if you see wires down, treat them all as if they're hot and energized. stay away from any downed wire, call 911, and call pg&e right after so we can both respond out and keep the public safe. good evening and welcome to "politicsnation." tonight's lead, just say no to the latest jim crow. tonight we learn more about the chilling news out of georgia where republican lawmakers got a big win this week.

governor brian kemp signing a remarkably craven and cruel voter suppression bill into law less than five months after the president's historic win in the state and less than two months after democrats took both of its senate seats. for those of you watching tonight that aren't in the peach state, please don't look at georgia as some kind of outlier, because if you live in any of the four dozen other states that have crafted suppression bills since president biden took office, you may be watching your own backyard turn into the next battleground over this issue. with some already calling voting rights the next lightning rod in next year's midterm elections, it's certainly becoming a dividing line in the congress as progressives and certainly black democrats call for an end to the

filibuster, looming threat to fragile voting rights bills while senate republicans are opposed to expanding both voter protections and reforming a system they claimed was broken beyond repair. until they were asked to fix it. we'll start there in a moment. later on in the show, we'll go to the first city in the country that will pay reparations to eligible black residents and later try to answer the question, why is the pandemic causing so many job losses for black and hispanic women? but we start with immediate times that call for immediate actions. joining me now, senator jon ossoff, democrat of georgia. senator, thank you for being with me this evening. first, as i mentioned earlier, georgia's governor brian kemp signed the most restrictive

piece of voting legislation since jim crow into law this week in georgia, a bill with the express intention of making it harder for black folks to vote. and kemp did it surrounded by all white men under a painting of a plantation where ancestors of today's black georgians were enslaved. in case the optics of white supremacy weren't strong enough, when a black lawmaker, park cannon, knocked on the door in an attempt to witness the bill-signing, she was arrested, marched out of the capitol like a criminal because she wanted to witness her constituents disenfranchisement being made in the law. give us your take on the situation in georgia right now. >> thank you for having me. the symbolism was inescapable as governor kemp signed behind closed doors with no press in

tennessee underneath a painting of a notorious slave plantation, images reminiscent of the height of the sit-in movement as my friend state representative park cannon, a young black woman a legislator in the state capitol was arrested, taken out of the building for daring to knock on the governor's door to request that she the witness signing of this bill, and she's been charged with felonies for daring to demand that she have the opportunity as a legislator to witness the signing of this bill. let's be very clear about what this voter suppression law does. it is a surgical attack on black voters in georgia. it imposes a partisan takeover of local election boards by republican state officials. it slashes the opportunity to vote by mail. it guts early voting in runoffs. of course the two runoffs on january 5th in which senator warnock and i secured historic victories, delivered democrats the senate majority.

reverend al, this bill makes it a crime to offer water or snacks to voters who are waiting in line. and we know in georgia that black voters have been made to wait five, eight, ten hours to vote. i've talked to 80-year-old women in wheelchairs with respirators to wait in line to exercise their sacred franchise. now it would be a crime to offer water to such a voter. that is brazen attack on black voters, an outrage abuse of power. if you feel the fury that you should and you're asking yourselves out there what can i do to help, we are mounting an all-out effort to fight this bill to protect voting rights and to begin organizing record turnout next year. if you text "georgia" to 51015, the next steps will be laid out for you how you can get involved. >> now, senator, congressman

hank johnson of your georgia delegation has suggested amending the filibuster so it would not apply to voting rights legislation. given what we saw this week in your state and what republican state lawmakers are trying to do nationally, not only in georgia, can you explain why the filibuster is particularly threatening to voting and civil rights legislation? because as we saw in the '60s, because you worked for john lewis that received the support of the civil rights affect '64 and '65 voting rights act, dealing with the filibuster then, why is this important that we stop the filibuster and have national federal law to protect us against these states rights laws that is really being used to impede our right to vote? >> here is the vital point from my perspective.

