AN OPEN LETTER TO ELECTED OFFICIALS RESPONDING TO COVID-19
Communities in Tennessee and across the country are in the midst of an unprecedented and rapidly evolving crisis, one that began as a public health crisis but has quickly become an economic one. While so much about this moment remains unknown - how long it will last, how deep its impact will be, and how we’ll recover - one thing has become clear: the health and strength of our communities depends on all of us. We are only as healthy and safe as the most vulnerable members of our community. We need each other.
The nearly 350,000 immigrants and refugees who call Tennessee home are deeply rooted in the fabric of our communities and are working on the frontlines of this crisis. We are taking care of Tennesseans as doctors, nurses, and as caregivers for children and elders. We are cleaning buildings, growing and serving our food, and running businesses that employ tens of thousands of Tennesseans. For more information about immigrants and refugees in Tennessee see below.
This moment requires bold and robust action to protect public health and support working families and our economy. We’re calling on you to ensure that immigrants and refugees, of all statuses, are fully included in the decisions you make about public health and economic relief. No matter where we’re from or how we got here, we all need to have access to testing and treatment and to resources and information to care for our families. The only way we’ll make it through this crisis is if the measures you take protect all of us, including immigrants.
Click here to read our demands.