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Dear Neighbors,
Our nation is still reeling from the shooting deaths of eight people in the Atlanta area this week. I am deeply disturbed and strongly condemn in the strongest terms this tragedy in which a man opened fire at three separate locations, killing eight people, mostly Asian women. This is a clearly premeditated execution and is the very definition of a killing spree, the conscious movement across space and time to senselessly take out life without mercy or regard to the law and to the value of human life.
Everyone deserves to be safe from gun violence, and on top of that, we’ve seen a growing amount of hatred toward our Asian American neighbors over the past year. This is unacceptable, and we all must reject xenophobia, discrimination, and bias against members of our community. Please take a few moments to listen to these powerful words from my colleague Rep. Tou Xiong of Maplewood, who chairs the Minnesota Asian Pacific Caucus in the Legislature.
Vaccine Update
This week, Minnesota surpassed 2 million vaccines. Overall, the pace of vaccine distribution continues to increase. While it took more than two months for the state to administer the first million doses, it took less than one month to administer the second million doses. If you haven’t done so yet, please sign up for the COVID-19 Vaccine Connector to be connected with vaccine opportunities when you are eligible. In some cases, your employer will have more information on vaccine availability, and it’s a good idea to be in touch with your health care provider too.
While the news of achieving a major vaccine milestone is encouraging, we know there are significant equity gaps in who can access a vaccine. This has been widely reported in the news and among our Eastside community. Many BIPOC members who continue to work on the frontlines of the pandemic might not have internet access to search for an available shot, or are working during available appointments. Lack of child care is also a barrier for working BIPOC parents. Given all of these reasons and more, I’ve teamed up with over thirty of my colleagues to champion a bill to close theses gaps and get more vaccine doses distributed to marginalized communities across the state. You can read more about our proposal here.
Summer Learning Package Advancing
This week, the House Education Finance Committee advanced a summer learning package to address learning loss our students have experienced over the past year. The bill would expand access to tutoring, invest in field trips and hands-on learning, and implement summer programs for preschoolers, high schoolers, and adults wanting to sharpen their labor skills. The bill also funds student mental health support. A key provision in the legislation prioritizes school districts that have experienced declining enrollment. All of our kids deserve a world class education, and the opportunity to catch up from the unprecedented challenge of the pandemic. I support this bill and I look forward to voting for it on the House Floor next week.
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