There’s a saying from Mahatma Gandhi — “The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members.” In the United States, Black women are dying in childbirth at alarming rates. Health care is still not seen as a basic human right, and capitalists refuse to see low-income parents, caregivers and child care providers as human beings with essential needs.
Organizations like A Better Balance, Black Mamas Matter Alliance, 9to5 and Family Values at Work are organizing to create policies for paid family and medical leave on the state and federal levels. So far, 11 states and the District of Columbia have comprehensive paid family and medical leave policies in place. These programs provide pay to workers taking time off to recover from their own serious health condition, care for a seriously ill loved one or bond with a new child.