Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics released the Employment Situation Summary, or jobs report, for April:
“Today’s unemployment report only confirms what we already knew – this is the worst economic crisis we have faced in decades. And it has laid bare the structural racism and barriers to equal opportunities that are rooted in our country.
“It is clear that this health and economic emergency is borne hardest by people of color, who are overrepresented among essential workers and among those who have contracted and who have died from COVID-19. Our highest priority must be to ensure the safety of our most vulnerable communities and to provide the necessary relief, targeted aid, and policies to help them emerge from this crisis.”
Last month, The Leadership Conference and more than 100 organizations called on Congress to enact policies and provide sufficient funding to meet the urgent health and economic needs of the most vulnerable people in our nation. The Leadership Conference also outlined the steps Congress needs to take to protect public health more effectively, preserve and strengthen our public institutions, and ensure that our eventual economic recovery works for everyone.
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 220 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.
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