On February 3, 2021

Racial justice advocates call on Legislature and Vermonters to ACT

Vermont Racial Justice Alliance releases its legislative priority list for 2021

The Vermont Racial Justice Alliance (VRJA) announced its top legislative priorities for 2021 last week, expressing deep concern surrounding the unprecedented impact of Covid-19 and systemic racism on Black American descendants of slavery (ADOS).

The Racial Justice Alliance is calling on the Vermont Legislature and Vermonters to ACT, building its advocacy around three main tenets:

Acknowledging and reconciling historic systems of racism;

Creating new structures for ADOS economic & cultural empowerment;

Transforming state systems to better serve ADOS Vermonters.

The Vermont Racial Justice Alliance, led by an ADOS board of directors and a people-of-color led steering committee, carries out its daily operations assisted by a coalition of individuals and organizations across Vermont. Their priorities this biennium will be undergirded with calls to achieve a moral budget from the bottom up that centers the lives of ADOS, then other Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC); and to declare racism a public health emergency and to address it accordingly.

“American Descendants of Slavery are in the crosshairs of the heightened intensity of Covid-19 and the historically lethal impact of the disparate outcomes of all social determinants, all of which are being hyper-exacerbated by systems of racial oppression,” said Mark Hughes, executive director of Justice For All and the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance. “It’s time to ACT, folks.”

During a press conference Jan. 27, the VRJA outlined its legislative approach, which includes:

Passage of a constitutional amendment prohibiting slavery and indentured servitude in Vermont;

Establishing a task force for chattel slavery reparations;

Creating state economic empowerment programs for ADOS and other BIPOC, as well as their businesses;

Creating structures that ensure land and home ownership for ADOS and other BIPOC;

Implementing a targeted Health and Wellness Bill for ADOS and other BIPOC;

Creating cultural empowerment spaces and programming for ADOS and other BIPOC.

Also communicated as high priorities were the expansion of capacity, empowerment and funding for data infrastructure for the office of the state racial equity director and the implementation of an independent community control board for all law enforcement across the state.

“These legislative priorities will serve as the catalyst for the development of new avenues for ADOS and BIPOC folks’ empowerment and wellness to enable them the ability to flourish and thrive,” said Christopher Cockrell, chair of the board of directors of the Racial Justice Alliance. “We at the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance are calling on our state leaders, agencies, and legislators to ACT.”

Do you want to submit feedback to the editor?

Send Us An Email!

Related Posts

Vermont’s adult loon population is at an all-time high, but fewer chicks are surviving

July 2, 2025
By Izzy Wagner/VTDigger Vermont’s adult loon population is at an all-time high, but scientists have noticed a recent decrease in the number of chicks surviving. In 2024, Vermont saw a record-breaking 123 nesting pairs, 11 of which landed at first-time nesting sites. Out of the 125 loon chicks that hatched in 2024, 65% survived through the…

Vermont State University graduates 414 nurses, boosting local health care workforce

July 2, 2025
Vermont State University (VTSU) has graduated 414 new nurses this year, marking a significant step forward in addressing the state’s ongoing health care workforce shortage. With approximately 92% of these graduates testing for licensure in Vermont and strong NCLEX pass rates, the university continues to deliver on its promise to educate and prepare nurses who…

VT Agency of Education announces summer food service program

July 2, 2025
The Agency of Education announced the availability of summer meal sites providing meals to all children, 18 and under, through the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). This program ensures that children across the state have access to nutritious meals throughout the summer. Families are encouraged to access these meals to help support children’s growth, health,…

Sanders restores $17m for Vt schools canceled by Trump

July 2, 2025
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), ranking member of the Senate health, education, labor, and pensions (HELP) committee, June 27 announced that the U.S. Dept. of Education reversed its decision to cancel nearly $17 million in federal K-12 Covid-19 funding for Vermont school districts and some $2.5 billion for schools across the country. The administration’s announcement follows…