Ladson Johnson’s full testimony can be found HERE once the hearing begins.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Denise Ladson Johnson, a South Carolina mother of three featured in Independent Women’s Forum’s Pandemic Learning Stories series, will testify in front of the Committee on Economic Fairness in Growth at 11 am ET tomorrow, Dec. 8, on the learning loss her children suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The hearing, entitled “Growing our Economy by Investing in Families: How Supporting Family Caregiving Expands Economic Opportunity and Benefits All Americans,” will examine the link between federal investments in affordable family care and economic growth. The hearing will also focus on the impact of family care access and affordability in relation to America’s economic stability and labor force.
Ladson Johnson, the only minority witness, will be testifying alongside majority witnesses: Dr. Michelle Holder, President and CEO, Washington Center for Equitable Growth; Ms. Ai-jen Poo, Co-Director of Caring Across Generations, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, MacArthur Fellow; Ms. Melissa Boteach, Vice President for Income Security and Child Care/Early Learning, National Women’s Law Center; and Mr. Elliot Haspel, Early-Childhood Policy Expert, and Program Officer, Education Policy and Research, Robins Foundation.
In her testimony, Ladson Johnson, writes, “Kids are our future. We have failed them by neglecting to educate them during school closures and isolating them from their friends. And now we have a whole generation that is not equipped with the education they deserve and the tools they need to thrive. What does their future look like?”
“…I was grateful to the women of Independent Women’s Forum for sharing my story on a national level as part of their Pandemic Learning storytelling effort earlier this year. I know I’m not alone, nor are my children or the children that come through my center. There are thousands — maybe millions — of parents and children with a similar story to mine.”
Ladson Johnson’s full testimony can be found HERE once the hearing begins.
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