how we weather this pandemic, but also the kind of country we will have when it’s over.

We wrote to lawmakers urging them to provide funding for our elections ― and to avoid making the false choice between protecting public health and protecting our democracy. We informed members of Congress of our priorities for ensuring the economic security of all people in America. We called for urgent action to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in prisons and jails across the country. And we will be standing guard to make sure our voice is heard.

We have also joined together with members of our coalition and other key partners to speak out on issues like access to broadband services, anti-AAPI hate crimes, the needs of people with disabilities, and immigrant exclusions in COVID-19 legislation.

And that’s just the beginning. To help keep track of our advocacy throughout this pandemic ― and to share with you some of the ways our coalition is responding ― we developed a clearinghouse of information about COVID-19 and its impact on civil rights.

We will add more resources and ways to get involved in the days and weeks ahead, but for now, please visit civilrights.org/covid-19 to learn more.