{"id":4788,"date":"2020-08-04T12:41:25","date_gmt":"2020-08-04T16:41:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jointcenter.org\/?p=4788"},"modified":"2021-11-05T11:29:33","modified_gmt":"2021-11-05T15:29:33","slug":"pandemic-relief-priorities-for-black-communities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jointcenter.org\/pandemic-relief-priorities-for-black-communities\/","title":{"rendered":"Pandemic Relief Priorities for Black Communities"},"content":{"rendered":"


\nBy LaShonda Brenson Ph.D., Jessica Fulton, and Spencer Overton<\/em><\/p>\n

While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disproportionately harm Black communities in the United States, Congress and the Trump Administration have failed to come to an agreement on a fourth legislative package that will bring relief to millions in our nation.1<\/a><\/sup> Granted, the relief package should direct significant COVID-19 testing and other health care services toward underserved communities that are at greater risk to the virus. But that\u2019s not enough.<\/p>\n

In addition to accounting for a disproportionately large percentage of COVID-19 infections and deaths, Black communities have borne the brunt of the pandemic\u2019s socioeconomic harm. African Americans have suffered disproportionately high rates of unemployment, lost income, and business closures. The digital divide has prevented too many African Americans from engaging in remote learning, work, and medical services during the pandemic. Even the ability of Black communities to exercise the right to vote is threatened by a failure of government to invest adequate resources into accessible and safe voting options. Absent meaningful federal intervention, these challenges could hinder Black communities and racial equity for a generation.<\/p>\n

Rather than willfully ignore the pandemic\u2019s outsized effects on Black communities and further entrench systemic inequality, Congress and the Administration should agree to a stimulus plan that:<\/p>\n