reverend, the sacred right to vote the vastly more important than senate procedure. senate rules come and go, they change over time. voting rights are the very bedrock of our democracy. as my friend and brother and colleague, senator warnock, remarked on the senate floor in his maiden address, voting rights are preservative of all other rights. that is why congress must pass voting rights, must restore the voting rights act, must restore the preclearance provision of the voting rights act, and must end these blatant voter suppression practices, which are exploited for blatantly partisan ends, which are racially targeted. here's what happened. let's be very honest about what happened. georgia's history, which you know so well, the heart of the old confederacy, the cradle of

the civil rights movement, elected to win the senate majority for the democratic party a black preacher who holds martin luther king's pulpit and a young jewish son of an immigrant mentored by john lewis. that is apparently too much to bear for some in georgia's gop. >> i might add -- >> rather than offer the policy, they shut down the access to the ballot. >> this is the first time a black and a jew was elected to the senate in georgia. so i can't help after seeing this plantation painting over governor kemp's head that -- i did not say that intentionally, but i'm saying kemp, that clearly there are elements of racism and anti-semitism hidden in this. and i really think that people ought to understand when people

vote, they break down barriers that had not been able to be broken down before when they are allowed to vote in big numbers. let me ask you. the asian pacific community came out for joe biden in key places in atlanta, contributing in a noteworthy way to his win in your state. they also came out for you in your successful senate run. that community has been rocked by a year-long surge in hate crimes, arguably the worst of which being the mass shooting in atlanta last week that took the lives of eight people, among them, six asian women. as a minority, as a jewish lawmaker, what does or what should solidarity with the asian pacific community look like right now? >> well, when i went with senator warnock last saturday to address the rally in solidarity with the victims' families, in

solemn memory of the victims, and in solidarity with the asian-american community, i reflected upon what would be in my heart and how the jewish community would have reacted. had it be three jewish delis, or three american small businesses attacked in this way. we've seen a shocking increase in attacks and harassment targeting asian-americans, and whatever was in this shooter's heart and mind and the authorities are going to great lengths to to understand what drove him to commit the atrocities, this is when we must open our arms and embrace our asian-american brothers and sisters and express that though there is hatred and racism in our society, fundamentally we as americans must be defined by our love for each other and our solidarity and our belief that only together can we move forward as a people.

>> senator ossoff, thanks for your time this evening, and happy passover to you and your family. >> thank you, rev. now to the urgent issue of covid-19 vaccine distribution. joining me is marilyn strickland, democrat of the state of washington. congresswoman, you sent an urgent letter to the cdc calling for a more equitable distribution of the vaccine, especially to address just how disproportionately the vaccine rollout has been for communities of color. in the letter you write, quote, black americans comprise 13.4% of the united states population, but have only received 6% to 5% of vaccine doses. you also point out that there must be more of an effort to prioritize older adults who live in multigenerational households.

what can the cdc do to fix this? >> thank you. it's nice to be here, reverend sharpton. what the cdc can do is issue guidelines because governors follow guidelines and those rules trickle down into health departments and how vaccines get dr. biden. we talk about multigenerational households, often up to a third of minorities, whether it's african-american, latino, or asian-americans live in multigenerational households. we're also likely to live in care giving situations, whether that's helping with children or whether it's helping elders. and so just become more susceptible means we need to have the centers for disease control prioritize our communities so that we can help contain this and become vaccinated more easily. >> now, the day after the tragic shooting in atlanta, you spoke on the house floor to condemn the attack. i understand that you are the first african-american to represent washington state in

the house. you are also one of the first korean americans to be elected to congress. so the tragic in atlanta felt personal to you. what should be done right now to stop these violent hate crimes and protect asian and black lives? >> so this was very personal to me because, as you mentioned, i am black and korean. and i think about the black lives matter movement and how you had asian-americans come out and say asian-americans for black lives, korean-americans for black lives. as we look at the tragic murders that took place on that tuesday before i spoke on the floor, it was obvious to me that this was racially motivated and it also had miss sole judgeny involved. we need to call them, in this case it was sexual addiction they said, and we need people to be held accountable.

