In honor of the inauguration, Marie Claire's editorial series "Moving Forward" asks influential and politically active women to examine what the incoming administration should and can do to reconcile an increasingly divided country.

If there was ever a year to stay home, it would be 2020. Rampant voter suppression, the threat of vigilante violence at polling places, the spread of disinformation, a raging pandemic, and countless other reasons why we should have forfeited the election. [But we did not. [We participated in the elections in record numbers, and so did our friends, family, and neighbors; the 2020 elections were a heroic and unprecedented effort in democracy. And we, the people, organized to make it happen. Calling, canvassing, emailing, organizing events, hosting fundraisers. We gave as much energy and money as we could to defend democracy and ensure that our voices were heard.

And to our relief, we succeeded. While our mixed emotions and ongoing anxiety today are understandable in light of all that has happened, we must never lose sight of how important such a victory was in the face of unimaginably difficult circumstances.

Our power in a democracy lies both in deciding who will sit in elected positions of power and in deciding what we will do with that power. And now we are on the other side of elections. Our fears are justified: Trump may not be in office, but Trumpism, the ideas and narratives that drove the Trump administration, are alive and well, as we witnessed in the last two weeks of his presidency. his ideas on issues like COVID-19, racism, and climate change dominate the media consumed by half the nation. The New Year was supposed to be the start of a new chapter, but the violent riots on Capitol Hill on January 6 and the surge of COVID-19 across the country made the start of 2021 feel a little like 2020.

There are certainly challenges ahead. But if there is one thing we proved last year, it is that we are up for the challenge. The proof is in the past. What brought about the election results: organizing. Organizing is the process of working with other everyday people to achieve a common goal. For example, they call their legislators, attend town halls, set up meetings with their senators, participate in marches, and get their neighborhood groups and churches involved. Take regular action on issues you care about, and each time you do, you build up more people, power, and impact.

We must continue to support the organizing led by black women in Georgia who helped send a new senator to Washington who puts the well-being of her constituents first. This victory and the progress it makes possible cannot be overstated. Now is the time to build on our victory and make real change happen, especially for those in the most difficult situations, like care workers.

In 2021, our new administration and incoming Congress will be tasked with both providing relief to those affected by the COVID-19 crisis and charting a course for recovery from the tremendous loss of life and livelihood we endured this year. Through a combination of good organizing and courageous leadership, we will have the opportunity not only to recover, but to recover equitably.

For example, many of us struggle to care for our families while working remotely; in August and September alone, more than 800,000 women left the formal labor force (opens in new tab). In December, employers cut 140,000 jobs, with women accounting for all the losses (open in new tab). According to one study, black and Latina women lost jobs, while white women gained.

Many of our caregivers are black and brown women, including many immigrant women, working on the front lines as essential workers without adequate wages, health care, or safety protections. President-elect Joe Biden campaigned on a plan to invest in the caregiving economy as a key priority of his economic recovery agenda, making (opens in new tab) child care, elderly home care, paid leave, and disability more available to more people. He promises to do this while ensuring that caregivers have the support, protection, and wages they deserve.

For this caregiving plan to become a reality, Congress needs to act, and the new administration needs to make it one of its many priorities in the recovery. To do this, our legislators need to be heard, as does the new administration. They must listen to us, embrace our urgency, and understand what we need. This requires our continued involvement.

This is work and there are no shortcuts. But if (or when) we succeed, this plan will help all working families stay on track. It also addresses our longstanding failure to value and protect caregivers. We can do more than recover. We can rebuild our economy to work more equitably for women, for our families, and for those whose economies have failed the longest. imagine recovering from the multiple crises of 2020 stronger than ever. It is worth it. And together, we've got this.

Ai Jen Poo is the director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance and visionary behind the pop culture collaboration Becoming America.