Moneda Moves (56) : To those that cannot afford to stop working on the front lines ❤️
What are you thankful for today?
For most of us, working and living during a pandemic has meant a drastic life adjustment. But lately, I've been thinking about the many ways to count my blessings...or just what I'm grateful for: to be able to stay at home and work, to keep my parents safe by being away and to be insured should I get sick.
Earlier this week, we observed a day for one kind of essential workers on National Doctors Day. Doctors, healthcare workers and otherwise first responders are doing overtime across the board right now. It's evident how crucial they are to combating COVID-19, especially as we continue to see a rise in cases across our social mediums and coverage. While many of us can be safe by staying home, folks in these professions have no option. Their job requires them to be on the front lines and therefore be exposed.
Meanwhile, work that is important to feeding our country is agriculture work. Seeing all those photos empty grocery shelves in particular made me think of this. At least 50 percent of all farmworkers are undocumented, according to United Farm Workers. During this time, these too are workers on the front lines.
(Credit: Politico)
Take farmworkers in California, for instance. While all residents have been ordered to stay at home, farmworkers are deemed essential workers and show up to work, but with concerns that employers are not doing enough to protect them on the field. What do conditions on the field look like? Not all farmworkers are briefed or informed on precautions to take on the field to stay safe. It's unclear whether all employers are providing their workers with masks, gloves and otherwise disinfectants for tools, machinery and foods. Recovering from an illness like COVID-19 can take two to six weeks, but workers report having only three sick days. The Economic Policy Institute and United Farm Workers are offering employers best practices, but there is clearly work to be done on the field from the side of the employers. Read the full reporting here.
(Credit: The LA Times)
To those that cannot afford to stop working on the front lines: Thank them. Many are helping keep this country afloat. ❤️
Onto this week's headlines. I'm also providing resources on how you can help more communities severely affected by COVID-19, including the undocumented community down below.
Con poder✊🏽,
Lyanne
Keep tabs/cuentas on what's happening at the intersection of Latinos and money.
Why you're being asked to wait to shop for groceries: On social media, you may have seen cards or PSAs advising that if you can, to wait to shop for groceries until April 4. Why? The top of the month means funds are once again available to those who rely on government assistance to pay for these goods or receive benefits from WIC. The idea is that in the middle of an environment where there are shortages in grocery stores, this gives low-income people (especially mothers and children) who require this assistance an opportunity to buy what they need for their household.
However, as Lifehacker points out, some of these government assistance programs have staggered deposits throughout the month. So if we wait to shop until this Saturday, but then hoard goods anyway, this would be a disservice to needy people who need to stock up. A sustainable solution is to shop only for as many groceries as you need. The New York Times has a really good piece on this worth reading. In short: Don't overdo stockpiling if you can help it.
Did you fill out the census this week? April 1 was Census Day and its impact on the Latino community is significant as it helps determine federal investment. Read Remezcla's coverage on the significance of the 2020 census.
Farmworkers face coronavirus risk: "You can’t pick strawberries over Zoom" Took the title straight from The LA Times on this one because it packed a punch. I found this to be really good coverage on farm workers on the front lines and how they are still working on the fields in the midst of COVID-19. The video in particular is really good, which features civil rights activist and founder of United Farm Workers Dolores Huerta.
Put your money/monedita where your mouth is! Some money updates for thought.
Support undocumented families during the pandemic with Techqueria: One of the country's largest communities or Latinos in Tech, Techqueria, is raising money for undocumented families who are left out of the formal economy and won't be receiving checks from the largest emergency aid deal in U.S. history. As of this writing, they have already raised $20.8K and they only started fundraising earlier this week! Strength comes in numbers, mi gente.
(Credit: Techqueria)
Keep an eye out for updates and special announcements of live virtual events via the nonprofits' Instagram page. We also had co-founder David Silva and friend of Techqueria Aimara Rodriguez join me at Nasdaq just a few weeks ago to talk about elevating Latinas in tech. Check out the full interview here.
(Credit: Nasdaq)
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