United Parents Against Lead (UPAL) is a national networking organization of and for parents of lead poisoned children working to end the continuing threat of lead poisoning and other environmental hazards through:

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• EDUCATION;

• AWARENESS;

• ADVOCACY;

• INTERVENTION; and

• RESOURCE REFERRAL

 

UPAL, FOUNDED BY PARENTS OF LEAD POISONED CHILDREN, is committed first and foremost to ensuring the basic rights of all children to live in a safe and healthy environment. United by our experiences and commitment to children, we know firsthand the effects of lead poisoning and irreparable damage and suffering caused by this preventable disease. Parents have a responsibility to bring children's voices and experiences into the national dialogue and remind participants that children's health and safety is ultimately everyone's responsibility.

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UPAL IS DEDICATED TO ASSISTING FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES AFFECTED BY ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS AND PROVIDES SUPPORT AND GUIDANCE in organizing chapters in states and local communities. UPAL promotes proactive steps to prevent children's exposure to lead instead of parents "learning after the fact." UPAL provides parents with resources and information that will empower them to make informed health decisions.

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UPAL Aligns with Arm in Arm 

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WE DEMAND THE RIGHTS OF PROTESTORS BE PROTECTED
We demand that no harm come to protestors. Violations of property should never be equated with the violation of human life. We demand that local and state officials ensure that there are no abuse of powers and no use of lethal force on protestors.

WE DEMAND A DIVESTMENT FROM THE POLICE AND INVESTMENT IN BLACK COMMUNITIES: WE DEMAND LOCAL SCHOOLS, COLLEGES, UNIVERSITIES, AND ALL PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS CUT TIES WITH THE POLICE
We call on localities and elected officials across the country to divest resources away from policing in local budgets and reallocate those resources to the healthcare, housing and education our people deserve. More officers, guns, jails and prisons are not a solution to longstanding problems of racial disparities, injustice and police violence.  We demand police free schools across the country and an end to the use of police officers in public universities. All public Institutions designed to serve the people, must cut ties with the police in the interest of public safety.

WE DEMAND IMMEDIATE RELIEF FOR OUR COMMUNITIES
We demand the federal government provide direct cash payments, rent cancellation, mortgage cancellation, a moratorium on utility and water shutoffs and a cancellation of student, medical and other forms of debt. We demand long-term economic solutions like a Universal Basic Income, in order to address the immediate crisis and pave the way for a just recovery that doesn’t prioritize corporations and leave our communities behind. Support the families and the lives of those we have lost and those struggling to survive now.

WE DEMAND COMMUNITY CONTROL
The most impacted in our communities need to control the laws, institutions, and policies that are meant to serve us — from our schools to our local budgets, economies, and police department.

WE DEMAND AN END TO THE WAR AGAINST BLACK PEOPLE
We demand an end to the criminalization, incarceration, and killing of our people. We call for not just individual accountability of officers after a murder, but entire police departments. Make it clear that we are done being killed at the hands of anti Blackness and white supremacy. Target your elected officials and those that lead institutions like schools, hospitals, and universities to cut ties with the police.