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>>> WELCOME BACK TO "GREAT DAY WASHINGTON."
WASHINGTON." ACTION AID USA SUPPORTS
COMMUNITIES ON THE FRONTLINES
OF POVERTY AND INJUSTICE, AND
THEY PROVIDE DISASTER RELIEF TO
MORE THAN 50 COUNTRIES.
THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF
ACTION AID USA SPOKE WITH ELLEN
ABOUT HOW THE PAST YEAR'S
CRISES HAVE CHANGED CHARITABLE
GIVING AND WHAT PEOPLE CAN DO
IF THEY STILL WANT TO HELP
BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING
US FOR "GREAT DAY WASHINGTON."
ESPECIALLY ON A YEAR WHEN WE
KNOW SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN
HIT HARD, FOOD BANKS, OTHER
CHARITABLE GIVING PLACES.
HOW HAVE YOU SEEN THAT KIND OF
RECIPROCATE FORGIVING THIS
YEAR?
YEAR?
YEAR? >>
YEAR? >> THANK YOU, ELLEN.
IT IS GREAT TO BE HERE WITH YOU
TODAY.
TODAY.
TODAY. IT
TODAY. IT HAS BEEN A TOUGH YEAR, IN A
WAY THAT MAKES YOU RETHINK
EVERYTHING YOU THOUGHT WAS
IMPORTANT BEFORE.
IMPORTANT BEFORE. AND IT IS NOT HARD TO LOOK
AROUND AND FEEL DESPAIR.
BUT WHAT WE HAVE SEEN IN OUR
WORK IS THIS INCREDIBLE
OUTPOURING OF MUTUAL AID, WHERE
COMMUNITIES HAVE REALLY STEPPED
UP TO SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER.
AND SOME OF IT HAS BEEN THROUGH
DIRECT GIVING, DONATIONS, ET
CETERA, TO SUPPORT DONATIONS
THAT ARE DOING REALLY IMPORTANT
RELIEF WORK.
RELIEF WORK. PEOPLE HAVE ALSO FOUND REALLY
CREATIVE WAYS TO SUPPORT THEIR
COMMUNITIES.
COMMUNITIES. THEY HAVE BEEN SEWING
FACEMASKS, THEY'VE BEEN
SUPPORTING PETITIONS TO PUT
MORATORIUMS ON EVICTIONS, AND
ALL THESE OTHER THINGS TO HELP
THE COMMUNITIES AND EASE THE
BURDEN OF WHAT PEOPLE ARE
FACING RIGHT NOW.
I THINK WAS ALSO REMARKABLE,
BECAUSE A LOT OF OUR RELIEF
WORK IS HAPPENING ABROAD, IS
THAT WE HAVE SEEN PEOPLE IN THE
UNITED STATES, DESPITE BEING
HARD-HIT RIGHT NOW, STILL SHOW
UP FOR COMMUNITIES IN OTHER
PARTS OF THE WORLD.
>> THAT WAS NOT THE ANSWER I
THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO GIVE
AT ALL, BUT HOW WONDERFUL.
WHAT A POSITIVE THING TO HAVE
COME OUT OF 2020.
YOU MENTIONED SOME OF THE CASES
THAT WE HAVE SEEN, AND HOW THIS
PANDEMIC HAS HIT THE
COMMUNITIES HARDER.
COMMUNITIES HARDER. WE HAVE HAD THE SOCIAL JUSTICE
MOVEMENT.
MOVEMENT.
MOVEMENT. DO YOU THINK AMERICANS ARE
LOOKING AT WHO ACTUALLY NEEDS
HELP, WHO IS IN THAT CATEGORY
OF NEED DIFFERENTLY NOW?
>> I THINK IT IS CHANGING THE
WAY PEOPLE ARE LOOKING AT THIS.
IN PART BECAUSE THE SOLIDARITY,
IT IS A DIFFERENT KIND OF
SOLIDARITY.
SOLIDARITY. WHAT THE PANDEMIC AND THE
RACIAL JUSTICE UPRISING HAS
EXPOSED IS THE LEVEL OF
INEQUALITY AND SYSTEMIC RACISM
HERE AT HOME.
RIGHT?
RIGHT?
RIGHT? AND IT HAS REALLY BROUGHT TO
LIGHT THIS IDEA OF A NEW SOCIAL
CONTRACT.
CONTRACT.
CONTRACT. WHAT IS THE GOVERNMENT TRULY
SUPPOSED TO DELIVER FOR PEOPLE?
