The following is a statement from Matt Hildreth, Executive Director of RuralOrganzing.org:
[...]Like the rest of the country, rural America is hurting. The pandemic has had an outsize impact on rural towns and counties.
Damn! What a week. We’ve made more progress in Rural America during President Joe Biden’s first week in office than any other seven day period in recent memory. With the appointment of national rural development experts in key positions within the administration, President Biden is assembling the team to build back better in rural America, and with swift executive action, he is beginning to correct the course climate change, the failing rural economy, immigration, and of course, the pandemic. [...]
Today marks a new beginning for the nation. At RuralOrganizing.org, we look forward to working with the new administration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to improve the lives of all Americans, particularly those in rural areas who were left behind by Donald Trump. We strongly believe that the best way President Biden can ensure small town America benefits from federal programs for years to come is by opening a national office of Rural Prosperity like Governor Kelly did in Kansas and Governor Evers did in Wisconsin. [...]
Yesterday, Andy Kroll at Rolling Stone published an article focused on the work of rural progressive activists in the 2020 election. The piece highlighted the grassroots work of many of our colleagues, including Brigid Flaherty from DownHomeNC, the important role of the Rural Democracy Initiative contribution and input from the Executive Director of RuralOrganizing.org, Matt Hildreth. The answer to the question posed in the title of Kroll’s piece is yes, if Democrats do the work. [...]
Columbus, OH—Over the past few months, as South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has downplayed the threat of coronavirus to the residents of the state, the Department of Health has refused to share critical data, including available hospital beds. Matt Hildreth, Executive Director of RuralOrganizing.Org, repeatedly sought that information through public records requests but was stonewalled for over three months. He reached out to Keloland-TV in Sioux Falls, which brought results. [...]