Thank you for sharing my family selfie to raise awareness about our urgent needs to STOP MASK BANS! I write for MaskTogetherAmerica, a campaign that promotes COVID prevention. Our organization has been around since 2020. I initiated this grassroots efforts to support public heath after losing friends to this dangerous virus. It breaks my heart to see the U.S. government now letting COVID rip — abandoning the underserved people with low income today. In addition, some areas even passed laws to criminalize masking and discrimination against people who wear masks is rising. Mask Bans are unfair, discriminatory, and a big violation of human rights. No one should have to defend their mask-wearing. Asking people to take off their masks or making them explain why they are wearing one is an invasion of privacy.

—In solidarity, Julie Lam