Dozens of mailboxes were removed across the United States last week. The uproar that followed led the United States Postal Service (USPS) to agree to stop doing so for the time being but the sight of needed fixtures being lugged away during two pandemics and less than 80 days away from the U.S. presidential election was just the cherry on top for many frustrated citizens who rely on the USPS.
The L Word: Generation Q actress Jillian Mercado expressed her frustration across social media over the weekend. “… People do not understand the gravity of delaying or defunding the Postal Service,” she wrote on Instagram. “In most cases, the only way people can get what they need for surgery, medication, chemo, or anything they need to survive!!!”
Plus, she’s well-aware of the dialogue regarding mail-in voting right now and is not about it. “We have been voting through the mail for years upon years. Not having this option available is denying ACCESSIBILITY to an essential service,” the 33-year-old continued. “Whether you’re Republican or a Democrat or even an independent, this hurts you as well.”
The Dominican-American model has spastic muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair. Mercado has always been one to use her platform to advocate for representation and equality. In 2018, she told Teen Vogue “it’s going to take time and patience, but I’m a fighter, I’m a warrior, and I will continue [advocating] until we are all represented.”
Just before using her platform to shed light on the essential nature of the USPS, the model announced she was signed to Creative Artists Agency (CAA).
The USPS is struggling due to the coronavirus, a lack of proper funding, Trump’s hateful rhetoric and more. Here are a few ways you can help support.