A MESSAGE FROM CENTRAL VALLEY MOVEMENT BUILDING

As organizers working toward liberation throughout the Central Valley and beyond, we recognize that the well-being of our people must be our top priority.

As news of the novel Coronavirus and its impacts on community health and economic (in)security grow, change, and spread, CVMB recognizes and respects the wide range of individual and collective processes in response.

As our institutions begin to launch aggressive measures to slow the developing crisis, it is as important as ever that we stay connected, and stay vigilant.

Already, we have witnessed heartening demonstrations of solidarity. Mothers reclaiming housing in Los Angeles in order to keep their families safe, organizers coming together to demand continued distribution of food from districts, as well as moratoriums on evictions, rent and utility payments, and informal collections taken up to support those impacted by layoffs and lockdowns.

At the same time, there have been reports of virulent anti-Asian racism, resource hoarding, and price gouging, as well as the continuation of immigrant detention, ICE raids, and dangerously inadequate preparation in jails and prisons. Not to mention the challenges to our youth and families when school is postponed, or when there is a dangerous lack of public access to affordable healthcare, and the future seems uncertain.

We stand in solidarity with those taking action to support our people now, and to change systems so that these conditions no longer exist.

We stand in solidarity with those taking action to support our people now, and to change systems so that these conditions no longer exist.

The events around COVID-19 have thrown into sharp relief the inequities we experience in our everyday lives in healthcare, education, economics, opportunity, and access to resources. Recognizing the inability of a society to provide for its people is at the heart of the work we do because we know a better world is possible.

We are carefully monitoring local, state, and federal public health briefings and policy changes, and doing our best to practice what solidarity looks like in the face of this new viral threat. We ask that our friends and partners also practice solidarity (physical) distancing and self-quarantine when at all possible. These practices can seem counterintuitive to many of us, but we believe in the profound power of transformation, and these adaptations are only the latest in a long line of challenges for our people on the long road to liberation.

Please note that our In-Person gatherings—including our Annual Central Valley Education Justice Forum, originally slated for April 22—are postponed for the time being, but we have every intention of continuing to concentrate our virtual resources to share the latest and most important information as soon as possible.

We will continue to communicate with our friends and partners, and provide a platform for you to come together to share, envision, grow, and strategize—whatever the outcomes.

If you have questions or concerns, or just need to connect before hearing from us again, reach out to our Regional Connector Carrie at cvmbconnector@gmail.com or 209-286-7564, and we will do our best to support you.

Please stay tuned to future emails, our website and social media accounts for more news and resources as they become available.

It’s a new world, and the work lives on.

In Love & Service,

Central Valley Movement Building