Justice Agenda-Feb2025
The Justice Agenda
The aggressive rollback of civil rights protections during the initial 30 days of President Donald Trump’s second term is unprecedented in its scope and speed.
We stand at a critical juncture in our nation’s history—one where the progress of civil rights is under near unprecedented attack. As federal policies roll back decades of hard-fought gains in equity, justice, and human dignity, Vermont must rise as a beacon of protection and progress. We’re asking the legislature to make the Justice Agenda a top legislative priority and to act with boldness and urgency to safeguard the fundamental rights of all Vermonters.
The Justice Agenda outlines essential steps toward equity and justice, including:
An $800K+ increase in general fund appropriations for the Human Rights Commission to strengthen the infrastructure needed to investigate and address discrimination (H.38).
Passage of the Equal Protection Constitutional Amendment, enshrining a permanent safeguard against discrimination in Vermont’s constitution (PR.4).
Community health and wellness programming and services that prioritize BIPOC and underserved communities, ensuring equitable access to care and healing (H.184).
Statewide constitutional and accountable policing, reinforcing transparency, fairness, and trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve (H.361).
System-wide justice system data collection, providing the necessary insights to identify and rectify systemic inequities (H.382).
Creation of the Office of Health Equity and the empowerment of the Health Equity Advisory Commission, addressing the persistent health disparities that disproportionately impact marginalized communities (S.2).
Expansion of the powers and independence of the Office of Racial Equity, allowing it to act decisively and without political interference (H.357)
Creation of a Reparations Task Force, taking the first step toward addressing historical and ongoing racial injustice (TBD)
Passage of an Economic Justice Act, advancing policies to close the racial wealth gap and ensure equitable economic opportunities for all Vermonters (TBD)
Legal analysts and activists are stating that in the United States, not since the Jim Crow has an administration’s racist regressive policies reversed civil rights at this pace and with this level of severity. Federal rollbacks on civil rights, including the dismantling of DEI initiatives, attacks on LGBTQ+ protections, and the erosion of voting rights, threaten the very foundation of democracy and social justice. In the face of these regressive measures, Vermont must not be complicit through inaction. Our state has a proud legacy of leading the nation in civil rights—and we must continue to lead by example. Silence and hesitation are not neutral acts. They embolden those who seek to strip away the rights of the most vulnerable among us. Failure to act decisively would abandon the communities who rely on us to uphold truth and justice.
Without immediate legislative action:
BIPOC and underserved communities will face greater barriers to health care, housing, and economic opportunity.
Law enforcement accountability will falter, eroding public trust and safety.
Racial disparities will deepen without the data and infrastructure to address them.
Vermont risks becoming complicit in a national movement to dismantle civil rights protections.
Vermont has the opportunity to be a sanctuary for justice, equity, and human rights. History will judge us not only by the challenges we faced, but by the actions we took to meet them. Now is the time for bold leadership. The legislature took the position that racism was a public health emergency in the 2021 Joint Legislative Resolution R-113. Today, the building is on fire! Now is not the time for the legislature to slow walk the work or cower. Everything is on the line. We must act now. Now is the time to lean in and double down as we once again see the impact of backlash on Black and underserved communities.
If there was ever a time for the legislature to be true to those commitments, this is their moment. It’s up to us to make sure that the legislature knows that we are watching them and counting them to rise to this historical moment. Join us as we stand to do our part in this fight for justice and the soul of this nation.
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