What IS an America That Works for Everyone, Anyway?

At Galvanize USA, our mission is to build an America that works for all of us. This vision for an equitable future where we all thrive is the cornerstone of our work, it’s what motivates us in all that we do, and it’s often what our incredible digital community rallies around.

But what IS an America that works for everyone, anyway? It’s a big question, and certainly not one that all Americans will fully agree on. But there are some bare minimum characteristics of a better America that our community feels clear on. According to research we commissioned in 2019 (a GBAO study and a focus group by Lake Research Partners) and a lot of listening to women around the country, we learned that many women believe a better America would include:

• A robust social safety net.
  Hard-working Americans should be able to care for their family; they deserve fair wages and affordable childcare. Economic hardships can hit any family, and our community wants to make sure that people are taken care of when they need it most. As the pandemic drags on and inflation and gas prices become bigger concerns for American families, our community tells us the economy is often on their minds these days.
  
• Affordable healthcare.
  Everyone should have access to affordable healthcare and the prescriptions they need. American women agree that medical bills shouldn’t bankrupt families or cost anyone their home! Our community certainly doesn’t have all the answers about the best way to implement or fund healthcare, but we do agree that nobody should have to choose between picking up their prescriptions and buying food. 
  
  

• Reproductive freedom.
  Regardless of whether women in our community would choose abortion for themselves, most want their friends and loved ones to have reproductive freedom. They feel family planning decisions should stay between women and their loved ones and oppose government interference in personal medical choices.
  
• Action on climate change.
  Climate change is something that affects all of us, but it’s not something that any of us can fix on our own. Our community wants to see climate action so that their children and grandchildren can have clean air and water.
  
  
  
• Common-sense gun laws. Our research shows that most women voters—including the women in our community who are gun owners— support some form of reasonable, common-sense measures to keep children and families safe from gun violence.
  

We recently asked our wonderful digital community to reflect on what they’d consider a better future for everyone in our country—here’s what they said!

As you can see, caring for people is at the heart of our community’s vision for the future. We all do better when we ALL do better! We couldn’t agree more.