ADVOCACY + POLICY
OUR APPROACH
Minority Veterans of America advocacy efforts are driven by certainty that effectively supporting our nation’s minority veterans begins with recognition that at the heart of the problem lies with social and structural inequalities. We advocate for social and structural change to equitably serve all veterans.
Creating a More Equitable
Department of
Veterans Affairs
Addressing economic disparities begins with fully funding GI Bill Education to include break pay and childcare, access to capital for home ownership and entrepreneurship, and facing the veteran homelessness crisis head on.
Creating A More
Equitable VA
With a substantial lack of equitable services, we seek answers to problems and advocate decisive responses to build a more inclusive VA with comprehensive data collection and mandated, minority-focused training for Veterans Service, Organizations, VA staff, and contracted organizations.
Resolving Systemic Injustices
Resolving systemic injustices includes ending MST and supporting survivors, repatriating deported veterans, codification of the Military Trans Ban Repeal, reducing justice system involvement and recidivism, and reparations for institutional racism and homophobia.
Healthcare Access Disparities
Healthcare access disparities exist for veterans based on their sex, gender, and race. We aim to rectify such disparities by working to guarantee access to IVF and surrogacy programs, abortion and contraception, and gender confirmation surgery through VA for veterans.
GIVE TO SUPPORT OUR EFFORTS
We believe that through creating an intersectional movement of minority veterans — including racial and ethnic minorities, women, LGBTQ, and religious minorities — we can create an inclusive community and a collective voice capable of impacting critical change for the minority veteran community.
Support our efforts to develop civic engagement projects and collaborate to turn out the vote and ensure our voices are heard in 2022 and beyond.
Minority Veterans of America was founded in 2017, in Seattle, WA, by Navy veteran, Lindsay Church, and Air Force veteran, Katherine Pratt.
Church and Pratt first began their work in 2014 as student veterans at the University of Washington. Their work focused on creating a space where minority veterans could belong and bring their full selves to the veteran community. Though the two do not share the same identities, they both understood what it meant to be marginalized and feel outside in the veteran community.
They began organizing with the understanding that, as minority veterans, when one of us is harmed, we are all harmed and that we are the ones we’ve been waiting for.
POLICY PRIORITIES
Minority Veterans of America’s policy priorities are based on the real lives of real veterans to ensure that all veterans receive the care, recognition, and support that they earned. Every piece of policy has the potential to impact at least one of the veterans we serve and becomes our responsibility to support the legislation that will make the most difference for our communities.
Date: March 30, 2022
Title: Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation Legislative Hearing
Committee: House Veterans Affairs Committee
Date: February 8, 2022
Title: Honoring Our Promise: Reviewing the Effectiveness of Services for Dependents and Survivors
Committee: House Veterans Affairs Committee
Date: October 7, 2021
Title: Legislative Hearing on the VA Electronic Health Record Transparency Act of 2021, IT Reform and Data Collection Bills
Committee: House Veterans Affairs Committee
Date: October 20, 2021
Title: Legislative Hearing of the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs
Committee: House Veterans Affairs Committee
Date: September 22, 2021
Title: Creating a Welcoming VA and Building Equity for Veterans through Legislation
Committee: House Veterans Affairs Committee
Date: July 14, 2021
Title: Legislative Hearing of the Subcommittee on Health
Committee: House Veterans Affairs Committee
Date: July 27, 2021
Title: Aging in Place: Examining Veterans' Access to Home and Community Based Services:
Committee: House Veterans Affairs Committee
About
Minority Veterans of America (MVA) is a nonpartisan, 501(c)3 nonprofit organization designed to create belonging and advance equity for underrepresented veterans.
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