Members of our chapters write letters to the editor for their local newspapers every month. It’s one of the many ways we raise our voices about the change we want to see in our communities. Will you write a letter to the editor this month about an issue that’s important to you?
You can learn more about writing letters and find your local newspaper’s submissions page here.
Two recently published letters show the kind of thoughtful, policy-oriented letters members tend to write.
From Martha Woody in Martinsville (published in the Martinsville Bulletin on June 17):
Recently I wrote a letter to Rep. Morgan Griffith regarding my support for ensuring reproductive rights for women. In his reply, he described himself as a “strong supporter of the right to life.” However, I believe his definition of being pro-life is much more limited than mine. In addition to concerns about the life and health of a woman with an unplanned/unwanted/possibly dangerous pregnancy, I would include the following as integral to being a strong supporter of human life:
Universal health care, including access to birth control
Quality, affordable child care
Economic equity for women and minorities
Environmental justice, including addressing climate change
Quality educational opportunities for all children regardless of zip code
Common-sense gun safety legislation
Opposition to the death penalty
Support for the poor, especially children and the elderly
Recognition that we are all interdependent in our society and encouraging efforts to maximize peaceful cooperation in our world
There are other issues which could be added to this list of what I consider to be pro-life positions, but I hope I have made the point that being anti-abortion is not the same as being a strong supporter of the right to life. When the vulnerable in our society are discounted and ignored, we cannot claim the high ground of being pro-life. I would add that we ignore the inequality and injustice in our society at our own peril. In fact, the future of our democracy may depend on it.
Janekia Williams of Suffolk published this letter about rural internet access on July 6 in the Suffolk News-Herald:
On July 16, 2021,U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., and Gov. Ralph Northam announced that Virginia planned to invest $700 million in American Rescue Plan funding to expedite the deployment of last-mile broadband infrastructure to unserved areas and close the digital divide within the next three years. This proposal would accelerate the governor’s 10-year goal for achieving universal internet access from 2028 to 2024.
Living without internet/WiFi in a world that’s built around technology is a difficult task. Living in a rural area, having daughters and working in the school system makes it difficult to complete any work at home. Although we have a phone and can use the hotspot, that’s not consistent. Using the phone means that I will lose service and have to spend time reconnecting several times over. Even enjoying any fun activities or movies is hard.
When COVID-19 hit and school was online, my daughter struggled to keep up with schoolwork and assignments because we had no internet. Now that school is back in-person, she is able to keep up with her assignments. Although school is in-person, she still has some homework and having no internet access makes it difficult to complete.
Working in the school system, having internet access is necessary in order to successfully plan for students to be successful. In some cases, I have had to stay late in order to prepare because I had no internet at home. Now that my daughter is heavily involved in sports, it makes it difficult to stay late. Having internet access at home would help out a lot because I can complete my work at home.
Having read and now knowing some issues that I and some other people may face without internet access, I’m hoping that Suffolk City Council will consider using the funds that are available for internet access. Allocate these funds properly, give us internet access in rural and other areas and stop letting people, let alone children, struggle like this.
