Mainers are working harder than ever just to keep from falling behind, because policies have favored the wealthy and corporations rather than creating opportunities for all. Families are struggling, the middle class is shrinking, and many rightly feel that the deck is stacked against us.

The pandemic has shown so clearly how inequality hurts us all. Now more than ever, we see that poor wages, unsafe workplaces, a degraded environment and more are a matter of life and death for millions of Americans. While people across the country protest systemic racism in our policing and justice systems, Black people continue to be brutalized and even killed by police. The victims of these inequitable systems continue to be held in facilities that put them at great risk from the coronavirus.

In the wake of COVID-19, the new normal should be more equitable.