what we want more than anything is for these crimes to stop. we want these hate crimes to stop, but we want people to be held accountable when they are committed and we want people to feel comfortable coming forward and reporting them. >> after those two recent shootings, there's been a growing concern as we inch towards a world post-pandemic, the mass shootings will begin to occur more frequently. as a member of congress, what gun control legislation needs to be pushed today to stop any more mass shootings from taking place? >> so the house did pass the universal background checks. we also closed the charleston loophole which allows people to bypass the three-day waiting period and get guns from other people. so those are two things we can do. here's what's important. the house has committed, and we have passed these rules, but we need the senate to act, reverend. and i do believe that if you asked them individually off the record, there are at least ten

members of the senate who long to the republican party who believe in universal background checks, who believe in closing loopholes. to be honest with you, i bet they believe in getting rid of automatic weapons, which are weapons of war meant to kill large numbers of people quickly. at this point, you know, it's up to the senate and we just need people to do a gut check, look into their hearts and minds and ask if these mass shootings in america are something they're going to be okay with because in many cases, they choose not to vote for common sense gun reform, blood is on their hands. >> and the citizens ought to let their senators know how they feel about this issue, both the voting issue and this you need a gun control. thank you, congresswoman marilyn strickland. now for the ongoing fight for voting rights. joining me is my panel, don callaway, democratic strategist and ceo of pine street strategies, and susan del percio, republican strategist and msnbc political analyst.

georgia's senator warnock was on rachel maddow's show last night ringing the alarm about the return of jim crow-style voting restrictions to georgia. but his warning didn't stop at his state's border. listen to this. >> if you think that this is something happening down in georgia, you are misapprehending the moment we're living in. this is a defining moment for the american democracy. if this is happening in the state capitol in georgia, it will not take very long for it to visit a state capitol near you. >> well, it won't take long at all because now here's a map that shows the states considering voter restrictions across the country. don, what should people be doing in georgia and these other states to protect their

democracy? susan, what can those of us in the other states be doing to help? let me start with you, don. >> that's a very good question. first of all, i'm a big boxing fan. i've never seen a fighter win a fight by not throwing punches. democrats have to have an affirmative expansion agenda. they need to file bills, having hearings, putting them up for a vote to expand ballot box access like expanding early voting, eliminating excuse-based absentee voting, we know these things will not come to fruition particularly where republicans have the majority or moderate democrats control. it's important to file the bills, and make the public engaged. it's time to hold corporate donors accountable. these are people who file these bills and pass the voter suppression bills under the light of day. we know who the sponsors are in both the house and the senate. we know who voted for them. so it's time to hold their major corporate and individual as well

donors accountable and saying -- not as representative strickland said about guns, the blood is on your hands. the shackling of the vote is on your hands, delta, coca-cola, they are sponsors of legislators who file these heinous acts. democrats have to move to the offensive, not just vote no, but offer an affirmative expansion agenda. >> susan, what can the rest of us do to help? >> be part of different coalitions in the states you're involved in and start calling out your state legislators. this is critical. they should be shamed into doing the right thing if they won't do it just because it is the right thing. and the idea of what's happening in georgia -- now, i will say all acts of voter suppression were horrible, but use the one about not providing water or food to people on line, because

it shows how absurd it is. it will also do a lot to appeal to those swing voters that we hear about that went for joe biden in 2020 but may have gone for donald trump in 2016. these are at the margins dmrks they really matter. most of all, make sure the local state legislators are called out and say do you think it's right that people do not -- that you are stopping people from voting? and i think that is a very powerful tool. >> now, let me go back to something that was mentioned because voting rights groups in georgia has been pledging and pleading to continue their efforts to get large corporations in the state to take a stand. but we haven't heard any words of condemnation from u.p.s., coca-cola, delta, or any of the others, not affirmatively as strongly. should people boycott these

