To Reduce Racial Inequality, We Must Reduce Economic Inequality
Friends, partners, and community:
We begin the next program year in a substantially different place than from last year, even than from a few months ago. The health and economic impacts of COVID-19 have created massive disruptions to the economy and created a new reality for workers, the unemployed, and small businesses.
While the impacts on businesses and workers are widespread, COVID-19 has exacerbated the deep racial inequities in our health, social, and economic systems. Black, Indigenous, people of color, including immigrants and refugees, have not only been overrepresented in the death and infection rates from COVID-19 but also in industries most affected by the virus—in those essential occupations in healthcare, grocery stores, food processing, and most at risk of exposure, and in lower wage occupations in hospitality, retail, and other sectors hardest hit, leaving many people who already lived paycheck to paycheck in a struggle for survival.
The sustained protests and activism around George Floyd’s death at the hands of police and the much longer pattern of violence and racism against Black people in the United States have elevated voices that have long been oppressed, underrepresented, or ignored. This collective action caught many by surprise and brings hope and focus to the work of eliminating structural barriers.
To reduce racial inequality, we must reduce economic inequality. We must scale up our systems with more resources and smarter program design driven by data that accounts for disparities. We must build a backbone for our region with community at the center, in partnership with diverse organizations that center the needs and experiences of the people they serve.
Job loss is only part of the problem in this pandemic and access to a job is only one part of economic justice. Working to foster quality jobs that are safe, that pay a living wage, and that provide opportunities for growth can be one step on a path to healing.
Yours in partnership—
Marie Kurose
Chief Executive Officer
Kristen Fox
Board Chair