Dear Editor,
We are a collection of Winthrop mothers with young children writing to voice our support for Alicia DelVento in the Democratic primary for state representative on March 2. We need a fighter for women and families, and Alicia is the woman for the job.
A proud product of Winthrop public schools, Alicia is passionate about putting Winthrop’s youth first. She will work for increased school funding, social-emotional learning strategies that develop students as whole people, and expanding after-school programs and early education for all families. With a degree in public health and extensive experience in the State House, Alicia has a plan to protect the safety of educators, caregivers, and children, and to help Winthrop and Revere fight back from COVID-19.
As mothers living through the global pandemic, we know that a plan for our education system must consider the realities of raising children during a public health crisis. We know what it is like to do Zoom calls with toddlers desperately seeking our attention. We have reduced our work hours and worked late into the night after our babies go to sleep. We worry about going back to daycare and preschool and the risk of exposure to COVID-19. We know how scary it is to be pregnant right now, and how hard it is to plan for the future.
Nationally and in Massachusetts, women account for well over half of pandemic job losses. Many of the lost jobs are in industries primarily worked by women -- such as childcare, where women of color are the majority. Three decades of progress in workforce participation have been erased in the last year, and women of color and those with young children are being hit hardest.
Representation matters. As women and mothers to the next generation of Winthrop, we believe that Alicia DelVento is the role model and representative our children and families deserve.
Sincerely,
Ashley Blackburn
Bethany Biller
Stefanie Finocchio-Durham
Carissa Juengst
Suzanne LaPorte
Victoria McKay
Christina Wilson Zhe
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