companies until they take a stand? >> i don't think you start with a boycott, but i think you start with an affirmative and aggressive public stand. let those companies know we don't have to continue to support you, particularly those of you who make consumer package goods. i can choose blue soda over a red soda, hypothetically. the last thing i will do is say just like i donated to candidates, you donated to raphael warnock, no matter where you live in this country, you donated to jon ossoff and that's why they're sitting in the senate. we got to dig in our pockets and give donations to the southern poverty law center, the lawyers committee for civil rights, the naacp legal defense fund, because i believe the next venue for these battles is in the federal courthouses of america. unfortunately a lot of them

stacked with trump judges, but these bills cannot stand muster because they're openly offensive to the black vote, so you have to donate to the lawyers who are going to do the work in the next round. >> we also need to put pressure on your senators at every state around this senate bill 1, which was h.r. 1. your senator has a vote on this senator warnock talked about the for the people's act in the senate and the future of the filibuster. listen to this. >> they see what's happening right here in georgia. they see -- they see legislators deciding that it's a crime to give people water? who are standing in lines and they're making longer? folks are asking what we're going to do about the filibuster. i think they ought to ask my colleagues on the other side of the aisle what are they going to do about voting rights?

the most fundamental question is, where do you stand on voting rights? we wouldn't have to have this debate on filibuster, at least on this issue, if the folks on the other side would do the right thing and stand for voting rights. >> what do you think about that, susan? why isn't this more pressure on republicans to uphold their oath to the constitution? >> first, i would like to say, rev, it is so nice to listen to senator warnock speak in such a nonpolitical, straightforward, tell it as it is way, because that's what he did. it's an important thing that we hear that because it's true -- this may not be popular for some of your audience, but if you want to see h.r. 1 go through, first step, we got to strip it down to really a voting rights bill and take out the campaign finance side of it and a few other things that are not related directly to voting

rights. you know, again, at this time with a 50/50 split, you have to do that. when it comes to the filibuster, i am one who supported it for the last 30 years. i think it was an important tool to build consensus. but let me tell you, right now we're not getting anything done in this country. i actually think we need to get rid of it to move forward and hold republicans and democrats accountable for their votes. >> well, i think you know i'm a "a" minister, i like to see conversions and you have converted right on television tonight to end the filibuster. don callaway and susan del percio, thank you both. coming up, republicans go on a boat tour of the southern border and try to blame biden for a recent surge in would-be immigrants. their racist arguments are taking on water. i'll explain next. but first, richard lui with

today's top news stories. richard? >> rev, a very good saturday to you. stories we're working on this hour for you, there are now more than 30 million coronavirus cases in the united states and over 551,000 fatalities. president biden this week announced his new coal to have 200 million shots in arms by his 100th day in office. miami beach, florida, officials imposing an 8:00 p.m. curfew for restaurants and bars to deal with spring break partiers. public health officials are concerned about the unmasked crowds that could lead to covid-19 outbreaks. in egypt a dredging crew started digging up tons of sand to try to free up a massive container ship that's been blocking the suez canal, the ship named "evergreen." the suez canal sees 10% of the

world's shipping traffic. more "politicsnation" with reverend al sharpton right after the break. you're clearly someone who takes care of yourself. so why wait to screen for colon cancer? because when caught in early stages, it's more treatable. i'm cologuard. i'm noninvasive and detect altered dna in your stool to find 92% of colon cancers even in early stages. tell me more. it's for people 45 plus at average risk for colon cancer, not high risk. false positive and negative results may occur. ask your prescriber or an online prescriber if cologuard is right for you. i'm on it. sounds like a plan. i'm jayson tatum. check out my subway sub with delicious turkey and crispy bacon. i'm draymond green. with my subway sub with tender steak and melty cheese. my sub will help you put points on the board, unlike some other subs.

why would you say that, jayson? hey man, i'm just talkin' about subs here. oh c'mon. my sub is gonna throw down on your... my sub has more rings than your sub. my sub has bacon. choose better, be better. and now buy one sub, get one fifty percent off in the app. subway eat fresh. but not jayson's sub. (deborah vo) i was hesitant to get the hearing aids because of my short hair, but nobody even sees them. subway eat fresh. (vo) discover the exclusive, new miracle-earmini- a nearly invisible hearing aid from the brand leader in hearing aids with over 70 years of experience. (deborah) when i finally had miracle-ear and i could hear for the first time, i started crying. i could hear everything. new miracle-earmini. so small and comfortable that no one will see them, but you'll notice the difference. call today to start your 30-day risk-free trial at your local miracle-ear. guy fieri! ya know, if you wanna make that sandwich the real deal, ya gotta focus on the bread layers. king's hawaiian sliced bread makes everything better! ♪ (angelic choir) ♪ and here's mine!

