A Fireside CharLA on COVID19’s Impact on Minority Communities
The USC Dornsife Program for Environmental and Regional Equity released an analysis of those most at risk of fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. The analysis concluded that marginalized segments of the population, including low-income seniors, undocumented immigrants, and rent burdened families, face substantial inequities that will affect how well they weather the pandemic.
In response, United Latinx Fund (ULF) and Latino Coalition of Los Angeles (LCLA) hosted Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas for an online Fireside CharLA to update on current legislation, policies, and investments that curtail the spread of COVID-19 within our most vulnerable communities, as well as how these solutions aim to redress mounting inequalities within our communities of color, specially within the Second District.
For many households in the county — including more than one-quarter of households in Southeast L.A. County — no one age 14 or older has a strong command of spoken English. They could miss crucial information on the pandemic if translation of public announcements is not available. Those unaware of safety measures may inadvertently expose themselves — and others — to disease.
In his opening statement Supervisor Ridley-Thomas said that the online CharLA innovative community engagement that is desperately needed, not only during this unprecedented crisis but throughout the work of advocacy that United Latinx and the Latino Coalition LA are doing.
“My deep concern and advocacy for communities of color didn’t start with COVID19,” stated Supervisor Ridley-Thomas. “I’ve been fighting for our communities my entire career. COVID19 has only increased the urgency with which we continue the mission.”
“We were deeply honored to have Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, who is one of Los Angeles’ most esteemed and dedicated public officials,” said Interim Executive Director of the United Latinx Fund and moderator of the CharLA, Richard Corral. “Thank you Supervisor for stopping by to share the important work you’ve been doing to combat COVID-19.”
“The Latino Coalition of Los Angeles thanks Supervisor Ridley-Thomas for his participation in our weekly CharLA Series Co-hosted by LCLA and our partners, United Latinx Fund,” said Latino Coalition of Los Angeles Founder, Raul Claros. “Our members were both excited and appreciative to hear the Supervisor share his support for the Campaign for Nonprofit Resilience. We look forward to connecting our brown and black communities to essential resources together in partnership with the Supervisor moving forward.”
The USC report and CharLA Series highlights a variety of areas of concern and comes at a critical moment during this crisis. It brings to the fore the top tier concerns of equity in terms of the provision of health services, in terms of data collection, and in terms of the distribution of resources that are at resident’s disposal. And it also, reinforces the need to offset systematically and structurally the disproportionate adverse effects experienced by communities of color during this crisis.
