COVID-19 has affected my family because both of my parents work low-income jobs. My mom is an essential worker, but my dad was laid off. I’ve had to go back on food stamps. I’ve always had to fight to make others understand why fighting for economic justice matters. Yale should eliminate the SIC because there’s no reason it should exist. It’s hard to argue that the SIC doesn’t disproportionately affect poorer students. To multimillionaire families, that money is nothing. To my family, that money is groceries. Improving access to mental health resources is common sense. Low-income students of color at Yale feel doubly under pressure–to not have adequate mental health resources for them does them a disservice.
Kelly Long, She/Her, 2023
