The coronavirus pandemic is upending life as we know it, including how we work, spend money, maintain our relationships, think about the future, and so much more. At last night's #KeepMarching meeting, we considered the implications of COVID-19 for paid family leave, taxes, and the economy.

We are very grateful to Amy Matsui, Director of Income Security at the National Women’s Law Center, Indi Dutta-Gupta, Co-Executive Director of the Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality, and Ruth Martin, MomsRising’s SVP on Workplace Justice, for bringing their expertise to the meeting. And thank you, Elyssa Schmier, MomsRising's budget guru, for helping to moderate and interview.

I. In case you missed the meeting, or would like to review any part of the program, no problem, we recorded it! Click here to watch the recording.

II. Participant Comments

We had people joining from the far corners of the country -- from Gallup, New Mexico, to Detroit, Michigan, and from Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania to Houston, Texas. The conversation was informative, yes a little wonky, and highly engaged. Here are just a very few of the many valuable comments that participants shared in the simultaneous chatroom:

It was horrible for me in 2006 when I had my last child. I had 2 month medical leave after I had my daughter. After that I had to return to work or be broke. She was only 2 1/2 months and I was still breast feeding her. I had to stop because it was hard to work and do that. I do hope it gets better for women to have children and have a secure job!

Honestly I'd never given tax policy much thought about its impact on race and gender equity - thank you for sharing Amy!

Amy Matsui great talk. You spoke the truth about oppression with the minority community. Keep bringing the truth! That is the only way we can make a change. One step at a time.

III. We have two important online events coming up to help you navigate and learn about the impact of COVID-19 on our families and communities. 

1. RSVP NOW for "COVID-19 Support Programs: All You Need to Know and How to Apply!" Tuesday, April 21, 8 pm ET/ 5pm PT

In the past month, the U.S. Congress has passed major pieces of legislation to help address the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Included in these policies are massive expansions and updates to unemployment insurance, paid sick days and paid family leave, and nutrition assistance (including SNAP, WIC, and free school meals). A lot of people have questions about who can apply for these programs, how to gain access, and where to go for more information. We've got you covered!

Join MomsRising, along with experts from CLASP, National Employment Law Project (NELP), Food Research and Action Council (FRAC), and National Immigration Law Council, for an online webinar to learn the nuts and bolts about what you need to know to apply for assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sign up now: https://action.momsrising.org/survey/COVID19Webinar_RSVP/

2. RSVP NOW for our next #KeepMarching online meeting on the implications of COVID-19 on mass incarceration, Tuesday, April 28, 8 pm ET/ 5pm PT

We are in a crisis on multiple fronts right now, and one such crisis at a breaking point with COVID-19 is our mass incarceration rate — the highest in the world — and crowded detention facilities in which we have totally inadequate health protections. There are 2.3 million people behind bars. On any given day, 600,000 people are held pretrial in jails mostly because they don’t have enough money to be home with their families. Moreover, 38,000 people are currently being held in ICE detention centers. You won't want to miss this conversation, so sign up now: https://action.momsrising.org/survey/km_webmeeting_massincarceration/

Stay well and stay healthy! We looking forward to see you next time.