for this week's gotcha, i want to talk about the ridiculous assertion spread by republicans recently that president biden is somehow responsible for the recent surge of immigrants at the southern border. biden addressed that absurd claim himself on thursday. zoo look, i guess i should be

flattered people are coming because i'm the nice guy. truth of the matter is, nothing has changed. does anybody suggest that there was a 31% increase under trump because he was a nice guy? and he was doing good things at the border? that's not the reason they're coming. the reason they're coming is that it's the time they can travel with the least likelihood of dying on the way because of the heat in the desert, number one. number two, they're coming because of the circumstances in country, in country. >> the recent surge is real, but let's be clear. it's part of a normal cycle. border crossings tend to spike in the early spring because it's the safest time of the year to traverse a desert. plus, as you can see on this chart, the current numbers are still smaller than the peak

under the trump administration and absolutely dwarfed by those during the george w. bush administration. if we learned anything throughout the history of the united states, it is that people come to america for as many reasons as there are immigrants. but as the president shared in a personal story about his family's immigrant past, all of them come to this country for a chance at a better life, often because the one they are living is unsustainable and unsafe. >> my great-grandfather got on a ship on the irish sea, expectation was was he going to live long enough on that ship to get to the united states of america, but they left because of what the brits were doing. they were in real trouble. they didn't want to leave, but they had no choice. >> while a lot changed since the president's great-grandfather fled if a mean for a better

life, so much remains the same. immigrants from latin america are also fleeing the hunger, violence, and upheaval, some of it caused by american foreign policy in their home countries, even the starkest humanitarian emergencies has precedent in previous immigration peaks. unaccompanied teens passed through ellis island by the thousands. like today's immigrants, some were alone because their parents died on the dangerous journey. and others because their families could afford this chance for only a single traveler. and while today's unaccompanied children certainly represent a crisis, that crisis is humanitarian, not criminal. the house of representatives passed two bills to get started tackling this problem, and the

biden administration has announced executive actions to care for these children in the meantime. but republicans don't want solutions, they want to scapegoat. the gop is so mad at the popularity of the president's early agenda that they would rather squawk and scream that biden is worsening the crisis than roll up their sleeves and do something to help. any common sense reform that could solve this humanitarian disaster would rob them of their cheap, racist fearmongering and cut down on their opportunities to for dramatized photo ops at the border, but americans know better and we can do better. the children and families who come to our borders and our shores seeking the american dream deserve a fair shake at it, just like joe biden's ancestors. and who knows? perhaps in a generation or two, we'll have another american president who will share the story of the time their ancestor came to america in 2021 over the

racist objections of bad faith actors to build a better life, because no matter how much republicans whine and cry and lie about immigration, real americans know that immigrants make this country great. i gotcha. (engines roaring) whoo-hoo! cal, you came in hot! shake 'n' bake? shake and bake! ( ♪♪ ) our lawyers just want you to know that this isn't real.

that's my boy. just remember my motto: if you ain't first... all: you're last! purchase and get $10 per horsepower with dodge power dollars. that's $7,970 on the dodge challenger srt hellcat redeye. when you buy this plant at walmart, they can buy more plants from metrolina greenhouses so abe and art can grow more plants. so they can hire vilma... and wendy... and me. so, more people can go to work. so, more days can start with kisses. when you buy this plant at walmart. ♪♪

w♪ and a little bit oft chicken fried ♪ ♪ cold beer on a friday night ♪ ♪ a pair of jeans that fit just right ♪ ♪ and the radio up ♪ get 5 boneless wings for $1 with any handcrafted burger. only at applebee's. losing a tooth didn't stop you but your partial can act like a bacteria magnet, putting natural teeth at risk. new polident propartial helps purify your partial and strengthens and protects natural teeth. so, are you gonna lose another tooth? not on my watch!

