Queens, NY – “As a nation, each March we celebrate Women’s History Month by acknowledging the economic, political, and social contributions that women have made to our society,” said Assemblyman David Weprin. “Businesswomen, like Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors, who shifted the company’s production line to help make ventilators for hospitals during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Political leaders, like Stacey Abrams, who led a grassroots movement registering more people to vote in Georgia and across the nation. Cultural gatekeepers, like curator Katherine Brinson, whose work at the Guggenheim can positively impact the careers of new artists for decades to come. These phenomenal women have lifted up those around them as they climbed the ladder to success. Yet there is more to be done.

This Women’s History Month is a time to reckon with the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic has forced millions of women out of the workplace. Women in the hospitality, food service, and retail industries were suddenly laid off. Meanwhile, those in other industries were forced to choose between their full-time jobs and caring for their children. We as a society must do better by offering women different options. Options like universal childcare in addition to universal healthcare. The future of our economy depends on it.”