| “In a real sense all life is interrelated. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” – Martin Luther King, Jr. The Charlestown Coalition is carefully monitoring and assessing the developments and consequences of COVID-19 and its impact on the Charlestown Community, our partners, and loved ones. Making sense of and adjusting to the rapidly changing conditions has been difficult for those of us with secure jobs, stable housing, and a financial cushion for difficult times. It’s important for us all to recognize that this is an entirely different situation for our residents who live in deep poverty, have limited or no health insurance, and depend on school lunches for daily meals. They may experience devastating consequences from mandated changes to education, childcare, employment, and access to health care and support services that current times result in. While the staff at the Coalition are taking the proper precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, our work will continue during this time. We will be working hard remotely, connecting with the community and our residents safely, and hosting meetings virtually to share updates and resources with one another. This whole ordeal is an important reminder of how interconnected we all are. There will be long term consequences from this situation, especially on the social and economic issues that we work so hard to collectively address. We need to ensure that this epidemic does not exacerbate the devastating inequities that already exist in our community, state and county. We are in this together, Charlestown!! -Sarah Coughlin |
