Resolution could have far-reaching impact

I have been a resident of New Haven and the immediate vicinity for 37 years, an employee of the New Haven Free Public Library for 23 years, and a board member of Literacy Volunteers of Greater New Haven for six years, and where I now have the honor of serving as president of the board.

During my time here I have witnessed the maturing of the global economy, the birth and triumph of the digital age, and an explosion of wealth for some in the United States that is unparalleled in world history.

What I have not seen is an improvement in the standard of living for the majority of men and women whose communities I have served for so many years. I still see New Haven neighborhoods mired in the same poverty as when I came here so many years ago, and as they had already been before I arrived. Where family heads move from job to job, apartment to apartment, struggling to provide the basics for their children. What I have not seen is support for a school system that struggles to graduate youth properly prepared to make safe and constructive lives for themselves in our city.

A vast number of the adults I work with are trying desperately to put together safe, fulfilling lives after the pernicious effects of chronic poverty and now the coronavirus pandemic has cast them into the wilderness of our society. What I see is a city and state whose infrastructure crumbles along wealth lines, stealing yet more time and resources from people struggling to make ends meet.

Our United States military, which is rightly feared and respected the world over, has shown how effective the government can be when providing for the common defense. Think of what our government could do for her citizens were she to promote the general welfare of her citizens to the same degree.

For these reasons I gave testimony at the New Haven Board of Alders meeting on June 2 to ask them to add this nonbinding referendum to the November ballot: “Shall Congress prepare for health and climate crises by transferring funds from the military budget to cities for human needs, jobs and an environmentally sustainable economy?”

Twenty-three other New Haven organizations also gave testimony to support the referendum. The Health and Human Services Committee of Alders unanimously voted in favor of the measure and passed it on to the entire Aldermanic Board, which also gave it unanimous approval.

The referendum appears, in English and in Spanish, at the right side of New Haven ballots. This is your chance to let your voice be heard and to let the nation know that New Haven is a model for justice and peace in these troubled days.

New Haven is not the only city that is taking action on this issue. New York, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are prepping similar referendum questions for their voters. If you do not live in New Haven, you may want to meet with your local officials, wherever you are, to take action to make our nation more accountable.

“Shall Congress prepare for health and climate crises by transferring funds from the military budget to cities for human needs, jobs and an environmentally sustainable economy?”