welcome back to "politicsnation." the conversation around reparations for black americans is as politically viable as it's ever been. in the last few months, both presidents biden and obama have expressed at least some support for the concept, if not the execution. but one chicago suburb has the concept into practice. this week, evanston, illinois, became the first city in the nation to offer reparations to its black residents, citing

decades of discriminatory housing practices and policing. the program hasn't been without its detractors and says it doesn't go far enough. but as several american cities and institutions ponder their own reparative measures, advocates and experts say it is a needed start. joining me now, robin rule simmons, alderman of evanston, illinois. alderwoman simmons, i'm glad to have you with us tonight because you introduced the measure of the evanston city council. i don't have to tell you that when most americans hear reparations, they think of slavery. but while slavery's effects are certainly part of it, what you're doing in evanston is designed to correct for more modern forms of discrimination, basically the effects of jim

crow in the north. do i have that right? >> that's absolutely right, reverend sharpton. >> now, explain. what does your measure cover and what time period and what are you repairing or seeking the address? >> thank you, thank you for having me here today. and you're right, most think of a slavery reparation, an hr 40, but every level of government, institutions, and organizations are responsible and accomplices to the anti-blackness that discriminates against our community. we took a local approach to reparations and it's found from 1919 to 1969. it's a very specific time of injury with housing policies, specific housing zoning ordinances were passed, the 15th ward where i was born and raised, where i serve my city. and that area was also

intentionally disinvested and disenfranchised, stripped away of important community amenities like a school, like a hospital, like an opportunity for merchant districts. and that, of course, has impacted us today. like most american cities, we have a racial divide. in our case, it includes a $46,000 household income difference between black and white evanston, 13 years difference in life expectancy, achievement gap, education gap, we're not unique in that sense. and we've taken our first tangible steps, something we can measure, definitely in its initial introduction alone, it's not full repair but it's our first step towards reparations as we support hr 40 as a city. >> i know the main funding is donations but also tax revenues from the sale of recreational cannabis, which is legal in your

state. can you tell our audience why that second funding source is so significant and symbolic, given the black population in your city. i agree with you, by the way. >> absolutely. so it's actually our primary funding source. it's $10 million of recreational cannabis sales tax. it's funding our reparation program. that is important because we have 71% of our marijuana arrests when we received the report, were in the black community. and we are only 16% of the population. and that is a drastic decline from being in the 20s before. there's a clear case of over-policing. we know what those records have done to our families, how it has limited our opportunity for jobs and housing and student loan opportunity and how unhealthy families impact neighborhoods and ultimately our community. so we are using that sales tax the most appropriate use for marijuana sales tax in our

opinion is for reparations for the black community. we are grateful that we have a city that has bought in. our allies and partners in evanston, including the faith community, businesses, private foundations and residents have begun to contribute to the fund as well and it's growing. >> now, last month former president barack obama said reparations for black americans is, quote, justified. but a month before those comments, congresswoman sheila jackson lee reintroduced her bill, hr 40, which you mentioned just now, a bill from the late congressman john conyers, to establish a federal commission to study reparations. president biden has been reported as in favor of the idea. no word on whether he would sign the bill if it's passed. still, the idea of reparations is having as much of a political moment as it's ever had.

with several cities and states and private groups at least considering the idea, your thoughts? >> well, he's right. it is time. i can't speak to why it wasn't time before. it was time when rep conyers introduced it 32 years ago, how far time that's been. the time is now. there's no other legislative tool to advance repair for the black community. no version of equity. the time is now. we see that localities are beginning to pass their own local reparations, and we know that there are more cosponsors for hr 40 than ever in history. there's a senate companion bill s 40 that senator booker introduced. congresswoman sheila jackson lee. i believe this nation, enough of us have the will and heart to advance repair and justice for the black community that we might enjoy liberty and justice

as everyone else in america. >> well, it may be a step on a long road, but it's a road i believe we need to take. thank you, robin rue simmons, for being with us. the pandemic economy has been punishing for black and brown women. we'll talk about it next. during photosynthesis, plants convert solar energy into chemical energy, cleaning the oxygen we breathe. plants clean the air. when applied to stained textiles, plant-based surfactants like the ones in seventh generation detergent trap stains at the molecular level and flush them away. plant-based detergents clean your clothes. it's just science! just... science. seventh generation. powered by plants. tackles stains.

