Youth Rally to Demand Rep. Malinowski Sign Good Jobs for All Pledge

The activists marched to his office today as part of a national day of action

Somerville, NJ- A group of young people marched to Rep. Tom Malinowski’s office this afternoon to demand he sign the Good Jobs for All pledge and commit to investing in good jobs and a livable future. The pledge, introduced by Sunrise Movement, states that signers will commit to “doing everything in my power to pass legislation that guarantees good jobs for all” and invest $10 trillion in working towards a sustainable future. The youth who marched were a part of the local Hunterdon County chapter of the Sunrise Movement, who have been calling on Rep. Malinowski for years to take drastic action around the climate crisis and other inequities.

“Our country is dealing with more large-scale crises right now than we’ve seen in a very long time,” says Rey Watson, a 16-year-old student from Hunterdon Central Regional High School and the co-coordinator of Sunrise Hunterdon County. “We’re in the middle of not just a pandemic, but an inequality crisis, racial justice crisis, and climate crisis as well. There is no time to wait anymore. We need bold solutions now to address the issues that plague our society.”

The march occurred as part of a national day of action with the Sunrise Movement, where local groups across the country took to the streets to demand their representatives and senators sign onto the pledge. Everyone who attended knew one thing: that they needed good jobs for their communities, which Sunrise Movement states would also help to build a more sustainable economy.

“I was unable to find a full time job, so I took a low-paying hourly job in the interim,” says Mimi, a resident of Hunterdon County. “After applying to more than 100 jobs I only got two interviews, which finally led to temp work. It took me a full year to get back on my feet, and I had almost every privilege. I can’t imagine the struggles of folks without a college degree or a nest egg of savings.”

Already, eight members of Congress have signed onto the pledge, including six representatives and two senators, after the public release of the pledge only a few weeks ago. The signers include Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who represents Michigan’s 13th congressional district, and Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont.

Sunrise Movement will continue to raise awareness and call on members of Congress to sign onto the Good Jobs for All pledge.

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Sunrise is a movement to stop climate change and create millions of good jobs in the process.
We are building an army of young people to make climate change an urgent priority across America, end the corrupting influence of fossil fuel executives on our politics, and elect leaders who stand up for the health and wellbeing of all people.

Learn more about us: www.sunrisemovement.org