Jun 27, 2022
BOSTON – Fair Share for Massachusetts, the campaign working to pass the Fair Share Amendment, the proposed state tax on incomes above $1 million which would raise billions of dollars to invest in transportation and public education, today announced the endorsement of 63 community organizing groups from across the state.
BOSTON – Fair Share for Massachusetts, the campaign working to pass the Fair Share Amendment, the proposed state tax on incomes above $1 million which would raise billions of dollars to invest in transportation and public education, today announced the endorsement of 63 community organizing groups from across the state.
“As a parent, I want my daughter to have great public schools and a well-rounded education. As a Quincy resident, I see how crumbling roads and the underfunded MBTA are creating unnecessary challenges for my neighbors. And as a community advocate, I've talked to so many people throughout Massachusetts who are struggling to get by, while the super rich get even richer,” said Lily Huang, Co-Director of Mass. Jobs with Justice. “The Fair Share Amendment will help improve our schools, colleges, roads, bridges, and transit, and only the very rich will pay more. Massachusetts communities desperately need a steady investment in this vital infrastructure so that families can live and work – not just surviving day by day, but flourishing as we invest in ourselves.”
The 63 community organizing groups include statewide organizations focused on economic opportunity, immigrant rights, and racial justice; regional community groups covering Franklin County, the Merrimack Valley, the Mystic Valley, the South Shore, the Upper Cape, and Western Mass; and local community groups from cities and towns including Acton, Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Cambridge, Concord, Dedham, Everett, Fall River, Framingham, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, Malden, Needham, Northampton, Norwood, Watertown, Westford, Westwood, and Woburn.
“The Massachusetts economy is working great for those at the top, but in the South Coast, working people are really struggling. Our region constantly gets the short end of the stick, while the rich just keep getting richer,” said Dax Crocker, a Program Coordinator for the Coalition for Social Justice. “With the Fair Share Amendment, 99% of us won't pay more, and we'll all benefit from fewer potholes on our roads, more resources for our public schools, better bus service in our communities, and lower tuitions at our public colleges. That's a win-win for the South Coast, and a win-win for Massachusetts.”
“When we table for the Fair Share Amendment in Dedham, Westwood, and Norwood, we're delighted by the nearly unanimous support for the proposed tax on multi-millionaires to fund transportation and public education," said Leslie Greffenius, a member of the Steering Committee for Neponset Valley Progressives. "People in our neighborhoods are excited that the Fair Share Amendment's passage will raise the funds we need to equalize educational opportunities and repair and electrify our public transportation infrastructure.”
“Passing the Fair Share Amendment would make a meaningful step toward racial equity in our community by directly supporting the families who need it the most,” said Natalia Restrepo, Civic Engagement Coordinator for La Colaborativa and a mother of 2 from Chelsea. “This amendment will not only have a direct impact on the wellbeing of our community today, but will pay dividends for years to come by giving our families the tools and support they need to make meaningful progress in their lives. From the roads that bring our families to work to the schools that nurture our children, the Fair Share Amendment offers an immediate opportunity to build the capacity of the Chelsea community to continue to grow and thrive.”
“I am delighted the SJC saw through the plaintiffs' flimsy argument and removed the last roadblock to putting this important measure on the ballot. It's been a long time coming!,” said Jeanne Kempthorne, chair of the Berkshires Fair Share Committee and member of the leadership of Progressive Democrats of Massachusetts. “Cities and towns from Williamstown to Lee in the Berkshires have endorsed the Fair Share Amendment because voters know how much we need this funding to improve public education, repair roads and bridges, and make sustained investments in public transit. And they know that in a commonwealth, those that have more should contribute more.”
“Mass-Care: the Massachusetts Campaign for Single Payer Health Care supports the Fair Share for Massachusetts campaign’s historic thrust to make multimillionaires pay taxes at a higher rate for education and transportation,” said Jon Weissman, Co-Chair of Mass-Care. “The people are the source of those multimillions and the people should share in them.”
“Progressive WROX/ROZ is a proud supporter of the Fair Share Amendment,” said Nina Lev of Progressive WROX/ROZ. “We have been talking to our neighbors at the farmers' market and other community events and finding widespread support for this plan to use taxes from those who have done extremely well in the current economy to fund education and transportation. Both are in need of funding and contribute greatly to the quality of life for all Massachusetts residents.”
The community organizing groups join more than 215 organizations and thousands of activists across the state who are working together to win the Fair Share Amendment on the ballot. After years of grassroots advocacy, the state Legislature voted in June 2021 to place the Fair Share Amendment on the November 2022 statewide ballot, where it is now set to be decided on by the voters.
The full list of endorsing community organizing groups is below, and a full list of all the organizations that have endorsed the Fair Share Amendment is available at fairsharema.com/endorsements.