is mealtime a struggle? introducing ore-ida potato pay. where ore-ida golden crinkles are your crispy currency to pay for bites of this... ...with this. when kids won't eat dinner, potato pay them to. ore-ida. win at mealtime.

is mealtime a struggle? introducing ore-ida potato pay. where ore-ida golden crinkles are your crispy currency to pay for bites of this... ...with this. when kids won't eat dinner, potato pay them to. ore-ida. win at mealtime. still your best friend. and now your co-pilot. still a father. but now a friend. still an electric car. just more electrifying.

still a night out. but everything fits in. still hard work. just a little easier. still a legend. just more legendary. chevrolet. making life's journey, just better. this week saw a record-breaking number of covid vaccinations in the united states. but even as the public health crisis appears to have an end in sight, the economic fallout from this pandemic could reverberate for generations. and just as black and brown folks were the hardest hit by the coronavirus, they have been the hardest hit by the accompanying job losses, particularly black and brown women. indeed, across every racial category, it is women who have borne the brunt of the economic

fallout. joining me now is dr. c. nicole mason, president of the institute for women's policy research who coined the term "she-session" to describe an economic down there that disproportionately impacts women. the pandemic resulted in the biggest job losses across the board, but it appears the lasting harm is concentrated on black and brown women specifically. dr. mason, what are the particular economic circumstances that led us to this point? >> so glad to be here and talk about the impact of the pandemic and the economic downturn and women of color in particular. since the start of the pandemic, women have lost four times as many jobs compared to men. black women, latino women, because they are overrepresented

in the hardest hit sectors, have continued to lose jobs and struggle with regaining employment in this moment. and so what the pandemic did was to bring many of the issues that black and latino women were facing before the pandemic. so there was already an enormous amount of job insecurity, economic vulnerability, high levels of, you know, lower-wage jobs, no benefits. and when the pandemic hit, all those things became even more dire for those groups of women. >> now, let me put it in this context, this being women's history month. according to the national williams law center, women representative 90% of the 400,000 retail job losses over the last year. numbers are nearly as bad in the hospitality industry. what can we do about it? >> well, what we have to know for sure is that many of the

businesses that are closed over the last several -- the last year, especially in the retail industry, were struggling before the pandemic, and the pandemic just put the nail in the coffin. and the retail, the loss in shedding of jobs in retail was disproportionate affecting women but wasn't an issue until the pandemic. when we think about infrastructure and we think about creating a job plan that the biden administration is mulling over right now, it will be really important to center those who have been hit hardest, women of color, and focusing on those hardest hit sectors. that will be really critical in helping women to successfully recover from the pandemic. >> according to cnbc, women's labor force participation has fallen to its lowest rate since 1988. in part because they are

overwhelmingly expected to take on the majority of child and elder care and every day household management. is this something that government or corporate policies can help mitigator is the necessary change a cultural one within american households? >> absolutely. so at the beginning of the pandemic, we were celebrating the fact that women were 50% of the work force and the pandemic wiped out all those gains. we're back at 1980 levels. so it is important that we work to build a national care infrastructure so women can reenter the work force and sustain employment. there is a role for the federal government to play, passing policies like paid sick leave, the patient fairness transparency act. the private sector also has a role to play in this moment. work place policies that are more flexible. again in the absence of federal

