WATCH NOW: Unmasked: A COVID-19 Virtual Town Hall Series Part 3
Part three of Unmasked: A COVID-19 Virtual Town Hall Series focused on the new reality of K-12 education following the coronavirus pandemic, as well as its impact on universities. Panelists discussed the rising educational inequalities and how legislation can mitigate the burden African American students and other students of color face. [embedded content]
NAACP Issues Statement on Today’s Passage of the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act
Baltimore, MD – Derrick Johnson, president and CEO, made the following statement about today’s passage of the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act by the U.S. House of Representatives. The legislation provides $484 billion in support for small businesses, health care providers and expanding testing in response to the COVID-19 crisis. “This legislation is a desperately-needed first step to helping small businesses owned by people of color and located in underserved areas, which are hardest hit by...
Urge U.S. House to Pass (H.R. 266) Coronavirus Bill
Late in the afternoon of Tuesday, 4/21/2020, the U.S. Senate passed, by voice vote, HR 266, a bill to provide $484 billion to small businesses, hospitals and health care providers who are among those hardest hit by the Coronavirus pandemic, or COVID-19. We must now urge the United States House of Representatives to take up and pass the bill, so that it can go to President Trump for his signature. The President has indicated he will sign H.R. 266; the House has scheduled a vote for Thursday, 4/23/2020.
Letter: Please Increase Emergency Relief Funding for Transit Workers
Dear Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader McConnell, and House and Senate Leadership, We are organizations representing public transit riders, public transit workers, environmental justice communities, and other constituencies across the United States. We advocate for transit systems that are affordable and accessible to all, provide good family-supporting jobs, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other pollution from our transportation system. We urge you to increase the allocation for emergency assistance to public...
What Do Clean Air, COVID-19, and Earth Day Mean to Me – Cleveland Branch
The virus has been said to be an equalizer among humankind, but that cannot be further from the truth. COVID-19 has sparked a fire within a variety of groups of people. The world is concerned about how we can flatten the curve, limiting the number of people contracting the novel coronavirus. The fact is that people who live at or below the poverty level (mostly black and brown people) are more likely to contract and die from COVID-19. Why? There is a lack of clean air in these communities, with toxins causing...
Saving MA Forests: The Fight for Clean Air During COVID-19 and Climate Change
Berkshire County is home to an abundance of beautifully forested land and natural resources. Our forests, parks, and wetlands have become an important pillar of our economic stability, as well as a critical player in our ecological diversity and public health. Yet our state’s forests are currently standing on the threshold of losing protections against commercial logging, and removal for biomass fuel. Only about twenty percent of the land in Massachusetts is protected from development, and Berkshire County holds the...
What Do Clean Air, COVID-19, and Earth Day Mean to Me? – Kentucky State Conference
Earth Day, celebrated every April 22nd, raises awareness of the negative impact humans have had on the planet as a whole. Activities are planned around the Commonwealth to celebrate individual and group efforts, highlighting accomplishments that have or will positively impact Kentucky. However, in 2020, there will be little celebration due to the ravenous virus that has swept our nation. Kentucky has a population of around 4.5 million, with 120...
COVID-19 Keeps Earth Day’s Air Clean, But Will the Government?
On April 22, we celebrate Earth Day, when everyone comes together to show their support for environmental protections. Yet, government officials continue to overlook the need for clean air standards. Although the COVID-19 lockdown has led to cleaner air due to self-isolation, many government officials have yet to put a plan in place that will reduce air pollution in the long run. Coronavirus research indicates that individuals residing in the most vulnerable communities experiencing higher levels of air pollution...
What Do Clean Air, COVID-19, and Earth Day Mean to Me? – Indiana State Conference
The coronavirus pandemic has affected all Hoosiers— from the way we work to how we interact with each other to what’s considered essential. But it hasn’t affected every Indiana community the same way. According to the state Department of Health earlier this month, nearly one out of five COVID-19 deaths in Indiana have been African-American patients. That’s almost double the percentage of African-Americans who call Indiana home. This mirrors a trend we’ve seen in other states where the...
NAACP Focuses Third Virtual Town Hall on New Reality of K-12 Education Following COVID-19
Washington, D.C. (April 21, 2020) – The NAACP, in conjunction with BET, will host part three of their four-part virtual town hall series, “Unmasked: COVID-19” on Wednesday, April 22, at 7 PM ET/ 4 PM PT. The hour-long call will focus on the new reality of education K-12 following the coronavirus pandemic, as well as its impact on universities. Panelists will deliberate about the rising educational inequalities, and how legislation can mitigate the burden African American students and other students of color...