THAT IS A DIFFERENT KIND OF
SOLIDARITY THAN WHEN WE
THOUGHT, WELL, THINGS LOOK
GREAT IN THE U.S., IT IS OTHER
COUNTRIES THAT HAVE ISSUES WITH
DEMOCRACY AND GOVERNMENTS
SUPPORTING THEIR PEOPLE.
ONE OF THE WAYS THAT WE HAVE
BEEN WALKING ALONGSIDE OUR
SUPPORTERS IN THIS EFFORT IS TO
TALK MORE ABOUT OUR SOCIAL
CONTRACT, IS TO RETHINK WHAT
THE RELATIONSHIP IS BETWEEN THE
GOVERNMENT AND ITS PEOPLE,
BECAUSE IT'S FAILING THE PEOPLE
WHO NEED THE GOVERNMENT THE
MOST RIGHT NOW.
AND THAT HAS BEEN A REALLY
INTERESTING JOURNEY FOR US AS
WELL, TO PARTICIPATE MORE IN
OUR DEMOCRACY AND PROTEST AND
PETITION AND HAVE THIS NEW
CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT A
SOCIAL CONTRACT SHOULD LOOK
LIKE.
LIKE.
LIKE. >>
LIKE. >> YOU MENTIONED A FEW OF THE
NATURAL DISASTERS THAT YOU ALSO
HELP WITH.
HELP WITH. WE HAVE HAD SO MANY HURRICANES
THIS YEAR.
THIS YEAR. WITHOUT THE WILDFIRES, HOW DO
YOU KEEP RESPONDING TO
EVERYTHING THAT'S HAPPENING
WITHOUT HAVING SOME SORT OF
FATIGUE?
FATIGUE?
FATIGUE? >> FOR US AT ACTION AID, ONE OF
THE THINGS THAT IS PART OF OUR
THEORY OF CHANGE IS THAT WE
WORK ALONGSIDE OUR COMMUNITIES
FOR THE LONG HAUL.
WE ARE NOT JUST THERE WHEN
DISASTER STRIKES.
DISASTER STRIKES. WE ARE THERE BEFORE THE
DISASTER STRIKES.
DISASTER STRIKES. WE ARE WORKING ALONGSIDE
COMMUNITIES, TO ADVOCATE FOR
THE THINGS THAT WILL INCREASE
THEIR RESILIENCE TO SHOCK, AND
WE ARE ALSO THERE AFTER A
DISASTER HAS STRUCK, SO THAT
THEY CAN BUILD FORWARD IN
DIFFERENT WAYS SO THEY ARE
STRONGER IN THE FUTURE.
IT IS THE ACTION PART OF ACTION
AID, IF YOU WANT TO THINK ABOUT
IT THAT WAY.
AND THAT IS THE PIECE THAT I
FIND INSPIRING, THAT WE CAN
ENVISION A BETTER WORLD, A
DIFFERENT WORLD, A WORLD WHERE
WE ARE TACKLING INEQUALITY AND
DOING SOMETHING ABOUT CLIMATE
CHANGE AND ACTING FAST.
A WORLD WHERE WE HAVE SYSTEMS
THAT ARE DISTRIBUTING FOOD IN A
WAY THAT NO ONE GETS HUNGRY,
AND THAT'S POSSIBLE.
DRIVING THAT CHANGE IS WHAT
GIVES ME HOPE AND THE ABILITY
TO COMBAT DISASTER.
>> YOU MENTIONED PEOPLE WHO
WANT TO TAKE ACTION.
REALLY QUICKLY, WHERE DO THEY
GO FOR PEOPLE WHO WANT TO GIVE?
>> VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT
ACTIONAIDUSA.ORG.
ACTIONAIDUSA.ORG. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF WAYS YOU
CAN HELP.
CAN HELP.
CAN HELP. WE ALWAYS SAY EVERY DOLLAR
MATTERS.
MATTERS.
MATTERS. THIS YEAR HAS SHOWN THAT NO
AMOUNT IS TOO SMALL, AND WHERE
YOU CAN, THE CURRENT MONTHLY
DONATIONS WILL BE HERE AND
ACCOUNTABLE TO THE GRASSROOTS
COMMITTEES THAT WE SERVE.
IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT TO KEEP IN
MIND THAT BECAUSE OF THE CARES
ACT THAT WAS PASSED EARLIER
THIS YEAR, THERE ARE MORE WAYS
FOR PEOPLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF
TAX BREAKS IF THEY WANT TO
ENGAGE IN PHILANTHROPIC GIVING.
>> THAT ALL ADDS UP.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING
YOUR MISSION WITH US.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.
IT IS GREAT TO BE HERE.