policies, women will be applying directly to businesses for employment. so having companies and are understanding the impact of the pandemic on women and again, the childcare responsibilities, schools are still closed or not open fully. so that is still having a disproportionate impact on working women and their families. >> do you think there's growing sensitivity and awareness to this particular problem? in terms of black and brown women? >> well, we, i mean, many of us advocates have been sounding the alarm about the disproportionate impact of covid-19 and the recession on black and brown women. the american rescue plan really recognized the need and the disproportionate impact. the childcare expenses, the housing, and the housing stance, food stamps. that really went a long way to help families that were struggling. but i want to be very clear that the infrastructure bill that

will roll out needs to prioritize those hardest hit and most impacted. and the sectors that have been hardest hit. there's also a real need for education and training because there will not be a one for one recovery for the jobs lost so it will be really important that women, especially those that have been disproportionately impacted have opportunities to receive education and training and reskilling. >> all right, thank you for being here. up next, my final thoughts. stay with us. it's velveeta versus the other guys. clearly, nothing melts like velveeta. ♪♪♪ struggling to manage my type 2 diabetes was knocking me out of my zone, clearly, nothing melts like velveeta. but lowering my a1c with once-weekly ozempic® helped me get back in it. ♪ oh, oh, oh, ozempic® ♪ my zone? lowering my a1c and losing some weight.

now, back to the show. ozempic® is proven to lower a1c. most people who took ozempic® reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. and you may lose weight. adults lost on average up to 12 pounds. ozempic® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. don't share needles or pens, or reuse needles. don't take ozempic® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. stop ozempic® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. tell your provider about vision problems or changes. taking ozempic® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase low blood sugar risk. side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. once-weekly ozempic® helped me get in my type 2 diabetes zone. ask your health care provider how it can help you get in yours. ♪ oh, oh, oh, ozempic® ♪♪ you may pay as little as $25 for a 3-month prescription.

as doctors, we make evidence-based recommendations to our patients. in a recent clinical study, patients using salonpas patch reported a 49% reduction in pain severity. with 9 out of 10 using less or a lot less oral pain medicines. patients reported improved sleep, mood and the ability to work. effective relief. less oral pain medicines. and an improved quality of life. that's why we recommend salonpas. it's good medicine.

on this monday, the trial of derek chauvin, the police officer in minneapolis that was responsible for the death of george floyd will go on trial. he is charged with murder 3, murder 2, and manslaughter. i will be joining the family

tomorrow in minneapolis where there will be prayer vigil and rally for the family at a local church. i was asked by the family last year to give the eulogy and i did right there in minneapolis where george was killed and in houston, where the family is from. i'll join the family as i have other families down through the years from shawn bell to aaron garner to michael brown in ferguson, all whose eulogies i did. because it's not enough to be there in the moment. you have to stay with these families. yes, we must keep marching. yes, we must keep agitating toward some just resolution of policing. but let's not forget, this is their brother, their father, their grandfather, their cousin. and they will have to relive over the next weeks, watching him die on video.

and they are not activists. they have become so now. they did not choose to be victims. they are thrust into this and we are to stand with them. for those of us that were so outraged this summer, we must continue that outrage toward solutions. that is why we continue to fight for the senate to pass the george floyd justice and policing act just as the house of representatives already has. which is why we hope a jury will look at the evidence and move us forward toward holding people accountable that take the lives of unarmed men. i will be live dealing with this with the family tomorrow. at 5:00 p.m. eastern, i'll be live in minneapolis with a special edition of politics nation, covering the derek chauvin trial. i'll be joined by family members of george floyd as well as his

attorney, benjamin crump, the attorney general for black america. we'll break down the fight for justice right there in minneapolis live on this show tomorrow. don't miss it right here on msnbc. my colleague picks up our news coverage now. >> hay there, reverend sharpton. hello there. we begin with an urgent threat to democracy. republicans across the country now using donald trump's big lie to playing it even harder to vote. you need look no further than georgia, the state's gop has now embraced the lies of widespread voter fraud to pass a new law targeting the state's growing democratic coalition. just this afternoon georgia voters proved they are not backing down without a fight. voices for democracy gathered outside atlanta's city hall for a voting rights rally. and then a new pop ed in the